Solar battery installers will face new requirements starting in March, as Clean Energy Regulator (CER) inspections ramp up amid a surging home battery market. Nearly two-thirds of home batteries inspected to date have fallen foul of the regulator (usually related to labelling issues), with 0.9% found to be unsafe.
About Max Opray
Journalist Max Opray joined SolarQuotes in 2025 as editor, bringing with him over a decade of experience covering green energy. Across his career Max has won multiple awards for his feature stories for The Guardian and The Saturday Paper, fact-checked energy claims for Australian Associated Press, launched the climate solutions newsletter Climactic, and covered the circular economy for sustainability thinktank Metabolic. Max also reported on table tennis at the 2016 Rio Olympics — and is patiently waiting for any tenuous excuse to include his ping pong expertise in a SolarQuotes story.
‘Substandard’ Battery Installs Trigger Inspection Blitz
Fixed Charges Hike Could Wipe Out Battery Rebate Savings
In response to a draft proposal from the Australian Energy Market Commission (AEMC) for higher fixed network charges, new analysis projects that a flat fixed fee for energy bills could disproportionally raise bills for energy-efficient households, and largely wipe out the value of the federal battery rebate.
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Gas Connections Are About To Get A Whole Lot More Expensive
The gas death spiral is accelerating so fast that the dwindling number of Australians still tethered to gas must be feeling dizzy (or perhaps that’s just the methane seeping in from those leaky cooktops). The number of households on gas continues to decline, with new costs set to be foisted on those who remain connected.
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Battery Rebate Scramble: Installers Booked Out Until May
The rush to get large home batteries before the federal rebate is restructured has seen many reputable battery installers booked out through to May, when the changes to the Cheaper Home Battery Program come into force.
Regulator Reveals Key Lesson From Sigenergy’s Melted Plugs
The Clean Energy Regulator (CER) has revealed it warned manufacturers and installers to provide early notification of product risks, after reviewing the spate of melted Sigenergy inverter plugs last year.
How To Get Around The Cap On Free Daytime Electricity
The federal government is set to downgrade its plan to mandate three hours of free daytime electricity with the imposition of a reasonable use cap, but there’s a simple way to ensure you rarely if ever hit the limit: getting solar panels.
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Solar & Battery Owners Lead Charge In Switching Energy Providers
New owners of solar energy systems are more likely to switch electricity service providers than the typical Australian household, according to a survey undertaken by Roy Morgan – with the trend even more pronounced for battery owners.
Aircon Installs: What It Really Costs To Beat The Heat
It wasn’t even 11am in my neck of the woods in Adelaide on Tuesday, and the temperature had already reached 42.2C. After several days roasting in the forties, it’s fair to say that if I didn’t already have air conditioning, I’d have given up one of my kidneys to get it. Maybe even both of them.
Fortunately, air conditioning installers don’t typically expect human organs as payment – although that doesn’t mean a quality new system comes cheap. Here’s how much it typically costs to install an air conditioner in Australia in 2026.
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Don’t Waste Cold Cash On The Wrong Sized Air Conditioner
Sweltering through a heatwave and desperate for a new air conditioner? Don’t rush into a decision before working out what size of unit you need – otherwise you’ll be blowing all your cold cash on hot air.
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2025: The Year Australia’s Homes Went Electric
From the federal battery rebate frenzy to retail giants flexing their muscles in the solar market, it has been a game-changing year for home electrification in Australia. Here’s a rundown of our biggest stories across 2025.
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