Most people shopping for solar spend their research time on panel brands and battery specifications, then pick between installers on price. That is the wrong way around.
Hardware is the easier variable. The panels and batteries sold by reputable suppliers in Australia are, broadly, good. What separates a system that performs for twenty years from one that becomes a source of regret is almost always the quality of the design, the quality of the installation, and whether the company that fitted it is still trading when something needs attention.
A battery adds weight to this decision. It is a high-value asset carrying stored energy, wired into your switchboard, usually mounted on a wall you live behind. The consequences of a careless install are not just lost savings.
Here is how to work through the decision properly.
Start with accreditation, and know what each one actually means
Three separate credentials get confused constantly, including by companies advertising them.
SAA accreditation (the person). Since 29 May 2024, individual installer and designer accreditation has been administered by Solar Accreditation Australia, not the Clean Energy Council. SAA accreditation attaches to a person, not a company, and it is a hard requirement: without an SAA-accredited installer signing off, your system cannot claim the federal rebate at all. You can search any installer by name or accreditation number on the SAA register. Do it. It takes a minute.
Battery accreditation specifically. Solar PV accreditation and Grid Connected Battery System accreditation are not the same thing. An installer can be fully accredited for rooftop solar and hold no battery endorsement. If storage is part of your project, ask which accreditation the person attending holds, and verify it separately.
NETCC approval (the company). The New Energy Tech Consumer Code replaced the old CEC Approved Solar Retailer program in February 2023 and is authorised by the ACCC. It is voluntary, and some good companies have chosen not to register, so its absence is not automatically a problem. What it signals when present is a company that has committed to defined standards around sales conduct, deposits, contract terms and warranty support. In some state programs it is mandatory.
Electrical licence. Separate again, state-issued, and non-negotiable for the actual electrical work.
CEC approved products. The Clean Energy Council still maintains the approved product lists for panels, inverters and batteries. If a component is not on the list, the rebate does not apply, regardless of who installs it.
Ask who is physically turning up
Subcontracting is normal in this industry and not a problem by itself. Pretending it does not happen is.
Ask plainly: are your installers employed by the company, or subcontracted? If subcontracted, who warranties the workmanship, and for how long? A company that answers this directly is telling you something useful. A company that gets evasive is telling you something more useful.
The follow-up question matters more: who comes back if there is a fault in year three? If the installer was a subcontractor who has since moved on, the answer should still be the company you paid, under their workmanship warranty. Get that in writing.
Understand the three separate warranties
Nearly every dispute we hear about traces back to a homeowner who thought they had one warranty when they actually had three.
Product warranty. From the manufacturer, covering the panel, inverter or battery itself. Typically 10 to 15 years on batteries and 12 to 25 on panels. It covers the hardware and nothing else.
Performance warranty. On panels only, guaranteeing a minimum output percentage at a given year. Separate from the product warranty and often a different term.
Workmanship warranty. From the installing company, covering the installation itself: mounting, cabling, waterproofing, labour. This is the one that determines whether a manufacturer replacement actually gets fitted at no cost to you, and it is the one with the widest variation between companies. Five years is the common minimum. Longer is better. Verbal is worthless.
Also check whether the battery warranty carries a throughput cap, meaning it ends after a set total amount of energy delivered, whichever comes first. This becomes relevant if you intend to cycle the battery hard or join a virtual power plant. Our guide on whether a VPP is worth joining covers the trade-offs.
Insist on a real site assessment
A quote produced entirely from a satellite image and a phone call is a guess dressed up as a design.
Things that can only be established properly on site or through a genuine remote assessment with your actual data: usable roof area after setbacks and obstructions, shading across the day and the seasons, roof condition and remaining life, tile or sheet type and the mounting it requires, switchboard capacity and whether it needs upgrading, available space for battery mounting with correct clearances, and your distributor’s export limit.
That last one catches people out. Many network areas now restrict or dynamically limit how much you can export, which changes the entire financial case toward self-consumption and makes battery sizing more important than panel count.
Battery siting has its own rules under AS/NZS 5139, covering permitted locations, clearances from exits and habitable rooms, and fire separation. An installer who shrugs at where the battery goes is one to walk away from. Our guides on installing solar panels and installing a solar battery set out what a compliant job involves.
Read the quote for what is missing
A quote worth taking seriously names every component with model numbers, not just brands. “Tier 1 panels” is not a specification. “5kW inverter” is not a specification.
