Solar Battery Quote Comparison Checklist: 12 Things Every Quote Should Show

Checked and updated by our licensed electricians: October 2026

Comparing solar battery quotes? Tick off the 12 things every quote should show as you read each one, see how many it covers, and know exactly what to ask before you sign. Written by the local electricians who install Sigenergy and GoodWe batteries across the Northern Rivers, so you can check us against it too. Free, nothing to download, and your ticks stay on your device unless you ask for a copy.

The 12 items, and why each one matters

1. The battery: make, model and usable kWh. The exact model and its usable capacity in modules (GoodWe 8 kWh steps, Sigenergy 9 kWh steps), and that it is on the Clean Energy Council approved list and VPP-capable, which the federal rebate requires.
2. The inverter: make, model and kW output. How much the system can run at once (kW), and whether it is a hybrid that replaces your inverter or an AC-coupled battery alongside it.
3. The panels, if solar is included. Brand, model, wattage, how many, total kW, and that the roof was checked for shading and space.
4. Sized from your power bills. The installer asked for one or two recent bills and can say what you use after dark and what your solar exports. If nobody asked for a bill, the size came from a catalogue, not from you.
5. What stays on in a blackout. Whole home or essential circuits only, which circuits, and whether the solar keeps recharging the battery during an outage.
6. Where the battery will go. A compliant position under AS/NZS 5139 (not a habitable room, clear of exits and windows, protected from vehicles, suited to heat and the coast), confirmed on a site visit, not from a photo.
7. The switchboard work, in the price. RCBO safety switches and any board upgrade listed and priced in the quote, so nothing is added on the day.
8. Who does the install. The company's own licensed electricians or a subcontractor, the NSW electrical contractor licence number, and the SAA accreditation of the installer (the rebate needs it).
9. The rebates as lines taken off. The federal Cheaper Home Batteries rebate and solar STCs shown as deductions, with the install date the quote assumes (the battery rebate steps down for installs from 1 January 2027).
10. Warranties, in writing. Years on the battery, the inverter and panel performance, and the installer's own workmanship warranty on the installation itself.
11. Price, deposit and exclusions. Total including GST after rebates, the deposit, what is excluded (meter changes, network fees, trenching, scaffold), and any finance terms (the NSW 0% loan: eligibility criteria apply, subject to lender approval).
12. Grid application, timing and handover. Who lodges the network connection and export limit, the expected install wait, the install taking about a day, grid connection typically one to three weeks after, monitoring app set-up and a sign-off.

How to use the checklist with two or three quotes

1. Open the first quote and tick each item it shows clearly. Vague counts as unticked: "battery backup included" without saying which circuits is not an answer.
2. Note the score and the unticked items, then clear the ticks and do the next quote.
3. Compare like with like: usable kWh with usable kWh, inverter kW with inverter kW, whole-home backup with whole-home backup. A cheaper quote with a smaller inverter, essential circuits only and the switchboard left out is not cheaper.
4. Ask each installer for their unticked items in writing. The ones who answer clearly and quickly are the ones who understand the job.
5. Ask our five questions of everyone: do they visit before quoting, who does the install, is the switchboard in the price, is it sized from your bills, which circuits stay on. They are in the home battery buyer's guide.

What a complete quote looks like on a real job

On a recent Lennox Head install, the quote showed a GoodWe ESA 16 kWh battery (two 8 kWh modules) with 8.6 kW of Jinko panels, sized from the household's bills, whole-home backup, the battery position agreed on the site visit, the RCBO work in the price, our own electricians doing the install, the federal rebate and STCs as deductions, the 10, 10, 25 and 25-year warranties, and the grid application handled by us. Read the case study. The same twelve items sit behind every design we send, from a single 9 kWh module in Mullumbimby to 32 kWh in Ocean Shores.

Questions we get asked

What should a solar battery quote include?

The battery and inverter makes, models and sizes; the panels if solar is included; proof it was sized from your bills; what stays on in a blackout; where the battery will go; the switchboard work priced in; who does the install and their licence and accreditation; the rebates as lines taken off with the install date assumed; the warranties in writing; the total price, deposit and exclusions; and who handles the grid application. The checklist on this page ticks through all twelve.

How do I compare two battery quotes that are different sizes?

Compare them per usable kWh and per kW of solar, then ask why each installer chose the size. A quote sized from your bills can explain what you use after dark and what your solar exports; one that cannot was sized from a catalogue. Also check whether each quote includes the same switchboard work and the same backup.

Why is one battery quote so much cheaper?

Usually something is missing or different: no site visit, a subcontracted install, switchboard work left as an extra for the day, a smaller inverter, essential-circuits backup instead of whole home, shorter warranties, or an unknown brand. Work down the twelve items and the difference is normally in the unticked ones.

Should I get three quotes?

Two or three from well-reviewed local installers who will visit your home before quoting is the usual advice from consumer groups. More than that rarely helps; the time is better spent comparing the two or three line by line.

What are the red flags in a battery quote?

False deadlines and countdown timers, doorknockers or cold callers, anything described as free or no net cost, mismatched or unknown brands, clauses that let the installer swap components, a company only registered since the rebate started, and nobody willing to visit before quoting.

Does Sun Connect Solar tick all twelve?

Yes, and we wrote the list so you can check us against it. Our own licensed electricians design and install every system, we visit before every install, the switchboard work is priced up front, the battery is sized from your bills, a typical install backs up the whole home, and our workmanship warranty is 25 years. Pricing is gone through on a call, never by text.

Sources

CHOICE, "7 solar mistakes to avoid when buying batteries and panels" and "Bad battery deals: red flags"; SolarQuotes, "10 questions you must ask before buying solar", its battery installation guide and "What to ask your home battery installer before they leave"; the Australian Government Solar Consumer Guide and Cheaper Home Batteries Program pages; AS/NZS 5139:2019 as summarised by ERAC. Checked October 2026.

More from Sun Connect Solar

• Northern Rivers home battery buyer's guide
• How to choose a home battery installer
• Is my solar battery-ready? Checker
• Solar and battery price calculator
• Battery rebate calculator
• All our free tools for solar and battery buyers