How to Choose a Solar Installer in Sydney: A 2026 Checklist

By the SimpliSolar team · Published 25 October 2026

Solar and batteries are a long-term purchase. Panels carry 25-year performance warranties and batteries are expected to run for well over a decade, so the company you choose needs to install the system properly and still be there to support it years from now. Unfortunately, the solar industry has plenty of businesses that sell hard, subcontract the installation and move on.

The good news is that most of the important checks are quick and free. This guide walks through what to look for, what to ask and the red flags that should make you walk away, based on what we see during site visits across Sydney every week.

1. Check SAA accreditation

The person who designs and installs your system must be accredited for your system to be eligible for small-scale technology certificates (STCs), which fund both the solar rebate and the federal Cheaper Home Batteries Program. On 29 February 2024 the Clean Energy Regulator approved Solar Accreditation Australia (SAA) as the accreditation scheme operator, taking over from the Clean Energy Council, and accredited installers transferred to SAA during 2024.

Ask for the accreditation number of the installer who will be on your job, not just the company, and check it on the SAA public register. Battery installations need an installer accredited for batteries as well as solar.

2. Confirm the electrical licence

In NSW, electrical work must be carried out by a licensed electrician working for a business with an electrical contractor licence. You can check any licence number online through NSW Fair Trading’s licence check. A reputable installer will include licence numbers on the quote without being asked.

3. Look for a New Energy Tech Consumer Code approved seller

The New Energy Tech Consumer Code is authorised by the ACCC and covers how solar and battery businesses sell to households: honest marketing, clear contracts, cooling-off periods, finance disclosure and complaints handling. Approved sellers have committed to the code and can be removed if they breach it. It is not a guarantee of a perfect installation, but it gives you a clear standard to hold the business to and a path if things go wrong.

4. Ask who will actually install your system

Many solar companies are really sales businesses that pass the installation to a subcontractor. That is not always a problem, but it often means the person on your roof has never met the person who designed your system, and warranty issues get bounced between parties. Ask directly: are your installers employees, and will the same company handle after-care? In-house crews usually mean better accountability and faster fixes.

5. Understand what Tier 1 really means

“Tier 1” is a list published by BloombergNEF of manufacturers that banks consider financially sound enough to fund large solar projects. It is a measure of bankability, not product quality, and it changes over time. It is still a useful filter because a financially stable manufacturer is more likely to be around to honour a 25-year warranty, but you should also ask for the exact panel, inverter and battery models and check their warranties and Australian certifications.

6. Read the warranties carefully

There are usually four warranties on a solar and battery system:

• Panel performance: typically 25 years, guaranteeing a minimum share of rated output.
• Panel product: manufacturing defects, often 10 to 25 years depending on the brand.
• Inverter and battery: typically 5 to 12 years depending on brand and model.
• Workmanship: the installer’s own warranty on the installation, which varies widely between companies.

The workmanship warranty is the one most often overlooked. Ask how long it lasts, what it covers (roof penetrations, cabling, switchboard work) and who you call to make a claim. A long workmanship warranty from a company that has been operating for years is worth far more than a long one from a business that may not exist next year.

7. Insist on an itemised, fixed written quote

A good quote lists the exact equipment, the system size, the battery’s usable capacity, any switchboard or roof work, backup wiring, safety equipment, the network application and the rebate amount. It should state a fixed price. Be wary of quotes that are vague about brands, show “from” prices without a site assessment, or leave room for extras on installation day.

Quote red flags:

• Pressure to sign on the spot or “today only” pricing.
• Savings promises with no explanation of how they were calculated.
• No site inspection or shading assessment before a final price.
• Equipment described only as “Tier 1 panels” with no model numbers.
• No mention of network approval or export limits.
• A battery rebate figure that does not match the current tiered rules.

8. Ask about network approval and export limits

Every new or upgraded system in Sydney needs approval from your electricity network: Endeavour Energy across most of Western Sydney, Ausgrid in the inner, northern, eastern and southern suburbs, or Essential Energy in regional NSW. The approval sets how much power your system can export to the grid. Your installer should lodge the application before installation and design the system around the approved limit, so you are not left with an inverter that has to be throttled afterwards.

9. Avoid battery rebate traps

From 1 May 2026 the federal battery rebate is tiered: the first 14kWh of usable capacity earns the full rate, 14 to 28kWh earns 60% and 28 to 50kWh earns 15%. The rate also steps down every six months until 2030, and the rebate is based on the installation date, not the date you sign. Watch out for quotes that still advertise outdated flat figures, oversize the battery purely to chase a bigger headline discount, or do not say whether the battery will provide backup power during a blackout. Read our battery rebate guide for worked examples.

10. Check reviews and local presence

Google reviews are one of the best ways to see how a company treats customers after the sale. Read the recent ones, look at how the business responds to criticism and check that it has a real local address. A company with a physical office and warehouse in your region is easier to reach when you need service.

Questions to ask before you sign

• What is the SAA accreditation number of the installer on my job?
• Are your installers employees or subcontractors?
• What exact panel, inverter and battery models are you quoting?
• What does your workmanship warranty cover, and for how long?
• Who lodges the network application, and what export limit do you expect?
• How have you calculated the battery rebate, and is it shown on the invoice?
• Will the battery power my home in a blackout, and which circuits?
• Who do I call if something goes wrong in five years?