About Forster

Apex Solar focuses on solar power and battery energy storage systems, but off-grid and EV charging solutions are an equally important part of their business model. For the last 15 years, we have served the community around Forster, a beautiful coastal town on the Mid-North Coast of New South Wales, Australia, southwest of the Pacific Ocean. Forster has stunning, family-friendly beaches like Main Beach, One Mile Beach, and Pebbly Beach. The town is located between the Pacific Ocean and Wallis Lake, which means it has access to some seriously aquatically friendly environments beautiful enough to impress even the most discerning beachgoers.

In Forster, about 55% of homes are owned by the residents, either outright or with the help of mortgages. The median monthly mortgage payment is $1,500. As a way to harness the power of the sun, solar systems can save the average household around 7.5% of their electricity bill. If you possess a 30-year-old solar system, it could have saved you upwards of $60,000 over that lifespan. But those numbers don’t even begin to cover the amazing essence of a solar system in Forster, because on average, solar systems save residents far more than that.

Solar in Forster

More than 5,100 residences in the Forster area—located in postcode 2428—have adopted solar energy. The total capacity of these installations is a notable 26,500 kW, which generates an average of 110,000 kWh per day as of June 30, 2024. This translates to an annual output of approximately 40,150 MWh.

In addition to the financial savings, the environmental impact is significant. Forster’s solar power production is taking over 30,000 tonnes per year of carbon dioxide out of the Australian atmosphere. That’s the CO2 equivalent absorbed by 350,000 trees. Those 30,000 tonnes represent an elimination of emissions every year equal to 250 million kilometres of car travel! That’s the average distance a car travels in a year multiplied by one-third of your average town’s cars! Forster’s solar revolution is pretty awesome.

The generation of solar power will rely predominantly on how large the solar photovoltaic (PV) system is. However, here are some average estimates for the Forster region.

Solar System Size5kW6.6kW10kW13kW
Total Annual Output7,684 kW/h10,143 kW/h15,368 kW/h19,980 kW/h
Average Monthly Output640 kW/h845 kW/h1,281 kW/h1,665 kW/h
Average Daily Output21 kW/h28 kW/h42 kW/h55 kW/h
Potential Annual Savings$2,152$2,840$4,303$5,594
Potential Monthly Savings$179$237$359$466
Potential Daily Savings$6$8$12$15

*If all solar power is consumed in the home. No export. It can vary and depends on the amount of self-consumption vs export

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Understanding Your Energy Consumption

At Apex Solar, we appreciate the significance of not only installing solar panels but also of doing so in an optimal manner to get the most effective energy system possible. As such, we direct our customers with installations in the Forster, New South Wales area to orient their solar panels in a northward-facing direction to receive the best solar asset performance; however, a mostly east/west-oriented system can yield very similar results. In terms of your system’s array angle, we can only offer you’d do best matching the latitude of Forster, which is approximately 32 degrees, or else tilt frames can be an option; again, we recommend you consult with a competent local authority for solar asset performance to make sure your rooftop array system is installed exactly as it should be for optimal performance.

If you are an esteemed customer of Apex Solar, you’re not just someone who generates your own electricity; you’re also, potentially, someone who can profit from producing excess energy. Here in New South Wales, the rates for what we call feed-in tariffs—for the energy you export back to the grid—are not enormous. They range, generally, from about 5 to 10 cents per kilowatt-hour. That being the case, it is essential that we help you find the best plan with the energy retailer of your choice so that your potentially profitable solar system can truly realize its profit potential.

Currently, there are no particular stipulations associated with the installation of solar panels in the Mid-Coast Council area. Nevertheless, at Apex Solar, we keep abreast of the councils’ developments just in case. We don’t want you to run afoul of any local changes that could mean compliance problems or other headaches—so we update you, in any event, with the local condition that ensures your solar panel installation is aboveboard.

When you choose Apex Solar, you align yourself with an expert team that values efficiency and compliance and ensures your Forster solar installation is powerful and worry-free.

Choosing A Local Solar Installer

Understanding the differences among various types of solar installers is necessary when selecting a firm to do the installation for you. One kind of solar installer is sales companies that sell both solar and batteries. This group of firms is good at selling solar systems but doesn’t install them on behalf of their clients. Energy retailers and large national solar providers are some examples. The method through which this category of solar sales companies operates makes it practically impossible for one to make a call or speak directly to the person concerned or see their products as well.

Alternatively, average-sized local businesses like Apex Solar have a business model that’s more akin to what we might consider personalized service. There’s therefore coherence in quality throughout this process since there are sales representatives who are also responsible than staff dedicated to installing. These small local companies focused on quality also have great after-sale services, meaning you will be supported long after your system has been installed – if you bother calling them at all.

What you get from local solar installers is effectively personal service; while at the same time getting straight communication guaranteed as well as reliable post-sales support.

At Apex Solar, we help you in a manner that allows you to feel as if you are in control of the situation, but we also help you to feel as if you are making a decision in a comfortable, guided way. We don’t disappear after the solar installation. For another decade or more, you can count on us for expert advice and support.

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Understanding Your Roof Orientation

In Forster, New South Wales, the optimal angle to install solar panels is set to face true north. Although the east/west configuration is not quite as effective, it is still a very good option. Rooftops that have an angle from 15 to 25 degrees are fine (and roofs that range from 10 to 15 degrees can be accommodated with tilt frames), but Apex Solar is not aware of any configurations that are successful at angles less than about 10 degrees. We can examine your roof and give you advice that is tailored to your specific situation.

