I first wrote about this back in 2012. Fourteen years later, I’m still writing about it. That should tell you something about how sticky this confusion is. [Read more…]
Looking at a modular home battery, adding another module appears about as difficult as stacking another Lego brick. Lift the new battery into place, stack it on top of the others, plug it in and away you go.
How hard can it be? It’s probably why the question pops up every now and then in online owner forums. [Read more…]
Australia’s electricity market operator has been warned that an overly cautious approach to planning the grid could leave consumers paying more than necessary.
That’s one of the findings of an independent review of the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO), which has also raised concerns about potential conflicts between some of the organisation’s expanding responsibilities. [Read more…]
Australia has now installed more than 500,000 batteries under the federal government’s Cheaper Home Batteries Program.
It’s an impressive number for a scheme that’s a little over a year old, and one Energy Minister Chris Bowen was understandably keen to celebrate.
“Every battery installed means another household getting more value from their rooftop solar, and another job for the local installers and small businesses delivering this rollout across the country,” Bowen said.
But half a million batteries later, it’s worth looking beyond the milestone. The program hasn’t just put a lot of batteries on walls. It has changed Australia’s home energy market remarkably quickly.
“After installation, we have found out the battery will not power the aircon after dark…”
This is a direct quote from the My Efficient Electric Home (MEEH) Facebook group. Tim Forcey suggested it deserved an article. I agree, because there’s a limitation of three-phase battery systems you need to understand before buying.
At least 11 circuits share 8 available positions in the brass neutral bar
Solar and in particular battery installation often dictates you must have a switchboard update.
Can this expose otherwise hidden issues in your house? Not always, but as night follows day, one thing can lead to another. [Read more…]
If you’ve ever wondered what difference a home battery actually makes to the way your home interacts with the grid, the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) has some new real-world data.
Buried in the latest Quarterly Energy Dynamics report is a comparison of 20,000 Australian homes that examines how households with rooftop solar and those with both solar and a battery imported and exported electricity during the second quarter of 2026.
The comparison reveals just how dramatically a battery can reduce a home’s reliance on the grid during the busy evening period, when electricity demand is typically highest.
Continuing the 2026 Installer’s Choice Awards, we asked Australia’s solar installers a simple question:
“Which home battery would you choose for your own home?”
These are the people designing, installing and servicing battery systems every day, so they have a front-row seat to what works well in the real world. And Australian Consumer Law holds the installer liable for the units’ warranty and performance for 10 years plus. So I reckon their opinion is what counts.
I’m a man with a mission. And that mission is to decide what size battery my sister should get, while taking into account that she’ll be topping it up with free daytime electricity. If I give her a bad answer, I will still be a man — but it may become much more difficult for me to immediately prove it.
Home batteries are often promoted as a way to keep the lights on when the grid goes down.
But according to a new report from the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO), they may increasingly be helping keep the grid up in the first place. [Read more…]
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