Solar, batteries and cars — explained simply

About 25 to 30 years. They only fade a tiny bit each year, so an old panel still makes most of what a new one does.

North makes the most power over the year. East or west lose only 10 to 20%, and can suit you better if you use most of your power in the morning or evening.

About 20 to 30 degrees is ideal, and most roofs are already close enough, so panels usually sit flat on the roof.

One shaded panel can drag a whole row down with it. If you have a shady spot, we fit a small booster on just those panels, so the rest of the roof keeps working.

One covers the panel if it is faulty. The other promises it keeps making a certain amount of power for years. They are two different things, so check both.

It is allowed, up to a third more, and it is a smart move. The extra panels catch more power in the morning, in the evening, and on cloudy days.

A bit. Tiles crack more easily than a tin roof, so we take more care and it takes a little longer. It is still fine.

Tier 1 is about how strong the company is with money. It is not a score for quality. What really matters is that the panel is on the government-approved list, because that is what the rebate needs.

A popular 6.6 kW system is about 14 panels, and needs roughly 28 square metres of clear roof. Panels keep getting bigger, so the number drops a little each year.

Yes on cloudy days, just less. Very hot days also cut the output a little, but the panels still work.

Most panels are tested for hail and pass. If you live somewhere that gets big hail, ask for panels rated for it.

Usually once or twice a year. The rain does most of the work. Dusty homes, or ones under trees, may need it more often.

Yes, a tiny bit each year, about half a percent. That is why they are still going strong after 25 years.

Most of a panel can be recycled, and there are more places taking them every year. Try not to send them to the tip.

kW is how much power something can make or use at one moment — like how hard a tap runs. kWh is how much adds up over time — like how much water ends in the bucket. Solar systems are sized in kW. Batteries are sized in kWh, because a battery is a bucket.

It is the box on your wall that turns the power from the panels into the kind your house can use. Nothing works without it, and it is usually the first part to need replacing.

Often yes, but the strata committee usually has to say yes first, and a shared roof needs a plan for who owns what. We can talk you through it before you commit to anything.

Still possible. But a heritage home, or one in a heritage area, may need council approval, and the panels may have to go where nobody can see them from the street. We check the rules for your address.

Sometimes. But old inverters and panels do not always work with new gear. Often it is better to add a separate new run of panels. We look at what you have and tell you straight.

Panels last more than 25 years, so it is worth checking the roof has that many years left in it before we bolt them down. If the roof is close to needing replacing, do the roof first. We will tell you if that is the case.

It is only worth it if you fill it with spare sun every day, and then use that power at night. If it sits half empty, you paid for space you never use.

About 10 to 15 years. Do not just look at the 10-year sticker on the box. Look at how much power it can push out over its whole life. The next question explains that.

Look at the total power it can push out over its whole life. Divide that by how much you use in a day, and you get the real number of years it will last. That is the fair way to compare.

Only if you buy the backup gear too. Many batteries switch off with the grid unless you add a backup switch and its own wiring. Ask about it before you buy.

Usually just the things you pick: the fridge, some lights, the internet. Backing up the whole house is possible, but it costs more.

The type called LFP. It is safer and lasts longer, and it is now in most home batteries. Ask which type yours is.

One is the size of the box. The other is what you can actually use. A little is always held back to protect the battery. Always compare the number you can actually use.

Sometimes. Only if it is a type you can stack, and only with the same brand and model. If you think you might add more later, plan the size now.

No. Staying connected is best. The grid is your backup, and it lets you sell your spare power. Cutting off only makes sense where there is no mains power at all.

Somewhere cool, shaded and airy, like a shaded garage wall. Heat is the enemy. It wears a battery out faster.

Yes, when it is fitted to the rules, comes off the approved list, and is kept away from bedrooms and doorways.

Most hold about 60 to 70% of what they held when new. That is normal. It is not a fault.

With the rebate, and with NSW power prices as high as they are, most homes are looking at about 6 to 10 years. The saving comes from using your own stored power at night. We show you the real number for your home in the quote.

A little, but the money they pay you is usually worth more than the wear. The one question to ask any VPP is whether they ever fill your battery from the grid.

Match it to how much power you use overnight. Most homes use about 8 to 15 kWh a night, so a 10 to 13 kWh battery covers a normal night.

Yes. A shaded, airy garage is one of the best spots. Just not blocking a doorway or a way out.

The kWh is how much it holds. The kW is how fast it can push power out. You need enough of both. A big battery that can only trickle power out will not run the aircon and the oven at the same time.

A newer, cheaper kind of battery, just turning up in 2026. They look promising and they are very safe, but they are still new. Most homes today still go with the proven kind. Worth keeping an eye on.

