How our model works.

Here's the detail. 

In simple terms, we put a solar power system on your roof and you buy the electricity it generates.

It means you can go solar without spending any money up front, and save money with the same pay-as-you-go model you're used to. 

The benefit of rooftop solar

Because the electricity is created on-site, there's no need to pay network charges.

Network charges are the cost of getting the electricity from a traditional power station to your building. They generally make up around 40% of a traditional power bill. 

There are also environment charges that can be avoided. 

Also, solar electricity now costs less to produce than coal or gas electricity. 

The result is that you pay significantly less for electricity than via any grid-based alternative. 

Power Purchase Agreements

We do all this using a Power Purchase Agreement. 

In summary, we agree to design, buy, install, maintain and guarantee the solar assets. You agree to pay the monthly bill we send you for the term of the agreement. There is no up front cost for you. 

The term of the agreement can be between 8 and 25 years depending on what you want. 

A longer term will have lower monthly charges than a shorter term agreement. 

Your monthly bill

Your monthly bill will be based on how much electricity you consume (not how much is produced).  

Your monthly bill has a fixed price per kilowatt hour. This price is fixed or the term of the agreement (no inflation). 

At the end of the agreement, we will transfer ownership of the assets to you. 

Our clients are both landlords and renters 

If you are a renter and you needed to move out, you have a number of options: 

• We can move the system to your new business location, or
• We can transfer the agreement to the building owner, or
• We can transfer the agreement to an incoming tenant, or
• You can terminate the agreement. A fee may apply. 

Renters can also take advantage of lower rates without needing to enter an agreement with us if they can negotiate with their landlords to sign up instead. This is often a good idea for landlords as they will receive: 

• An advantage in attracting and retaining tenants
• Improved NABERS & Green Star Ratings
• A solar power asset at the end of the agreement
• Lower power bills themselves if they share the property

Rebates and exporting to the grid

During the term of the agreement, we will collect any government rebates and any income from exporting excess electricity to the grid. These offset the cost of the investment and reduce your monthly bills. 

At the end of the agreement when the assets are transferred to you, any rebate or energy export income can be collected by you.

What we do when the sun isn't shining

As much as we love solar, the know sun doesn't always shine. We have 2 ways to overcome this. 

1. Stay connected to the grid

You will continue to receive a monthly bill from your current retailer, it will just be a lot smaller. If you'd like we're able to manage this bill for you so you only get one bill per month. 

2. Batteries

If you don't have a connection to the grid, or you want to avoid blackouts, batteries are a great option. We can include them as part of your agreement. Many of our customers prefer the option of staying connected to the grid because it's cheaper. But as the price of batteries comes down over time, this will become a more attractive option. 

Also, for larger installations that generate excess power (for examples schools during holidays) batteries enable short term storage so electricity can be sold to the grid at the time of day with the highest prices. 

What if something breaks? 

As part of the installation of the solar system, we include a smart meter of our own. It tells two things. Firstly, it helps us create accurate monthly billing based on your energy consumption.

Second, we use it to monitor the health of the system, and set off alerts if things go wrong. Often we'll know about a problem before you do. This enables us to organise either a fix or a replacement quickly and smoothly. 

Reducing your consumption to save you more money

As well as paying less for your power, there are a growing number of ways you can use less power too. Lighting, heating, cooling, and other things can now be delivered at the same standard you are used to, but with significantly less energy being consumed. 

Many of our clients bundle these cost savers into their agreement with us. Again, there's no up front cost for doing so - we cover that.

Who does the work? 

We invest in electricity production, but we don't install the systems ourselves.

We work with certified installers around Australia. We have no incentive to use any particular products. If you have a preference we'll review their suitability, and if they checkout, we'll be happy to incorporate them into the investment associated with your agreement. 

The contract

Please contact our sales team to have us design a proposal and we'll share the contract T&Cs with you once the project scope is confirmed.

Next steps

If this model sounds interesting, please give us a call on 02 8226 8616, email us at hello@upstreamenergy.com.au, or complete the form below. 

If you are able to send us a recent power bill, it will give us all the details we need to send you an obligation free proposal. See the upload button in the form below.