Independent news, guides, reviews and a community for Australian homes, plus up to three quotes when you are ready.
Image source: Wikimedia Commons. Credit: Rudy23. CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized and cropped for display.
Energy ministers are examining how plug-in solar could be used safely. Renters and apartment residents still need to check legal, electrical and building rules.
What changed, what it means for you, and what we would check first.
Image source: Energy & Water Ombudsman NSW. Credit: Energy & Water Ombudsman NSW.
Your rightsEWON recorded 677 complaints about consumer energy resources in 2025-26, up from 301. Its latest annual report highlights gaps in access to dispute resolution.
Illustrative image: Wikimedia Commons. Credit: Wikideas1 / Wikimedia Commons. CC0 1.0. Resized and cropped for display.
RebatesVictoria says its existing solar PV rebate and optional interest-free loan will continue until 30 June 2027. A new Victorian Energy Upgrades solar discount is planned from July, but its household rules and final value have not yet been published.
Original graphic: SolarAnswers. Source: Clean Energy Regulator.
RebatesEligible mid-scale solar systems installed from 1 October 2026 can seek STCs, but applications open later in November. Here is what businesses should check.
From accredited installers near you. Free, no obligation.
Explore solar and battery conversations, including labelled examples, or start a question about your own home.
Example conversations with fictional members. Animal and cartoon avatars from Pixabay.
Batteries
We've already got rooftop solar and a smart meter. We're out most of the day, then everything goes on at dinner time. One installer reckons a 10 kWh battery is plenty, the other is pushing 20. Same house, same bills. What should I ask them to show me?
Quotes and installers
Reading the installation stories has made me a bit nervous. I've got the quote and warranty emails, but no idea what a proper handover looks like. What do people forget to ask on the day?
Tariffs and bills
Keep seeing these free midday power offers. We already export solar at lunch and buy most of our power after dark. The car comes to work with me too. Am I missing something, or is this just not a great fit for us?
Batteries
The joining offer is tempting. We've already had backup circuits fitted, and I'd like to keep some charge aside for a blackout. If I join this VPP, can I still set that reserve myself? The brochure has plenty about earnings but not much about that.
Read from the datasheet, with the federal discount each one earns today.
Tesla
13.5 kWh usable AC battery with a built-in 3 MPPT solar inverter, up to 11.04 kW continuous output and up to three 13.5 kWh Expansion units.
AlphaESS
Single 13.99 kWh usable LFP battery module for the single-phase AlphaESS SMILE-M5, rated at 5.04 kW, with a second module for 27.98 kWh.
SolarEdge
9.7 kWh usable high-voltage battery for SolarEdge inverters, 5 kW continuous and up to three batteries per inverter.
LG Energy Solution
High-voltage lithium-ion battery in two fixed sizes, 9.6 kWh usable at 5 kW or 16.0 kWh at 7 kW, with up to two units in parallel.
43 products reviewed so far. We have not tested them; every figure is from the manufacturer.
Buying and quotes
Get more than one written quote, then line up the exact products, usable battery capacity, warranties, rebate and extra charges before you sign anything.
Batteries
A battery can make sense if you use power in the evening, get a low feed-in tariff and qualify for the rebate. Here is how to judge it for your own home.
Solar panels
How to size a home solar system from your bills, daytime use, roof and local sunshine, with average output per kW for each capital city.
Rebates
How the Cheaper Home Batteries discount is worked out: STCs, the factor, the size taper, who claims it, and why the date on your compliance certificate matters.
Buying and quotes
Rushed deadlines, today-only prices, vague free offers and claims the government sent them are signs to walk away. Here is how to check, and how to report it.
Solar panels
What you may be paid for exported solar in 2026-27, state by state, plus time-of-use rates, the new Solar Sharer Offer and why using your own solar matters more.
Battery rebate calculator
$3,370 to $3,640
off a 13.5 kWh battery today. See the figure for yours.
Solar payback calculator
4.3 years
rough payback for 6.6 kW in Sydney.
We do not sell panels or batteries. No installer or brand can pay to appear in a story, guide or review.
Installers pay a fee when we pass on a quote request. You never pay us, and every figure links to where it came from.
How we are paidSomething else? Ask the community.
Yes. The guides, calculators and quote requests are free for households. Installers pay us a fee when we pass on a quote request, and that is how the site is funded.
Up to three installers who work in your area. We tell you who they are, and nobody else gets your details. You are under no obligation to go ahead with any of them.
It depends on usable capacity and when the installation is signed off. For batteries installed between May and December 2026 the factor is 6.8, which is worth about $3,370 to $3,640 for a 13.5 kWh battery. The factor drops to 5.7 on 1 January 2027.
Yes. The federal discount requires the battery to be paired with solar, either an existing system or one installed at the same time.
Every rebate figure comes from a government or regulator page, which we link on the page along with the date we last checked it. When a program changes, we update the page and the date.