A battery is quiet, it starts on its own, and it works off your sun every single day. A generator only helps in a blackout, and you have to keep fuel for it. For most homes the battery does far more for the money.

Not always. But backing up a whole three-phase home needs the right gear and it can cost more. On a single-phase home it is simpler. We size the backup to what you actually want kept on.

Yes. A solar-smart charger sends your spare daytime sun to the car, instead of selling it back for a few cents. That means it costs you next to nothing.

For nearly every home, 7kW. A 22kW charger needs three-phase power, which most homes do not have, and most cars cannot charge faster than 7kW at home anyway.

No, not for normal charging at home. A 7kW charger covers everyday driving.

Not if we fit a small sensor. It slows the charger down when the oven or the aircon is on, then speeds it back up.

Usually it is better to charge straight from the sun, or from the grid. Going through the home battery first wastes a bit of power.

About 40 km of driving for every hour it is plugged in. That fills a normal car overnight.

A charger with wifi and a phone app, so you can set timers. Look for one that says OCPP. That is an open standard, so the charger works with different apps and you are not stuck with one company forever.

It is a card you tap so only the people you allow can charge. Handy for a shared driveway. You don't need it at a private home.

Some chargers come with the cable attached. With others you bring your own. It is up to you.

It depends on how far the cable has to run, and on your switchboard. It is usually not a big cost, and we give you the exact figure in your quote before you commit to anything.

There is no cash rebate right now. But the NSW Home Energy Saver loan, at 0% interest, can pay for one.

It is only just starting in 2026, and very few cars and chargers can do it. Worth watching, but do not count on it yet.

For light driving, maybe. It only adds about 10 to 12 km an hour. If you drive every day, a proper 7kW charger is far better.

About 10 to 15 years. You usually replace it once while the panels are still going.

Usually 5 to 12 years, and you can often pay to make it longer. Check the number on your quote.

For most homes, a hybrid one. It runs the panels now, and it can take a battery later without being replaced.

It means you can add a battery to that inverter later. It is a loose term, so ask exactly which batteries it will take.

Yes, up to a third more. It is normal, and it catches more power across the day.

Yes. A home with three-phase power can usually have a bigger system, and send more back to the grid.

In our area, Endeavour, it is about 5 kW on a normal single-phase home. You can still fit a bigger system. It just caps how much goes out.

Yes. Ausgrid areas usually allow more. It comes down to your address. We check your exact limit before we fit anything.

Yes. A smart inverter lets the grid raise your limit when there is room, often from 5 kW up to about 10 kW.

In a rare emergency, yes, and only for a short time. It is a safety rule. New systems need a smart inverter so it can work.

Yes, approval comes first. Never let anyone start work before you have the written approval in your hand.

It cannot. Your inverter is set so it never sends out more than you are allowed. The extra gets used in your home instead.

The power in your street has climbed too high. It is common at midday when lots of homes have solar. The right settings and the right cable fix it.

Sometimes. Older boards need a bit of work before solar, a battery or a car charger can go in safely. If your board has an asbestos back, which is common in homes built before 1990, a licensed person has to deal with it. We check all this at the quote, so there are no surprises on the day.

Look at the main switch in your board and count the live wires. One means single-phase. Three means three-phase. It matters for big systems, for backing up a whole house, and for a 22kW car charger. We check yours before we size anything.

You let a power company use a little of your battery when the grid is under pressure, and they pay you for it. You still own the battery.

Three common ways: money when you sign up, a payment each time they use your battery, or a better price for the power you sell back. Always read the plan.

A little, but the money is usually worth more than the wear. Ask whether they ever fill your battery from the grid. That is the thing to avoid.

Yes. The VPP money and the battery rebate both work at the same time.

There is no set number. It depends on the company. Treat any figure you are given as a guess, not a promise.

It is a plan that gives you 3 hours of free power in the middle of the day, from July 2026. You need a smart meter, and you have to ask for it.

Prices are usually higher at other times, to pay for the free part. You only win if you really use that midday window.

So many homes send solar out at midday that there is far too much of it. When something is that common, the price for it drops.

With different prices, power is cheap late at night and dear in the evening. A battery lets you skip that dear evening price altogether.

An extra charge based on your single biggest burst of power use in the month. A battery smooths that burst out, so it helps.

It is a small charge for sending your solar out at busy midday times, after a free daily amount. You get paid more for sending it out in the evening instead. It is only a few dollars a year, and a battery avoids it.

Using your own power is worth far more than selling it. Aim to use your sun yourself, not send it out.

