What Does a Solar and Battery Site Visit Check? Our Pre-Install Checklist

Checked and updated by our licensed electricians: November 2026

Short answer: A proper site visit confirms everything a quote assumes: where the battery and inverter can legally go, the state of your switchboard (and whether it needs RCBO safety switches), the roof, shading and cable runs, your meter and phase, internet for monitoring, and access for install day. At Sun Connect Solar our own electricians visit every home before install day, so the design and price are confirmed and there are no surprises on the day.

Get my free energy assessment →

We’ll text you within minutes. Or call 0483 903 020.

Sigenergy SigenStor 24 kWh home battery in a rendered alcove between two protective bollards in East Ballina, a compliant battery position checked on the site visit by Sun Connect Solar — A Sigenergy battery in East Ballina: position, clearances and bollards are all planned on the site visit.

When the site visit happens

We start with your power bills: a free energy assessment and a design sized from your real usage. Around Mullumbimby, Ocean Shores and Brunswick Heads the first appointment can be at your home. Elsewhere we start with a phone call about your bills, and the site visit happens once you decide to go ahead, before anything is installed. Either way, nobody installs a system on your home before our own electricians have seen it in person.

What we check

1. Where the battery and inverter can go

Home batteries have strict location rules under the Australian standard AS/NZS 5139: not in a habitable room, clear of exits and windows, protected from vehicles (often with bollards), and out of direct sun where the maker requires it. Near the coast, some makers also need the battery at least 500 m from the beach or written approval first. We agree the position with you on the visit. See where a home battery can go.

2. Your switchboard

We check the board’s age and condition, whether there is room for the new circuit breakers, and whether it needs RCBO safety switches to meet current rules. If an upgrade is needed, you know before install day, not on the day. See switchboard upgrades and RCBOs.

3. The meter, phase and export limit

Single-phase or three-phase power changes which inverter and battery suit your home, and the meter type matters for the grid application. Essential Energy sets your export limit. See single-phase vs three-phase and export limits.

4. The roof and shading

Roof type, pitch, condition and orientation, trees and shading through the day, safe access, and where the cables come down. Hinterland homes often have steep roofs and tall trees, so this is where a design from a satellite photo can go wrong.

5. Cable runs

The distance from the roof to the inverter, the inverter to the switchboard and the battery, and to any shed, pump or second building. Long runs or trenching are planned and included before install day.

6. Blackout backup

Which circuits stay on in a blackout. A typical install from us backs up the whole home unless you ask us to leave some circuits out, such as an EV charger. See whole home battery backup.

7. Internet and monitoring

Whether Wi-Fi reaches the inverter or battery position, so the monitoring app (and any VPP or battery features) works from day one.

8. Access for install day

Parking for the vans, roof access, pets, gates and anything else that could slow the day down.

What to have ready

One or two recent power bills (if you have not sent them already).
Where you would like the battery to go, if you have a preference.
Clear access to the switchboard and meter.
Any plans for an EV, pool, air conditioning or a granny flat, so the design allows for them.

What you get after the visit

A confirmed design and price, the battery and inverter positions agreed, any switchboard work spelled out, and a plan for install day. Then we lodge the grid application and book the install. See what happens on install day.

Why Northern Rivers locals choose Sun Connect Solar

Our own in-house team designs and installs every system. Licensed electricians, no subcontractors, from our workshop at Wilsons Creek near Mullumbimby.
A face-to-face site visit before every install: compliant battery position, switchboard and RCBO check, so there are no surprises on the day.
SAA-accredited, a NETCC Approved Seller and a Sigenergy-approved installer, NSW electrical contractor licence 343044C.
25-year workmanship warranty on our installation work, rated 5.0 stars on Google by local customers.

Where we install

Our own electricians install solar and batteries across the Northern Rivers, from our workshop at Wilsons Creek near Mullumbimby: Tweed Heads, Kingscliff, Banora Point, Bilambil Heights, Pottsville, Murwillumbah, Mullumbimby, Ocean Shores, Brunswick Heads, Byron Bay, Suffolk Park, Bangalow, Lennox Head, Ballina, Alstonville and Wollongbar, Lismore, Goonellabah, Coraki and Woodburn, Evans Head. See all areas we serve or the Northern Rivers solar and battery installation page.

Questions we get asked

What does a solar installer check on a site visit?

The battery and inverter position (AS/NZS 5139 rules and the maker’s requirements), the switchboard and whether it needs RCBO safety switches, the roof, shading and cable runs, the meter and phase, internet for monitoring, which circuits are backed up and access for install day.

Why do you visit before install day?

Because a design from bills and satellite photos cannot see everything. The visit confirms the battery position, the switchboard work and the roof, so the price is confirmed and there are no surprises or extra costs on the day.

Can a home battery go in my garage?

Often yes, if the position meets AS/NZS 5139 and the maker’s rules, with protection from vehicles such as bollards. We confirm the exact spot with you on the site visit.

What if my switchboard needs an upgrade?

We tell you on the site visit and include it in the plan and price before install day, so nothing is added on the day.

Who installs home batteries in the Northern Rivers?

Sun Connect Solar’s own licensed electricians install home batteries across the Northern Rivers, either added to existing solar or with new panels. We are a Sigenergy-approved installer and also install GoodWe, Sungrow, SolaX and Tesla batteries.

Are you independently reviewed?

Yes. As well as our Google reviews, homeowners have reviewed us on SolarQuotes, where we’re rated 4.9 from 22 reviews.

Sources

Last checked 5 November 2026. Written in our own words from the sources below and our own install experience.

Author: our director, in-house head electrician and energy expert, in the trade since 1987.

Want to know what this means for your home?

Start with the free tools (no details needed to see a result): solar and battery price calculator, is my solar battery-ready? checker or the 60-second battery quiz.

See all the free calculators Book a free 15-minute chat

The chat is with our head electrician, about your power bills and what you want from a system. No obligation and no sales script; the firm price comes after we have seen your bills and your home.