What it actually costs, and why the quotes differ.
The same system gets quoted thousands apart. That is rarely dishonesty, it is contractors pricing different scopes. Here is roughly where the numbers sit, what moves them, and two tools to size your own starting point before you call us.
Northern NSW and the Gold Coast, 2026.
| Solar 6.6kW (common residential, single phase) | $5,500 – $9,500 |
| Solar 10kW (larger home or small business) | $9,000 – $15,000 |
| Solar 13.2kW (high-usage home, often three phase) | $13,000 – $22,000 |
| Battery retrofit (10–13.5kWh, added to existing solar) | $9,000 – $16,000 |
| Solar + battery package (sized together, one install) | $14,000 – $30,000 |
| EV charger 7kW (home, single phase) | $1,200 – $2,800 |
| Panel clean + health check (residential, per visit) | $180 – $450 |
| Commercial solar (per project, scoped to daytime load) | from $20,000 |
Size your solar, battery or EV charger.
A starting point in three clicks, using the same logic we use on site. Indicative only.
Your average quarterly electricity bill
What you want a battery to do
How you will use an EV charger
Indicative only. A real number comes from a site assessment with the usage read, the shading studied and the switchboard checked. This tool sizes a starting point, not a quote.
Six things that decide where your quote lands.
Most of them never show in the finished system. All of them decide what you pay, and how safely it runs.
System size + panel grade
Solar kW, panel grade (SunPower premium vs value tier) and inverter choice are the biggest levers. Premium gear costs more and lasts longer, and we name it on the quote so you can read the actual warranty.
Roof + shading
Tile vs metal vs Klip-Lok, single vs double storey, pitch and orientation, and any shade all change the mounting, the labour and whether optimisers or microinverters are needed.
Switchboard + phase
An old or full board, or no RCD protection, has to be brought up to standard before solar, battery or a charger is added. Single phase caps export and charger size; three phase opens it up. We check first and cost it as a line.
Battery size + backup
Battery kWh is set by your evening load, and whether you want essential-circuit or whole-home backup changes the gateway and the wiring. We size to the bill, not the headline kWh.
STCs + rebates
The federal STC incentive and any state battery rebate are applied as figures on the quote, not assumed away. The number moves with system size and the STC market price.
Commercial conditions
Roof access, height, switchboard works, after-hours staging on a trading site and network export limits all change a commercial number. We scope them up front.
Is your switchboard ready for new load?
Switchboard condition is the biggest single lever on renewables and EV work. Check yours in a minute.
Is your home solar, battery and EV ready?
Five questions. It takes a minute and tells you whether your switchboard and supply can carry solar, a battery or a charger, or whether a small upgrade comes first. Indicative only, not a substitute for a site check.
Answer all five to see your readiness.
Every quote shows the same scope and compliance sheet.
So the figure you are comparing is tied to a scope you can read, not a single number with nothing behind it.
- 1 Sized to your bill. The array is sized to your metered usage and load profile, not to the biggest rebate on offer.
- 2 Panel, named. The exact SunPower (or specified) panel on the quote, with its product and performance warranty, not "premium panels".
- 3 Inverter, named. The exact Fronius (or specified) inverter and its warranty, sized to the array, not the cheapest unit on the van.
- 4 Shading + roof study. Orientation, pitch and shade assessed on site, with optimisers or microinverters specified where the roof needs them.
- 5 STCs shown as a dollar line. The federal STC incentive applied as a point-of-sale figure: gross price, STC value, net. Never a vague "rebate applied".
- 6 Warranties, itemised. Panel product, panel performance, inverter and workmanship listed separately with their years, so you can compare like for like.
- 7 Compliance + paperwork. Installed by our own crew to AS/NZS 5033 and 4777, with the Certificate of Electrical Safety and Certificate of Compliance named as deliverables.
What you get from us
- ✓Array sized to your metered bill
- ✓SunPower / Fronius named on the quote
- ✓Shading studied on the roof
- ✓STC shown as a dollar figure
- ✓Installed by our own in-house crew
- ✓Warranties listed separately
- ✓CES + CoC named as deliverables
- ✓SAA-accredited, NETCC signatory
The cheap quote
- ✕Sized to the headline rebate
- ✕"Good panels", brand unnamed
- ✕No shade study, sized off the roof
- ✕"Rebate applied", no figure
- ✕Subcontracted install crew
- ✕"10-year warranty", undefined
- ✕No CES or as-builts
- ✕Door-knock pricing, no code
We will tell you the smaller one if that is the honest answer.
Solar only
A residential solar system sized to your bill: panels, inverter, metering and grid connection, on one design.
Wrong when: you also want evening backup now (then look at solar + battery).
Solar + battery
Solar plus a battery sized to your evening load, with a backup gateway when blackout protection matters.
Wrong when: you only need one piece right now.
Commercial solar
Business and warehouse solar, EV fleet charging, or a staged multi-site program with one accountable installer.
Wrong when: a single domestic system is all that is in front of you.
Read deeper before you compare quotes
Get a fixed, itemised quote with the panel and the payback shown.
Tell us what you need. We book a site assessment and send an itemised quote you can actually read, not a one-number text.