Look at the whole bill: the price per kWh, the daily fee, and the evening price. Do not just chase a big number for the power you sell back, because that often hides higher charges everywhere else.

Yes. Put it on a timer and run it in the middle of the day, on your own sun. It is one of the best things to move to the daytime.

Yes. An old one-speed pump is one of the biggest power users in the house. One with a speed control saves a good chunk each year, and often covers its own cost in a year or two.

The running cost is about the same. The real win is getting rid of the gas line and its daily fee. And cooking at midday costs you almost nothing on solar.

A heat pump costs much less to run. It uses far less power than an old electric tank to heat the same water.

Yes. Put it on a midday timer. It is one of the biggest ways to use your own power instead of selling it.

A split system costs much less to run. Both work well off your own sun during the day.

Those all use a lot of power, so you will want a bigger battery and plenty of panels. We check what you really use and size it from that.

For most homes, yes. Going all-electric saves money and gets rid of the daily gas fee. The best time is when you are already replacing a gas appliance.

A rough guide: a kettle about 2 kW, an oven 2 to 3.6 kW, a split aircon about 1 kW, ducted aircon 3 to 7 kW, and a car charger up to 7 kW.

A small gadget that pushes your spare sun into the hot water tank, instead of selling it back for a few cents. You get almost free hot water, and it happens by itself.

In this order: hot water first, then charging the car, then the pool pump, then the aircon, then the dishwasher and the washing.

You get paid very little for the power you sell, but you pay a lot to buy it back at night. So using your own is worth far more.

Three. The maker's warranty on the gear. A promise from the maker that the panels keep making power. And our own warranty on the work we did.

Five years, in writing. Your rights under Australian Consumer Law sit on top of that.

Rights you get by law, on top of any written warranty. Nobody can sign them away, and no small print can remove them.

You are still covered. The law says the business that sold it and fitted it is responsible too, and that is us.

Us. We cannot just point you at the maker. We handle the whole claim for you.

Yes. A licensed NSW electrician does the wiring, and the job is done by an accredited installer, which is what the rebate needs.

It is a national code of good behaviour for people who sell solar. Buying from an Approved Seller gives you extra protection.

No. The government battery rebate only needs an accredited installer and approved gear.

It is mains power, and it can kill. In NSW the law says a licensed electrician has to do it.

First the quote. Then approval from the grid. Then we fit it, usually in 1 to 2 days. Then the safety certificate and the meter. Then we switch it on. All up it is usually 4 to 10 weeks.

Before, always. Do not let anyone start work before you have seen the written approval.

Usually yes. Your power company sorts it out, and there is no charge up front just to have it fitted.

Short for Certificate of Compliance for Electrical Work. It is the safety certificate your electrician signs after the job. NSW law says you have to have one. You get a copy, so keep it somewhere safe.

Very little. A look over it once a year, and a proper check every few years. A free app shows you how it is going.

Watch out for people knocking on doors, 'today only' deals, and big deposits. Ask three things: are you licensed, is the gear approved, and are all the warranties in writing? Then get every answer in writing.

Yes. Let your insurer know once the solar or battery is in. It is usually a quick phone call, and it keeps you covered. We give you the paperwork you need.

Yes. The government rebate takes about 30% off a home battery, and we take it straight off your quote.

Roughly a few thousand dollars, depending on the size of the battery. We show you the real number for the size you are looking at.

Yes. You get the full rate on the first 14 kWh. After that it drops for the bigger sizes.

Yes. It drops every 6 months, so sooner means a bigger discount. We will never tell you it is 'ending soon'. We just quote you the amount you can get today.

Yes. It takes money off a normal system, and it comes off your quote the same way. We confirm the current amount in writing.

Yes, a little smaller every January, until it ends in 2030.

Yes. It is the NSW Home Energy Saver loan: up to $15,000, with no interest to pay. For solar and battery work it has to go through a NETCC Approved Seller, and we are not one yet, so we cannot set it up for you.

Solar, a battery, a car charger, or a heat pump hot water tank, through approved lenders. The money goes to the installer, not to you.

There is one coming later in 2026 for homes on a lower income. It is not open yet.

The old one has ended. But there is a NSW payment for joining a VPP, and you get that on top of the government rebate.

We do. It comes off your quote as a discount up front. You just sign one form. There is no cheque to chase.

Yes, 10% on the fitted price. We show it clearly on your quote.

Yes. An approved battery, an approved inverter, and an accredited installer. No approval means no rebate.

There is no rebate for buying an electric car right now. Heat pump hot water does get a discount.

It can make a home more attractive to buyers, and your warranties can pass to the new owner. We give you all the documents, so a sale is easy.