Solar and batteries in Melville: what the local data shows

Where Melville is

Melville is 11 km south-west of the Perth CBD. Postcode 6156 covers Melville, Attadale and Willagee: about 6,792 occupied homes and 18,238 people at the 2021 Census. Murdoch next door has more batteries for its size (105 per 1,000 homes against 57 here).

What stands out in Melville

• 22% of the postcode's solar went in between 2011 and 2015 (29% across Perth).
• 33 new solar systems per 1,000 homes in the last 12 months, 21% below the Perth rate: fewer roofs are still getting their first system.
• 35% of homes are owned outright, against 28% across Perth.
• 22% of homes are rented, fewer than the 27% across Perth.

Batteries in Melville since the federal rebate began

388 batteries went in across the postcode from July 2025 to 31 August 2026, averaging 20.2 kWh (smaller than the Perth average of 21.8 kWh). Installs went from 16 in July 2025 to a high of 41 in May 2026, 1 month after Perth's busiest month (April 2026). About 0.8% of Perth's new batteries go in here, much the same as when the rebate began.

Batteries a month, Jul 2025 to Aug 2026. August 2026 is still being registered, so it reads low.

Melville's solar story since 2001

297 systems went in before 2011. The busiest year was 2021 (319), in the second wave of rooftop solar, and the quietest since 2011 was 2013. 2025 brought 216, 68% of that peak. Systems grew from an average of 2.3 kW in 2011 to 9.7 kW in the last 12 months.

Solar systems a year from 2011 (2026 to 31 August 2026); counts include replacements and small businesses.

Melville beside its neighbours

• Bicton, 2 km north-west: fewer batteries for its size, less new solar in the past year, fewer separate houses and more renters, with batteries of a similar size.
• Booragoon, 3 km east: more batteries for its size, bigger batteries, more new solar in the past year and fewer renters, with a similar mix of homes.
• Applecross, 5 km north-east: more batteries for its size, bigger batteries, more new solar in the past year, fewer separate houses and more renters.
• Murdoch, 5 km south-east: more batteries for its size, bigger batteries, more new solar in the past year, more separate houses and fewer renters.

Prices, rebates and solar output

Each kW of panels here makes about 1,650 kWh a year, so a 9.7 kW system makes about 16,150 kWh. In STC zone 3, the federal rebates come to about $1,665 on 6.6 kW of solar and $3,663 on a 15 kWh battery (the battery rebate steps down on 1 January 2027). Prices follow the installer, not the suburb: Perth prices · WA rebates.

Getting a price in Melville

A vetted installer covers postcode 6156, and you meet one at a time (how we choose them).

Nearby: Bicton · Booragoon · Applecross · Murdoch · every suburb · Perth guide