How solar and batteries actually work — in plain language

How solar works — the short version

Most people we quote have one version of this question, whatever words they use for it: "what's actually happening on my roof?" Here's the honest, no-diagram version we'd give you standing in your driveway.

How solar panels work

1. Sunlight hits the panels on your roof and creates DC electricity.
2. An inverter converts that DC into the AC electricity your home actually uses.
3. Your home uses that power first — anything left over charges a battery, or goes back to the grid.
4. When your panels aren't producing (at night), your home draws from the grid or your battery instead.
5. An app shows how much you're generating, using and saving, in real time.

That's genuinely most of it. The part that actually changes your bill is what happens in step 3 — which is why the next section is about batteries, not panels.

How a battery works

During the day your panels generate more than your home needs. Instead of that extra power going back to the grid for very little, a battery stores it — so you use your own power at night instead of buying it back. If the power goes out, a battery can also keep parts of your home running.

Here's the money side: power you export earns a feed-in tariff of only a few cents per unit, while the power you buy back costs around 25–35c a unit. That gap is exactly why using your own solar — and storing the excess in a battery — is worth far more than exporting it. Weighing one up? We run the numbers in is a home battery worth it in Victoria?

Solar hot water (heat pumps)

A heat pump doesn't heat water directly with electricity the way a standard system does — it pulls heat from the surrounding air, the same way a fridge works in reverse. That's why it uses a fraction of the energy.

Solar & battery rebates in Victoria — two schemes, most people know one

Federal battery rebate

Cuts roughly 30% off an installed battery. The rebate is tiered: the full rate applies to the first 14kWh of usable capacity, then 60% on the next 14kWh (14–28kWh) and 15% on anything above 28kWh. It also steps down over time — with a further reduction from 1 January 2027 — so the earlier you install, the more you save. Your system needs to be VPP-capable to qualify — everything we install is.

Solar Homes Program (Victoria)

A separate rebate of up to $1400 on a new solar system, with a matching interest-free loan available too. There's also a hot-water rebate of up to $1000 for eligible heat-pump systems. The Solar Homes rebate has eligibility criteria — including a household income cap — so we confirm you qualify when we quote. For a plain-English breakdown of both schemes, see rebates explained simply.

We handle the paperwork. Both schemes involve forms and approvals — we manage that as part of your install, not as an extra service.

What you actually pay

The Solar Homes interest-free loan lets eligible Victorian households spread the cost over four years at 0% interest, matched to the rebate amount — so it covers a meaningful chunk of the upfront price. Beyond that loan, we don't currently work with a third-party finance partner.

We accept payment by Bpoint (CommBank), phone card, bank transfer, or cheque, and we'll always show you the real cost after every rebate you're entitled to before you commit to anything. Curious what a system actually runs to around here? See what solar costs in Melbourne Metro after rebates.

Solar & battery warranties — backed for the long run

Every product we install carries its own manufacturer warranty — typically 10–30 years on panels, 10 years on batteries and inverters, and 5–10 years on heat-pump tanks (see the Products page for warranty terms per model). On top of that, every installation we do is covered by our own10-year workmanship warranty — so if the install itself (mounting, wiring, waterproofing) ever needs attention, that's on us, not you.

Rebates, finance & ownership questions

After specifics on a particular panel, battery or inverter? See the product FAQs.