Need to know
- The supermarket chain has partnered with Tempo to sell solar panel and battery packages
- Tempo also supply Aldi's ‘private label’ home brands including Stirling, Ambiano and Bauhm
- The two packages are cheap, but come with some questions and concerns
Aldi is now selling solar panel and battery packages, but don't expect to find them in their middle aisle next to the circular saws and novelty garden gnomes.
Instead, the supermarket chain has launched Aldi Solar with long-time product partner, Tempo, to provide systems for homes based in select metro areas across Australia. Announced in early September, the new service is now taking pre-orders with installations to commence in early November.
Which metro areas can get Aldi Solar?
After trialling a pilot program in Victoria, Aldi Solar is now rolling out in Sydney, Newcastle, Wollongong, Melbourne, Brisbane, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast and Canberra.
An Aldi spokesperson tells CHOICE it's "planning to expand availability in stages from 2026", including South Australia and Western Australia.
Aldi Solar are planning to expand into more areas in 2026. IMAGE: Aldi.
Aldi Solar prices, specifications and extra fees
Unlike your average installer who customises your solar set-up based on your personal power needs, home and budget, Aldi Solar offers just two fixed packages to choose from:
Package 1: $6999
- 10kWh home battery (2 x 5kWh modules)
- 6.6kW solar panel system
- 5.5kW hybrid inverter
Package 1: $8499
- 20kWh battery (4 x 5kWh modules)
- 6.6kW solar panel system
- 5.5kW hybrid inverter
It's worth noting these prices already include both federal government rebates for the solar panel incentive and the home battery scheme.
ALDI's packages include free blackout protection, but charge an additional $385 if fire-resistant panelling is required (a requirement for weatherboard or timber homes) and $275 if your home is two-storey.
All components are backed by a 10-year product warranty, with a 25-year performance guarantee on the panels.
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Since 2020, CHOICE has partnered with SolarQuotes, Australia's most-visited solar website, to help you find trusted installers. They provide high-quality quotes from vetted suppliers and back it with their 'good installer guarantee'. While CHOICE makes money if you buy through them, 100% of it goes straight back into our nonprofit mission.
How do Aldi Solar's prices compare to other providers?
Aldi Solar’s prices are very cheap.
Usually, installation of a 10kWh home battery and inverter alone averages between $7000 and $11,000, while a 20kWh one will set you back between $14,000 and $19,000 (after the federal rebates).
And that's not including solar panels, which Aldi Solar's offers do. See our home battery buying guide for more info on pricing.
Of course, as anyone who’s been swamped with cheap solar ads online will know, there’s plenty of rock-bottom deals currently out there in the market. It’s the quality of the components, installation and after-sale service that is so vital and that's a lot harder to gauge (for the reasons below).
Aldi Solar reviewed: Key considerations and questions
With these simple set packages, Aldi says it aims to remove "the complexity that can often deter Australians from switching to renewable energy". But look under the bonnet and you might find some questions and concerns.
To dissect Aldi's new solar deals, we spoke to Finn Peacock, founder of SolarQuotes, Australia's most-visited solar website. Since 2020, CHOICE has partnered with SolarQuotes, which offers high-quality quotes for products from vetted installers.
Here's Peacock's analysis of Aldi Solar's offers, and the key things you need to consider.
1. The packages are fixed and not customisable
With just two easy packages to choose from, Aldi Solar's offering might seem refreshingly simple and straightforward, but Finn points out it might not suit your home or maximise its solar potential.
"These packages will reduce your bills if they are properly installed, configured and maintained, but a system designed for your specific home will save you more. You only get one bite of the government's battery rebate, and adding solar panels after the fact is usually very expensive compared to getting it right the first time."
A system designed for your specific home will save you more
Finn Peacock, SolarQuotes founder
Instead, he recommends speaking with reputable installers who will inspect your home and tailor a solar system to your individual energy usage, budget and building's unique architectural specs.
"Solar and batteries should be designed for the home they're going on," he says. "For example, the first thing I'd do is see how much solar fits on the roof, how many different roof directions there are, and what shading is present. That informs the solar panel design and inverter selection."
"Then I'd look at the overnight energy use and the tariffs available - that would inform the battery selection. Then I'd evaluate what other appliances such as existing solar, hot water, and electric car charging need to work with the solar and battery."
Aldi's solar packages are cheap, but don't allow customisation to the buyer's needs. IMAGE: Aldi.
2. Aldi Solar's specs might be undersized for your needs
The prices of Aldi's packages might be low, but so are the specs, says SolarQuotes' Peacock.
While 6.6kW of solar panels is still common, residents are typically going bigger these days, with the latest Australia Energy Council's solar report showing that most new rooftop panel systems installed in 2025 range between 8 and 11kW.
