Solar installation: how it works, from quote to switch-on

How does solar installation work?

Every installation in Australia follows the same path, because the federal rebates, the electrical rules and your network all require it. Here's each step, what happens and who does it. The timeframes are typical, not promises: your installer should give you their own, in writing.

1. A price and a quote

You start with a price for a system sized to your home: the number of panels, the inverter and, if you want one, the battery's usable size in kWh. A proper quote names the exact products and quantities, the total price including GST, the rebates taken off, the deposit and when payments are due. For what to expect, see solar panel cost and solar battery cost.

2. A site check and design approval

Before anything is final, a designer accredited by Solar Accreditation Australia checks the design against your roof and switchboard. Many installers do this from satellite imagery and photos you send; some visit. The check confirms where panels fit, shading, the roof's condition, where the inverter and battery can go, and whether the switchboard needs an upgrade. If the design changes, a good quote says what happens to the price and your deposit.

3. A contract with the installer

You sign with the installer, who supplies and installs the system and is responsible for it. Read the terms for the deposit, the installation timeframe, warranties and cancellation. If you sign after an unsolicited visit or phone call, Australian Consumer Law gives you a 10 business day cooling-off period. The checklist in how to choose a solar installer covers what to check before you sign.

4. Network approval

Your installer applies to your local electricity network (the distributor that owns the poles and wires, not your retailer) to connect the system. The network can approve it as designed, or approve it with an export limit, which caps how much the system can send to the grid at once. Small systems on most networks are approved quickly, sometimes automatically; larger systems, three-phase homes and busy parts of the network can take longer. Ask your installer whether your network has approved the connection, and at what export limit, before install day.

5. Install day

The crew fixes rails to the roof, mounts the panels, installs the inverter (and battery), runs the cabling and connects everything at the switchboard. For a typical home, solar panels take about a day; a battery, a switchboard upgrade, a two-storey or steep roof, or a tiled roof can add time. Expect the power to be off for part of the day while the electrician works on the switchboard.

6. Testing, inspection and commissioning

The licensed electrician tests the system and gives you your state's electrical safety or compliance certificate. Some states and networks also inspect new installations. The installer then commissions the system: sets the export limit, connects the monitoring app, and, for a battery, sets up how it charges and whether it backs up the home in a blackout. Ask for a walk-through of the app and the shutdown procedure.

7. The rebate paperwork

The federal solar rebate comes as small-scale technology certificates (STCs). On 6.6 kW in Sydney it's worth about $1,665 if installed now, falling to about $1,332 for an installation from 1 January 2027. A battery earns its own certificates: about $3,663 on 15 kWh if installed now. How it works:

• You sign an STC assignment form with your installer (or their registered agent). The certificate value appears as a discount on your quote.
• Your installer or agent creates the certificates in the Clean Energy Regulator's REC Registry and collects the paperwork: compliance statements from the designer, installer and retailer, the electrical safety certificate and serial-number photos.
• You can create and sell the certificates yourself instead, but few people do.

For a battery, the same applies, and more: Your installer shows the discount against the system price on your quote; they may deduct an admin fee. Your installer, designer and retailer each give written statements to the Clean Energy Regulator, and the installer must be on site to set up and commission the battery.

8. Your meter and your first bill

To be credited for exports, you need a meter that measures electricity in both directions, which most homes now have. If yours doesn't, your retailer arranges the change after the network approves the connection, and until it's done you may not receive feed-in credits. Tell your retailer you have solar, check the feed-in rate on your plan, and watch your first bill. See feed-in tariffs and electricity prices per kWh.

What does accreditation mean?

• Solar Accreditation Australia (SAA) accredits solar designers and installers. A system must be designed and installed by an accredited installer to get the federal rebate, and a battery needs an installer with a battery endorsement. Check a number with SAA's accreditation status check.
• An electrical contractor licence in your state: the wiring must be done by a licensed electrician.
• Approved products: panels, inverters and batteries must be on the Clean Energy Council's approved lists for the rebate and to connect to the grid.
• The New Energy Tech Consumer Code is a voluntary, ACCC-authorised code. Sellers who sign it (Approved Sellers) commit to rules on fair selling, clear quotes and warranties. You can find an Approved Seller.

For the federal solar rebate, the Clean Energy Regulator's rules are:

• Homes and businesses; owners of the system (you don't need to be a concession holder or under an income limit).
• A new system under 100 kW. Systems over 100 kW and up to 1 MW installed from 1 October 2026 have a separate mid-scale path.
• Panels and inverter on the Clean Energy Council's approved product lists.
• Designed and installed by a Solar Accreditation Australia (SAA) accredited installer.
• Certificates created within 12 months of installation. Second-hand equipment isn't eligible.

What's different about a battery installation?

A battery can go in at the same time as solar or later. Installed together, one hybrid inverter often runs both, which saves on hardware and a second visit. Added to existing solar, it needs either a hybrid inverter in place of the old one or a separate battery inverter: see adding a battery to existing solar.

Where the battery goes matters. The Australian standard for battery installations restricts locations (not in escape routes, under stairs or in ceiling spaces, for example), and many manufacturers' warranties have temperature conditions, so a shaded garage wall is a common spot. Blackout backup often needs extra hardware and switchboard work: ask whether it's in the quote, and whether it covers the whole home or essential circuits.

For the federal battery rebate:

• Homes and businesses, on-grid or off-grid. No income test.
• A battery of 5 to 100 kWh nominal capacity; certificates are paid on the first 50 kWh of usable capacity.
• Installed with solar: with your existing solar, or with new or replacement solar. A battery on its own, charging only from the grid, isn't eligible.
• Battery and inverter on the Clean Energy Council's approved lists when installed. On-grid batteries must be able to join a virtual power plant, but you don't have to join one.
• Installed, or supervised on site, by an SAA-accredited installer with a battery endorsement, and wired by a licensed electrician.
• Installed on or after 1 July 2025 (the date of the electrical compliance certificate).

How does Homerise fit in?

Homerise gives you a price first, with every rebate applied, and then introduces you to one vetted local installer at a time, never several at once. If that installer isn't right for you, you can ask for another introduction (up to 3), with your answers kept. The installer you choose does the design check, the contract, the installation and the paperwork above. Every installer we introduce meets our standard:

• Rated 4.5★ or higher in public reviews, across 25+ reviews or 5+ years trading
• At least 3 years in business (ABN and ASIC history checked)
• Current electrical contractor licence, checked with the state regulator
• SAA-accredited designers and installers on every job
• Public liability insurance current and on file
• No unresolved fair trading or ACCC action
• Clean Energy Council–approved panels, inverters and batteries only
• Re-checked every 90 days: installers who slip are paused

More on how it works for installers: Homerise for installers.