Australian solar and battery guide
Should you get solar panels without a battery in Australia?
Solar can be a useful first step on its own. The value of a battery should be tested as an additional purchase, rather than folded into the value of the panels.
By Solvetted · Reviewed · General information
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Check when your home uses power
Solar electricity used in your home avoids buying that electricity from the grid. Surplus generation may earn a feed-in credit if your plan provides one, but feed-in rates vary and can change. Shiftable daytime use, roof orientation, shading and your local climate all affect the result.
An electricity bill is a starting point for usage and tariff details. It cannot by itself tell you your roof's generation or your hour-by-hour consumption. Ask for the generation and self-consumption assumptions behind any quote.
Keep the battery decision separate
First compare solar alone with keeping your current setup. Then compare solar plus a battery with solar alone. This shows the battery's extra cost and extra benefit. Buying both together may change installation costs, but it should not hide the separate economics.
If backup matters, ask what an outage-ready installation includes and which circuits can run. A battery does not automatically provide whole-home backup during a grid outage.
Compare the right local plan
Check your actual import, supply and feed-in rates, including any time-of-use conditions. Energy Made Easy compares generally available plans in NSW, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania and the ACT; Victoria and Western Australia have different market arrangements and comparison services. Do not apply one national tariff to every home.
Installed prices and incentives depend on the product, property, location and date. Use current itemised quotes and confirm the applicable program rules before making a purchase decision.
Start with your home
Make the questions personal.
Build a short decision brief from the details you already know.