How much do solar panels cost in Australia?

These are installed prices for solar on its own, covering panels, racking and the inverter. The federal solar rebate is claimed by the installer and already taken off, so you never claim it yourself.

Added alongside a battery, solar drops to about $400 to $750 per kW. The battery comes with a hybrid inverter that runs the panels too, so the inverter is already in the battery price and the panels only need racking and installation.

As an example, 6.6 kW of panels with a 13 kWh battery comes to roughly $11,190 to $15,875 all up.

Two quotes for the same size system can be thousands apart and both be honest. The difference is what goes on the roof and who stands behind it.

• Panel and inverter brand, efficiency and warranty length.
• The roof: which way it faces, shading and how many faces the panels are spread across.
• Single-phase or three-phase power. Three-phase homes often need different hardware, so the installer prices those individually.
• Any meter board work the job needs.

On the headline number, sometimes. But the usual way to a much lower price is a smaller system than the home needs, or cheaper components and a rushed install. An undersized system costs you in savings you never see, and a poor install costs you in repairs or paying twice. Neither shows up on the quote.

A fair quote names the exact panel and inverter models in writing, gives the system size, and comes from an installer with current SAA accreditation.