Installer must conduct a site visit before quoting — no exceptions.

• Every home is different. If the installer is only quoting over the phone, they will only be checking the size of your roof from an aerial photo, and will not understand the intricasies of your home. Where is the switchboard located? Does it meet current standards? Are there trees blocking the sun on the panels at certain times of the day? What location for the battery suits you best. 

• If the installer does not visit your home when quoting, they cannot provide you with a system that suits your needs. Ask them to visit your home, otherwise, walk away from this installer.

Installer must agree the system mission with the householder (self‑consumption, energy trading/VPP, blackout protection). 

• The installer needs to discuss with you what you are trying to achieve with your solar/battery installation. This greatly determines the size and design of your system. Otherwise you may get a generic system that is either under- or over-spec'ed. 
• For example
  • If you are only wanting to be self sufficient or to cover the expensive times of the day, you might only need a relatively small system. This is dependent on your circumstanaces.
  • If you are looking to energy trade or participate in a VPP, you will need a larger system.
  • If you want protection during a blackout, you must specify this, as it is often an optional extra. You will also need to determine if you just want to cover specific electricity circuits (eg the circuit the fridge is on and critical lighting), or the entire house.
• You should also consider your future needs. For example, are you going to purchase an EV, upgrade your devices from gas to electric, or install a pool with filter?
• Your installer should discuss these issues with you when they are developing your quote. If they don't, then you must ask. 

Installer must explain all tariff options and all VPP options clearly before design. 

• Once you get solar or home battery, etc, they way you buy or sell electricity will change. Solar means you will be purchasing less (or no) electricity during the day, and quite likely you will be exporting electricity to the grid. A home battery will mean that you will purchase less electricity at night. As a result, the current electricity plan that you are on will likely no longer be the most effective for you.
• While your installer will not (& should not) tell you which electricity plan you should choose, they should explain to you what sort of plans would be appropriate for your usage and the design of your system. They should explain to you concepts such as fixed tariffs, Time-Of-Use tariffs (TOUs), demand tariffs, Feed-In Tariffs (FITs), daily connection fees, etc and how this will affect your bills.
• Further, a few months after your system has been installed, you should revisit your plan and your usage. Your electricity usage will have probably evolved from how you originally expected, so a new plan / provider might be more appropriate.
  • In any case, you should review your plan every six months, irrespective of solar & batteries, as electricity retailers will often change their fees, or you may change your electricity usage.

Installer must confirm system design and hardware compatibility with the chosen tariff or VPP before issuing a quote. 

• Certain operations are dependent on the hardware used. For example, many VPPs or retailers such as Amber, are only supported by specific compatible battery systems. If you intend participating in these operations, you must discuss this with the installer.
• In addition, the installer must include in their quote that the system they are providing will support these operations.

Installer must match battery size to solar array size, unless the agreed strategy includes grid‑charging a large battery. 

Installer must assess the main switchboard breakerand quote for an upgrade or dynamic load control if required.  Reject allowances for any upgrades to switchboard–require an all-in-inclusive quote before accepting quotes. 

• Energex and Ergon are using solar and battery installations to ensure that household switchboards are up to the latest standard. In most cases, any switchboard that has not been upgraded in the last 5 years do NOT meet this standard, so the switchboard will need to be upgraded. This may cost a up to an additional few thousand dollars.
• You must ensure that the installer has inspected your switchboard, no matter the age, to see what standard it is at. The installer must include any upgrades to the switchboard, or any other component, are included in their quote.
• Before accepting any quote, you must get in writing that it is all-inclusive, and that no other costs are required for the installation of the system. This includes:
  • The model description and model number of all components,
  • Compatibility with VPPs, if appropriate,
  • Blackout support,
  • All inclusions, such as battery slab & bollards (required if the battery is located in a garage), all wiring runs, switchboard upgrades, etc,
  • individual itemisation of discounts and government rebates,
  • Expected electricity usage and savings
• If the quote does not include these, ask for an updated quote, or walk away.

Installer must explain backup behaviour, including what will run and what will not run during an outage. 

