How to Choose a Home Battery Installer in the Northern Rivers

Choosing who installs your home battery matters as much as choosing the battery. Here is the checklist we’d use ourselves, as a local Northern Rivers electrical contractor.

A battery sits on your wall for 10 years or more and connects into your switchboard, your solar and the grid. Most problems people have with batteries come from how they were sold and installed, not from the battery itself. These are the questions worth asking any installer, us included.

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1. Are they licensed and accredited?

Ask for three things and check them yourself:

• A NSW electrical contractor licence. You can look it up on the NSW Government’s licence check. Ours is 343044C.
• Solar Accreditation Australia (SAA) accreditation for the person designing and installing the system. The federal battery rebate and solar STCs need an accredited installer.
• New Energy Tech Consumer Code (NETCC) approval for the business that sells it to you. It sets rules for honest selling, contracts and warranties, and it’s required for the NSW Home Energy Saver loan.

We hold all three, and we’re a Sigenergy-approved installer and an accredited Brighte installer.

2. Who actually does the install?

Many companies sell the job and pass it to a subcontractor. Ask who designs the system, who turns up on the day, and who you call if something isn’t right. At Sun Connect Solar our own in-house team designs every system and our own electricians do every install. We don’t use subcontractors.

3. Do they visit your home before install day?

A quote done from a satellite photo can’t see your switchboard or the wall the battery will hang on. We do a face-to-face site visit before every install to:

• check the battery goes in a compliant, safe position
• check your switchboard and any RCBO safety switch upgrades needed to meet current standards (more on switchboards)
• make sure you and we are both happy before install day

That way there are no hidden surprises or extra costs on the day.

How much would it cost for your home? See a typical price range in about a minute with our free solar and battery price calculator.

4. Is the system sized from your power bills?

A good installer asks for one or two recent power bills and works out what you actually use, day and night. If you already have solar, they should check whether it can charge a battery for the night or whether you need more panels. A generic “one size fits all” package often ends up too big or too small. See how we add a battery to existing solar.

5. Which batteries do they offer, and why?

Ask why they recommend a particular brand for you. We offer two main price points so you can get the outcome you need: Sigenergy (premium) and the GoodWe ESA all-in-one with 8 kWh modules (mid-tier, very high quality). We also install Sungrow, Solax and Tesla batteries, with AIKO and Jinko panels.

6. What warranty do they give on their own work?

Equipment is covered by the manufacturer. The installer’s workmanship warranty covers the install itself. Ask how long it is and what it covers. Ours is 25 years on our installation work, alongside a 10-year battery warranty, a 10-year inverter replacement warranty and 25-year panel performance.

7. Do they handle the rebates and paperwork?

The federal Cheaper Home Batteries rebate and solar STCs should come off the price at the point of sale, with the installer doing the paperwork and the grid application. The battery rebate steps down on 1 January 2027, set by the install date (details).

Work out your federal battery rebate in seconds with our battery rebate calculator.

8. Is the deposit reasonable?

Ask how much you pay before anything is installed. Our deposit is 10% when you pay with your own money, and $0 when you use the NSW Home Energy Saver 0% loan (how the loan works). The loan is up to $15,000 for solar and batteries, through Brighte, over up to 10 years, and rebates come off first. Eligibility criteria apply; subject to lender approval.

9. Are they local, and what do local customers say?

A local installer is close by if anything needs looking at. Read recent Google reviews from people in your area, not just the star rating. We’re based near Mullumbimby and work across the Northern Rivers, from Tweed Heads to Evans Head and west to Lismore.

Why Northern Rivers locals choose us for their battery

• Electricians first, not a sales company: 25 years in solar and large commercial electrical work
• Our own in-house team designs and installs every system; no subcontractors
• A site visit before every install, so there are no surprises on the day
• Systems sized from your real power bills
• 25-year workmanship warranty

Battery installer FAQs

Does the installer need to be accredited for the battery rebate?

Yes. The federal battery rebate and solar STCs need a Solar Accreditation Australia (SAA) accredited installer. Ask for their accreditation and check it.

Should I get a quote without a site visit?

A remote quote is a fine starting point, but someone should see your switchboard and the battery position before install day. We do a site visit before every install.

What deposit should I expect?

It varies between companies. Ours is 10% with your own money, or $0 when you use the NSW 0% loan through Brighte (eligibility criteria apply; subject to lender approval).

Can I add a battery to my existing solar?

Usually, yes. We check your bills to see whether your panels can charge a battery for the night, or whether you’ll need a little more solar.

Get a battery assessment

Send us one or two recent power bills and we’ll show you what size battery suits your home, which brand fits your budget, and what rebates apply.

More from Sun Connect Solar: your rebates; FAQ; recent installs: Solar and a 24 kWh Sigenergy battery, Mullumbimby area · 24 kWh Sigenergy battery added to existing solar, Lismore · 33 kWh GoodWe battery added to existing solar, Lismore.