"Lots of people who installed 6.6kW many years ago are now pulling those panels off the roof to make space for a bigger system to power their all electric homes and electric cars," says Peacock.
He also has concerns over Aldi Solar's included home battery and inverter specs.
"The battery sizes offered are 10kWh and 20kWh. 20kWh is the size likely to suit most typical Aussie homes, but 6.6kW of panels will struggle to fill it all year round."
"The 5.5kW hybrid inverter will also struggle to back up a whole home. A small inverter like that should only back up essential circuits. It is not clear if segregation of essential and non-essential circuits is included."
We'd recommend talking to multiple installers in addition to Aldi Solar to get a sense of the best products and specs to suit your needs.
3. Aldi's partner Tempo is relatively unknown as a solar provider
These solar packages might have Aldi's name and marketing all over it, but that's where the supermarket's association stops.
The Aldi Solar website's disclaimer states: "All products and services promoted by ALDI Stores (a Limited Partnership) under the brand ALDI Solar are offered and supplied by Tempo (Aust) Pty Ltd and its approved installers and not ALDI Stores."
"Be clear that you are not buying this from Aldi," says Peacock. "You are buying it from a seemingly unrelated company that is licensing the name Aldi Solar from Aldi."
You are buying solar from a seemingly unrelated company that is licensing the name Aldi Solar from Aldi
Finn Peacock, SolarQuotes founder
According to its website, Tempo is "a premier supplier to the consumer electronics and home appliance global marketplace". Aldi customers might not have heard of Tempo, but the company actually supplies the supermarket's 'private label' home brands including Stirling, Ambiano and Bauhm.
Importantly, though, from our research and Peacock's, Tempo appears to be a very new player in the solar market.
"[Until Aldi Solar], I had never heard of Tempo before," adds Peacock.
4. Aldi Solar uses little-known Altius components
Aldi Solar's hardware page and spec sheets show Altius solar panels, lithium phosphate batteries and hybrid inverters.
Detailed information on Altius products is hard to find online (beyond very recent Aldi Solar mentions) and customer reviews seem non-existent. That's despite Tempo's website stating Altius products were introduced to Australia in 2023.
"I'd never heard of Altius [before the Aldi Solar announcement]," says Peacock, who's reviewed hundreds of solar products since he started SolarQuotes in 2009.
SolarQuotes founder Finn Peacock had not heard of Tempo or Altius before the Aldi Solar announcement. IMAGE: SolarQuotes
5. Altius solar panels carry only a 10-year product warranty
When it comes to panels, Peacock points out it's far more common these days for brands to offer a manufacturer's warranty for 20 to 25 years, not 10 years like Aldi Solar does.
"It's a huge red flag for me," he says.
Instead, Altius' panels come with a 25-year 'performance' warranty that states "if the output power of any panel is lower than 80% of the rated power of the panel, Tempo will repair or replace the panel."
It may sound similar enough, but it's less solid than a product warranty for the same duration from other brands.
The Altius inverter and battery both come with a 10-year product warranty, which is similar to other brands on the market. As always, read the warranty terms and conditions before you buy.
6. Tempo chooses your installer, not you
Who installs your solar set-up is one of the most important decisions you can make, but with the supermarket's offering, Aldi makes it for you.
The Aldi Solar website states "installers are licensed electricians and Solar Accreditation Australia certified" but lists no specific companies, which can make it hard to specifically research them before signing on.
When asked for more details and examples of companies, a spokesperson for Aldi Solar told CHOICE:
"All Aldi Solar installers are trained on the specifics of installing the AldiSolar systems and allocated to complete installations based on several factors, including geographical location of the installation, availability for timely installation and, most importantly, performance against Aldi Solar's stringent quality control and installation standards."
Who installs your solar set-up is one of the most important decisions you can make, but with the supermarket's offering, Aldi makes it for you
What concerns Peacock more, though, is Aldi Solar's website disclaimer that states:
"The contracts and terms and conditions that govern the provision of those products and services are between you and Tempo (in respect of the sale of hardware) and between you and an installer approved by Tempo (in relation to the installation)."
Peacock says: "That last bit is unusual and seems to me to be trying to get the consumer to deal with a separate installation company – separate to the hardware sale – if there is an installation issue."
As always, it's best to look over the sale contract's terms and ask any questions before signing on if it's still unclear
When asked to clarify this, a spokesperson for Aldi Solar told us: "Customers deal directly with Tempo in the unlikely event of a hardware or installation issue. Tempo is responsible for arranging support and remedies for Aldi Solar customers in the unlikely event of a hardware fault or installation workmanship issue at no additional cost to the customer."
As always, it's best to look over the sale contract's terms and ask any questions before signing on if it's still unclear.
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LEAD IMAGE CREDIT: Aldi