When you engage our services as an Apex Solar customer, you’re not just paying for a service that lets you generate your own electricity; you’re also part of an opportunity to earn from your system. In New South Wales, for example, you might be getting up to 10 cents per kilowatt-hour for the energy you send back to the grid. Our experience helping customers in areas just like yours—Forster, for example—over the last few years has taught us that electricity retailers differ quite a bit in terms of what they offer customers. And they differ quite a lot in terms of the prices and plans they charge and what’s in those plans.

Presently, there is no mandated installation procedure for solar panels in the Mid-Coast Council area. However, Apex Solar makes it a point to regularly consult with the local council to remain informed of any potential changes in local conditions that could affect you. This way, we can ensure that you remain compliant with any local regulations and help you avoid any possible unexpected issues.

When you select Apex Solar, you are selecting experts who minimise inefficiency and noncompliance. Your solar installation in Forster will be effective and trouble-free, thanks to our focus on those two key areas.

Sunlight Statistics in Forster

On the first day of summer being always the first of December in Forster the dawn is at 5:09 am, with sunrise at 5:37 am, followed by 14 hours and 3 minutes of sunlight with the sunset at 7:40 pm. The solar noon, meaning the exact middle of the day, when the sun is at its highest will be at 12:40 pm. Dusk will start at 8:10 pm. So you can see solar generation around this time of the year is excellent.

On the first day of winter the 1st of June, in Forster the dawn is at 6:17 am, with sunrise at 6:43 am, followed by 10 hours and 8 minutes of sunlight with the sunset at 4:51 pm The solar noon, meaning the exact middle of the day, when the sun is at it’s highest will be at 11:49 am. Dusk will start at 5:36 pm So you can see the solar generation between summer and winter has a difference of only 3 hours and 55 minutes, making overall the sunlight hours per annum very good for solar power generation in Forster.

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Solar Batteries in Forster

At Apex Solar, we are enthused about enabling the people of Forster to achieve complete energy independence through solar battery installations. A solar battery takes your system to the next level, allowing you to store all the extra energy you have generated during the day and use it when the sun isn’t shining. It is like having your own power plant right on your rooftop. Since it is now almost a year since the last time we wrote a piece for this publication, it is time we updated everyone on how things have gone with the installation of batteries in the Forster area over the past 11 months.

Installing a solar battery can take you a step further toward energy independence. While you might think of solar panels as a way to harness electricity from the sun, solar collectors, like solar batteries, have come a long way since the 1970s. They are now far more efficient and cost-effective than they used to be.

At midday, your solar panels might produce more electricity than your household needs. Instead of sending this surplus energy back to the grid, a solar battery stores it for later use. This battery-filled system can produce a monthly savings of up to 16% on the average electric bill.

Apex Solar tailors its solutions for clients in Forster, and we are no different. Our expert team does not rely on one-size-fits-all solar systems for our clients. Instead, we pay attention to detail and customize each installation to the client’s specific situation. We pay attention to the client’s specific requests, and we also take into account the expert recommendations of our team when we are determining what system will work best for a particular client.

Taking the step to install a solar battery can push you closer to energy independence and sustainability. Picture this: there’s a blackout, and a solar battery has powered the essentials in your home so you can ride out the outage. Apex Solar can help you harness your solar panel system’s full potential and make your energy supply more reliable.

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EV Charging in Forster

We are thrilled at Apex Solar to assist individuals from Forster to take a step closer towards sustainable living by merging solar power with electric vehicle (EV) charging. In fact, installing an EV charger at home that is powered by your solar panels is a great idea if you want to minimise the carbon footprint and also have your car charged just in front of your door. Going into the future, as more people embrace EVs there will be more installation of EV chargers among our offerings.

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Why Install an EV Charger?

Having an EV charger at home is like having a petrol station; you can charge when you want, but most importantly while you sleep. Not that it takes all night; a full charge with a Level 2 home charger (240 volts) takes about 10 hours. It’s doubtful if you returned from work the following day and found “All done” on your way to work in the morning; however, definitely see one by the end of business hours.

To cut costs associated with electric vehicles, one should have solar chargers installed for them. We can offer dependable alternative energy sourced from photovoltaic panelling covering up the EV charger plus providing excess electricity.

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QUALITY SOLAR PACKAGES

REC + Fronius

REC Fronius - Apex Solar System
  • REC Solar Panels
  • Fronius Inverter
  • 6.6kW, 8kW, 10kW Systems available
  • Hybrid/Battery option available with BYD Batteries
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Jinko + Sungrow

Jinko Sungrow Apex Solar Systrem
  • JINKO Solar Panels
  • Sungrow Inverter
  • 6.6kW, 8kW, 10kW Systems available
  • Hybrid/Battery option available with Sungrow Batteries
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Off-Grid

Fronius-Selectronic-Powerplus-Jinko-Apex Solar off grid
  • JINKO Solar Panels
  • Fronius Inverter
  • Selectronic Inverter
  • PowerPlus Battery
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Our packages are provided as a base and can be tailored to suit your specific needs. Please contact us to discuss your unique requirements and we will customise a solution that best fits your circumstances.