If Your Battery Dies, Your Bills Will Rocket. Here’s Who Should Pay.

September 1, 2026 2026-08-31T14:29:58 by 3 Comments

a styilised still from 730 report

A fortnight ago, 7.30 aired an investigation into Solar Power Nation, a retailer the ABC reports is under investigation by authorities in Queensland, NSW and South Australia after hundreds of complaints.

One customer, Amin Khorram, paid $13,000 for a battery system. Only one of the two inverters was installed, so he got 5 kW of the promised 10 kW and couldn’t charge or discharge his batteries fast enough to get all the savings he expected. He chased the company for eight months. The missing inverter finally appeared last month, as his QCAT hearing date approached. Funny, that. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Battery Storage

Kilowatts vs Kilowatt-Hours: The Mix-Up That Never Dies

August 24, 2026 2026-08-24T08:47:50 by 23 Comments

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…]

Filed Under: Battery Storage

Why Adding A Battery Module Isn’t As Simple As Lego

August 20, 2026 2026-08-20T06:27:53 by 10 Comments

Lego expandable modular battery

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…]

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Could AEMO’s Cautious Grid Planning Be Costing You Money?

August 19, 2026 2026-08-19T12:22:40 by 7 Comments

AEMO grid planning report

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…]

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Australia’s Battery Boom Hits 500,000. What’s Changed?

August 18, 2026 2026-08-17T10:32:17 by 27 Comments

500,000 cheaper home batteries

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.

[Read more…]

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‘The Battery Won’t Power The Aircon After Dark’ (And Why That’s Not Your Fault)

August 17, 2026 2026-08-18T22:40:09 by 59 Comments

“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.

[Read more…]

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Crossed Neutrals: The Hidden Cost of a Battery Upgrade

August 13, 2026 2026-08-13T10:06:41 by 13 Comments
old switchboard

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…]

Filed Under: Battery Storage

What 20,000 Homes Reveal About Solar Batteries

July 30, 2026 2026-07-29T11:16:33 by 14 Comments

AEMO imports exports report 2026

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.

[Read more…]

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Best Home Battery In Australia 2026: Installer’s Choice Awards

July 27, 2026 2026-07-27T15:05:46 by 36 Comments

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.

[Read more…]

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The Best Battery Size For Solar Sharer

July 16, 2026 2026-07-16T16:07:48 by 28 Comments

Battery size for solar sharerI’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.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Battery Storage
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