It should also state:
- Exact panel model, count and total system size in kW
- Exact inverter model and whether it is hybrid or string
- Exact battery model and usable capacity, not just nominal
- Mounting system brand
- Whether the price includes the rebate already deducted, and the certificate value assumed
- Any likely extras: switchboard upgrade, meter reconfiguration, isolator relocation, difficult roof access, scaffolding
- Estimated annual generation with the assumptions behind it
- Payment schedule and deposit amount
On generation estimates, be sceptical of anything that looks generous. An honest estimate accounts for your orientation, tilt, shading and local climate. Our breakdowns of solar panel costs in Australia and solar battery costs give you realistic figures to measure a quote against.
Red flags worth walking away from
- Door knocking and cold calls. Reputable companies rarely need to.
- Today-only pricing. A genuine discount survives a night’s sleep.
- Large deposits. Anything approaching half the system cost before work begins is a risk. NETCC signatories are limited in what they can take upfront.
- “Free solar” or “government-funded system”. The rebate is a discount, not a giveaway. Our guide to Australian solar rebates explains how the STC mechanism actually works.
- Unnamed components. A quote that cannot name the inverter model is hiding something.
- No written workmanship warranty.
- Prices well below every other quote. Something has been removed, and it is usually the install quality or the service that follows it.
We cover more of these in our article on mistakes to avoid when buying solar.
Check the company’s survival odds
Warranties are only as good as the entity behind them. The solar industry has a long history of companies collapsing and reopening under new names, leaving warranty obligations behind.
Check how long the company has traded under its current ABN. Check the ABN itself on the ABR for registration date and status. Look for a physical address and a landline rather than a mobile number and a web form. Read reviews across more than one platform, and weight recent service reviews above installation-day reviews, since the real test of a company is what happens two years later.
Questions to ask before you sign
- Which SAA accreditation number will appear on my paperwork, and does it include battery accreditation?
- Are installers employed or subcontracted, and who holds the workmanship warranty?
- How long is the workmanship warranty, in writing?
- What is your process if a fault occurs in year four, and what is the typical response time?
- Is the quoted price after the federal rebate, and at what certificate value?
- What export limit applies at my address, and how does that affect the design?
- Does my switchboard need upgrading, and is it in the quote?
- Where exactly will the battery be mounted, and does that placement comply with AS/NZS 5139?
- Which state incentives do I qualify for, and do you handle the paperwork?
- What monitoring do I get, and does it include battery-level data?
What you should receive after installation
Keep these. They are what you will need for a warranty claim, an insurance question or a future sale: the Certificate of Electrical Safety or state equivalent, the STC assignment paperwork, full component documentation including serial numbers, the system design and single-line diagram, all three warranty documents, monitoring login credentials, and a shutdown procedure for emergencies.
The bottom line
The installer decision is the one that compounds. Good hardware fitted poorly underperforms immediately and fails early. Average hardware designed and fitted well quietly does its job for decades.
Spend your effort verifying accreditation, reading warranty terms, and asking who actually comes back when something goes wrong. Price matters, but it should be the last filter you apply, not the first.
Greenlight Solar is a NETCC-approved seller installing accredited solar, battery and heat pump systems across NSW and QLD. Compare hardware first in our guides to the best solar panels and best solar batteries in Australia, browse the battery range, or request a quote.
FAQs
How do I check if a solar installer is accredited in Australia?
Search the installer by name or accreditation number on the Solar Accreditation Australia register. Accreditation belongs to the individual, not the company, so confirm the specific person attending your site is listed and that their accreditation is current.
Is CEC accreditation still a thing?
Not for installers. Individual installer and designer accreditation moved from the Clean Energy Council to Solar Accreditation Australia on 29 May 2024. The CEC still maintains the approved product lists for panels, inverters and batteries, so both still matter for a rebate-eligible install, but they cover different things.
Does my installer need separate accreditation to install a battery?
Yes. Grid Connected Battery System accreditation is distinct from solar PV accreditation. An installer can hold one without the other, so ask specifically if storage is part of your project.
Do I have to use a NETCC approved seller?
Not everywhere. NETCC approval is a voluntary company-level code, though some state programs require it for their incentives. SAA installer accreditation, by contrast, is mandatory for the federal rebate regardless of which company you buy from.
How many quotes should I get?
Three is a sensible number, and they should be compared on specified components and warranty terms rather than headline price. Two quotes using identical hardware can differ by thousands for reasons that only become visible once you read the inclusions.
What deposit is reasonable for a solar or battery installation?
A modest deposit is normal, with the balance due on completion. Be cautious of any request for a large upfront proportion of the total before work begins, and never pay the full amount in advance.
How long should a workmanship warranty be?
Five years is the common baseline and longer terms are available. It should be written into your contract, and it should clearly state who honours it if the installer was a subcontractor.
Is the cheapest quote ever the right choice?
Occasionally, but only when the components, design and warranty terms genuinely match the alternatives. A price well below every other quote usually reflects something removed from the job rather than efficiency.