• As mentioned above, blackout protection is not necessarily included in all battery systems. Some systems may not be able to provide it, and for others, it may be an optional extra.
  • If blackout protection is required, ensure it is included in the quote, and for what circuits.
• Further, in some systems, blackout protection may be automatic and switches over immediately (in a few milliseconds, and therefore not noticable). Other systems may take a few seconds for change over (so a TV or computer will turn off). But other systems may require a manual changeover to blackout mode.
• Ensure your installer explains what is required for blackout protection, and that they provide clear documentation on any processes that are required - chances are that you will have forgotten the process when a blackout occurs.

Installer must discuss EV charging, confirming how an existing or future EV charger will interact with the battery system. 

• Even if you don't currently have an EV now or even have immediate plans to, there is a good chance you will in the future.
  • Some battery systems have an integrated EV charger or the capability to be upgraded to one.
• Before accepting a quote, discuss with your installer how EV charging may impact on your system design.

Installer must consider temperature impacts and avoid battery locations exposed to afternoon sun or cold conditions unsuitable for batteries without heaters. 

• The location of a battery and inverter is important. While most batteries are designed to operate in all weather (temperature and rain), it is still important that they are still protected.
  • If they are installed in a location that is exposed to direct sunlight, especially harsh, direct sun, this may affect the charging rates and even the longevity of the batteries / inverter.
  • Also, most batteries are rated against operation in the rain, but some are even rated to survive water immersion (flooding - although it is advisable to get these systems checked out in these circumstances before turning it back on).
    • There are hoods available for batteries to protect batteries & inverters from rain & sun
• This is one of the reasons it is important to have the installer always visit the site before providing a quote. Always discuss this with the installer.

Installer must agree the exact battery location with the householder before quoting.  Reject allowances for cable runs, battery pads and security scopes. 

• As per the above, the installer must visit the site & agree with you on the location, and must include all costs associated with the installed in the quote.

Installer must identify DNSP export limits (fixed or dynamic) and design the system to comply while maximising Time of Use (ToU)feed‑in opportunities where relevant. 

• The DNSP (Distribution Network Service Provider - Energex in SEQ, Ergon elsewherein Qld) has limits on how much electricity can be exported. For SEQ, Energex has mandated that all new systems must have a dynamic operating envelope which means they can dynamically control how much electricity a system can export. This is to protect the grid from being overloaded during days of high solar generation - in this case, they may send a signal to the inverter to throttle the amount of electricity that the inverter can generate.
  • This is currently set to 5kW per phase, although there are currently (2026) discussions to increase this.
• You should discuss with the installer that the system complies with this and how it will impact the operation of your system.

Installer must commission the system properly, complete the commissioning checklist, provide it to the householder, walk through the monitoring app, and remain reachable for post‑installation support. 

• Once the installer finishes installing the system, they need to:
  • complete a commissioning checklist and submit this to the DNSP,
  • finalise & submit the paperwork relating the governement rebates (STCs). You should not need to do this.
  • provide all manuals for the battery, inverter and solar panels,
  • provide a full rundown of the phone or PC app that controls / monitors the system, including any manuals,
  • provide a full rundown of the shutdown of the inverter / battery systems. It is essential that this is included in the manuals, as you are not likely remember this, as it is a rare occurrence,
  • provide contact details of the installer for any queries, troubleshooting or repairs / servicing,
  • provide contact details of the manufacturer of all equipment - the installer may not be around in a few years.
• And if you are not satisfied with the installation, hold off on final payment until your concerns have been resolved.
  • if necessary, you can call in a different installer to review the installation.

• Some people may opt to purchase a smaller system with the intention of expanding at a later date. While many systems are marketed as being expandable, there is a often a limit on how long this is supported.
  • For example, the manufacturer may change the system design in the future that is not compatible with the current design, and cease making parts for the current design, meaning that the current design cannot be upgraded. The longer that the current design has been around, the more likely that a future upgrade may not be possible. Similarly, a smaller or cheaper battery manufacturer may be less likely to support older configurations
  • Discuss with your installer the expansion options for the quoted system, how long the system has been in production and how popular the system is.