Solar & battery buying advice

Know what’s worth buying.

Start with your postcode and bill. Explore a battery size range, then ask an installer to confirm suitability and price.

I already have solar

See an indicative battery range as you type. Calculations stay in your browser; typical state rates and usage assumptions apply.

Have solar? Add a battery Federal battery discount Full assessment Know what you want? Request a quote

Solar

See what your roof could generate.

The right array depends on your roof, your usage and what you already pay for power.

Battery

Understand what’s worth storing.

Explore how a battery fits your home’s energy use.

Together

See how the pieces work together.

Daytime solar, evening storage and your electricity plan, compared on the same assumptions.

Compare

Know whether the extra spend adds up.

Compare keeping your setup with smaller and larger upgrades before you ask for quotes.

Check my options Explore the example

Skip demonstration

Illustration of an Australian home with rooftop solar panels and a wall-mounted battery

Illustration of a single-storey Australian home with a charcoal metal roof

Illustrative example

Solar optionsCompare system sizes

Battery optionsCompare cost and benefit

Illustrative exampleSynthetic inputs, not a quote or advice

Keep current setup
Solar only · comparison baseline
Extra cost
N/A
Extra yearly benefit
N/A
Baseline
Add a smaller battery
10 kWh usable
Extra cost
$7,500
Extra yearly benefit
$1,210
Payback 6.2 years
Add a larger battery
20 kWh usable
Extra cost
$12,500
Extra yearly benefit
$1,300
Payback 9.6 years

In this example the larger battery costs $5,000 more for $90 more a year.

Solar

The right array depends on your roof, your usage and what you already pay for power.

Battery

Explore how a battery fits your home’s energy use.

Together

Daytime solar, evening storage and your electricity plan, compared on the same assumptions.

Good energy starts with a clear decision.

Your home. Your numbers. Your choice.

Four questions

A straight answer to the question you actually have.

Each tool runs the same hour-by-hour model on your state’s published rates and typical installed prices, in your browser. No sign-up.

Built on published rates, prices and solar data from

Essential Services Commission
IPART
Queensland Competition Authority
Tasmanian Economic Regulator
WA Government
Jacana Energy
Clean Energy Regulator
DCCEEW
Solar Choice

How we use them

How it works

Start with what you know.

Start with a few figures from your bill. Add what you know and refine the details as you go.

1
Add your bill or usage.
Choose a PDF bill or copy a few figures from one. It’s read in your browser and never uploaded.
2
Tell us what matters.
Tell us about your budget, savings goals and backup needs. It’s fine if you’re not sure yet.
3
Compare your options.
See what each upgrade could save, what it’s worth paying for, and what still needs checking.

Across Australia

Solar pays for itself in every capital city.

For a typical home on each state’s published electricity rates and installed prices, 6.6 kW of solar pays back in about 4–10 years. Batteries are closer to the line, so it pays to size them carefully.

SydneyNSW5.7yearssolar payback · saves about $1,100 a year MelbourneVIC9.7yearssolar payback · saves about $660 a year BrisbaneQLD6.1yearssolar payback · saves about $1,120 a year AdelaideSA4.4yearssolar payback · saves about $1,340 a year PerthWA5.5yearssolar payback · saves about $1,010 a year HobartTAS6.9yearssolar payback · saves about $1,120 a year CanberraACT5.5yearssolar payback · saves about $1,120 a year DarwinNT6.8yearssolar payback · saves about $1,580 a year

Example home using 5,000 kWh a year. Sources: Australian Government solar output figures, Solar Choice price index (October 2026) and each state’s published rates. Your result depends on your own bill and roof. Check yours.

Worked example

A bigger battery isn’t automatically a better buy.

What matters is what each extra kilowatt-hour adds compared with what it costs. Switch between sizes and payback targets to see how the answer changes.

Personalise this with your home

Illustrative examplesmaller battery vs no battery

This step fits a 10-year target.

Extra upfront cost$7,500

Extra spend your target supports$12,100

Extra yearly benefit: $1,210
Payback on this step: 6.2 years
Price limit for whole battery: $12,100
Whole-battery payback: 6.2 years

Example assumptions

Net installed prices of $7,500 (10 kWh) and $12,500 (20 kWh) are invented for this demonstration, not market prices.
Yearly benefits of $1,210 and $1,300 come from our model for an invented Perth household with 6.6 kW of solar and a time-of-use plan. They are held constant here; real benefits change with tariffs, usage and battery wear.
Price limit = yearly benefit × target years (simple payback, no discounting).
Both batteries are compared against the same solar system and electricity plan.

Our approach

See the facts and assumptions behind your estimate.

Every result shows where each figure came from. One bill supports a preliminary answer; detailed usage data from your meter will make it sharper.

Results compare against a genuine “buy nothing” baseline.
Battery value is shown separately from solar value.
Price limits are tied to your target, not a sales figure.

Preliminary assessment

Based on one bill and assumed usage timing

Sample

Billing period and usageRead from your billFrom your bill
Import and feed-in ratesConfirmed by youConfirmed
When you use powerTypical evening-heavy patternAssumed
Roof direction and shadeNot yet providedCheck needed

Add detailed usage data to refine timing

When you’re ready

Ask for quotes when you’re ready.

Your assessment becomes a clear brief for installers, so quotes are easier to compare. You choose who receives it and see exactly what they get. Introductions are opening through a small pilot.

Start with your battery size

Your installer brief

Household goalsLower bills, stay under budget
Battery range to quote8–12 kWh usable
Your price limitPrivate unless you share it
Original billNever attached

How Solvetted is funded. Solvetted may receive a fee when you ask us to introduce you to an installer. That fee does not change how your equipment options are assessed.

Guides

Useful before you buy.

Australian guides to the decisions that matter most, with official sources you can check.

Battery sizing
How big a battery does your home actually use?
Find the point where extra battery capacity stops being worth the cost.
Read the Australian guide
Solar only
When solar without a battery is the better first step
How daytime usage, feed-in rates and upfront cost decide whether to stop at panels.
Read the Australian guide
Existing solar
Adding a battery to the solar you already have
What to check about your inverter, exports and usage before you ask for a retrofit quote.
Read the Australian guide

Questions

Good questions to ask first.

What can a single electricity bill show?

A bill shows how much power you imported and exported over one period and what you paid for it. It can support a preliminary estimate, but it can’t show exactly when during the day you use power. We label anything we’ve assumed, and you can add more detailed usage data to refine it.

Do I need an account?

No. You can see your options without an account. Saving assessments is planned; for now you can print or save your results as a PDF.

Can I upload my electricity bill?

Yes, in the full assessment you can choose a PDF bill. It’s read in your browser, you check the figures it finds before they’re used, and the bill is never uploaded or saved. You can also type the figures in.

Will installers contact me?

Only if you ask. Installer introductions are starting with a small pilot. Before anything is sent you will see each named installer and exactly what they will receive, and your bill is never attached.

What if solar or a battery doesn’t look worthwhile?

Then we’ll say so. You may be better off keeping your current setup, changing plans or waiting for a better price. You won’t be pushed into a quote request.

How is Solvetted free?

Solvetted may receive a fee when you ask us to introduce you to an installer. That fee doesn’t change how your equipment options are assessed.

Find out what makes sense for your home.

Find my battery size

30 seconds, no account. Installer contact only if you ask.