Every state is different but you may not be able to go totally off grid if the power is available to your site. Brother in law still had to pay service fees (but not usage) when he installed panels independent of the grid. Good luck.

Hi Malibu_tan Well I must also agree with the other four comments "the fireplace is a focal point" , all I would add to that is - man/woman has been looking at fire for many years, and it's reference to our being most likely goes back to primordial times. Fire (the moving flame) is deeply rooted in our psychic, and our relationship with safety and comfort, I would remove the heater and celebrate the fireplace. You can always put in an ethanol fire and close of the flue if required, but I would not get rid of such asset to your residence and your life. Depending a bit with the style of the house I would go as far as providing side book shelving storage, or DVD's, or your best collection of miniature spoons should miniature spoons bee your interest. Whatever you wish to display for your or your friends enjoyment. Then I would complete the lounge design around your final choice of tiles and mantle, if you are putting in a slightly better mantle than you have at present, or if you are going for a modernist look. (it all depends a bit on tastes and budget) If you are in a "period style" you could look at something like Regardless of your tastes I think you can get an ethanol insert in just about any fireplace, corny as it sounds the fireplace is "the hearth of the home" . Possibly not the response that you were perhaps seeking, and you might have a lot of reason why you want to remove it - well I would like to hear your comments. Hope this is of some help Regards Michael Manias

We are building as you know Luke and I would love solar but hubby feels at present the systems offered, sway too far towards the companies marketing the products and not enough towards the person forking out huge $$$$ to have the system installed. There is talk be it correct or not, that solar systems might only last 10 years before they need either maintenance, partial or complete replacement and that's simply not long enough to get back in the black with the initial financial outlay, as you may still be paying for the original system!! Also for us living in south west vic, our winters are so cold and sunless, that I hazzard a guess, like solar heating for a pool, the system will completely fail, in that it wouldn't produce any energy for possibly 4 months of the year. We have credible information about a wealthy local who decided to give going off the grid a red hot go and even installed a wind turbine, with the batteries and a solar system and my information is that this local is back on the grid, as the system failed because there wasn't sufficient wind to keep the turbines moving and the same for the solar with inadequate sunlight during winter. I think such a system (solar) should last a good 15 - 20 years and then allot more people in colder areas like us, would definitely consider the expense of going "green" because the months when the system would work would become worthwhile. Just slightly off topic, we were supposed to have a solar HWS with electric backup as part of our energy rating for the area and during the course of investigating the best unit, we found out that most common systems for a HWS that has solar panels on the roof, have a type of anti freeze running through the system to prevent the water from freezing in low temps. Literature that I read on the Rheem website advised people like us that gather our own water for all household needs, showering, laundry etc... AND most importantly drinking water, needed to isolate the section of roofing where the panel were, in case of a leak although remote because if it occured, all the drinking water that became contaminated, had to be discarded!! Imagine having to empty our tanks during summer with no more rain to refill them, we would then have to buy water to be able to stay in the home however, there is a system that we found that has evacuated tubes rather than panels and these tubes have no chemicals with the most popular brand being the Apricus. Anyway, just some info about solar hot water. Cheers, Barbara

Firstly OP, I believe the NSW government has no rebates for solar (except a minor trial for a low income rebate for solar in selected areas). Only a loan scheme. The main rebate for solar is the STC rebate, which is a federal rebate. Victoria has a state rebate, worth an additional $1,800 (plus another $1,800 as an interest-free loan), or there abouts. But to the crux of your question. If people have an unshaded roof, I think they'd be crazy not to invest in solar PV. Technology has improved over the years, & prices have tumbled. In most areas, single phase homes can have a solar system up to 6.66kW (5kW inverter) installed - any larger than this & export limiting will occur. A system this size can be installed for somewhere around a cost of $5,000 - $6,000. $3,500 to $4,500 in Victoria. With savings on electricity of up to $1,500 a year, payback times average from 3 to 5 years. After that is all profit. Tell we where you can find an investment with these sorts of returns. From you bank, shares, real-estate, I don't think so! If I was building now, not only would I spend a lot of time getting the passive solar design right, & making sure my building envelope was well insulated & air tight (most new Aussie homes are very leaky). I'd also make sure my roof was well designed to accommodate solar panels. This is often not the case in Australia, where we have a fascination for hip & valley tilled roofs. Hint: a rectangular panel doesn't fit well on a triangular roof face. A complex roof, with multiple angular roof faces, over many aspects, will reduce the available area for solar panels. It will complicate the installation, increasing costs. Plus the final result will look like a dog's breakfast. But I'd be going much further than just installing solar panels. I'd be building an all-electric house. Split system reverse cycle AC (heat pump), the most energy efficient, cost effective form of heating. Fans for cooling (AC is energy hungry for cooling). Heat pump hot water, again, the most energy efficient way to heat water - unless you're in northern Australia, where solar thermal water is a good option also. Induction cooking. As responsive as gas. But with even more control over temperature, & far, far easier to clean. This means no gas to the home! A saving of over $300 a year, just in service charges alone! Plus cheaper running costs, especially when powered by solar PV. Installing solar PV & saying no to gas is also far better for the environment. The federal government may tell you that gas is a great transitional fuel, it's not! Why was the CO-VID Commission stacked with gas executives? Jobs for the boys, their fingers in the pie. Not only does combustion of gas create quite a lot of carbon dioxide (about 50% as much as coal). But natural gas (methane) has a global warming potential of 25. That is, it's 25 times worse than carbon dioxide! This means that if only 3% of it leaks into the atmosphere during its extraction, processing or transportation, emissions are just as bad for gas as they are for coal! Progressive government's like the ACT are considering banning natural gas from new developments. Other government's, who are too friendly with the fossil fuel industry, & are addicted to their political donations turn a blind eye to science & tell you gas is great! For anyone on Facebook, who would like to build an energy efficient home, is recommend that join the 'My Efficient Electric Home' (MEEH) group.