Buying solar can be a stressful decision. It’s expensive, plugged into your biggest asset (usually) and will impact your power bills for the next ten to twenty years.

It can also be confusing with its head-spinning combo of solar components, configurations, rebates, complex maths and tech jargon. 

Hiring a good installer will definitely help but there’s still plenty of missteps you can make on your way to energy independence. 

To give you a head start, our CHOICE solar expert Chris Barnes reveals the common mistakes people make so you don't get burnt. 

1. Not understanding your electricity usage  

Let's face it: reading electricity bills the first time can be confusing enough, let alone going back to study them and ascertain your annual power needs and patterns.

But before you start shopping for solar, it's important to understand your home's electricity usage first. 

On average, a typical Australian home uses 16–20kWh per day but it depends greatly on number of occupants, location and climate (e.g. how much sunshine do you get? are you using heaters/air cons?), and what else you're running (i.e. EVs, pool heating, hot water systems).

Analysing your usage for the past year will help you learn:

• Your average daily usage
• When you use the most electricity (Peak or off peak? Summer or winter? At night? On the weekend when everyone's home?)
• Future needs (Are you starting a family, getting an EV or a pool, or replacing gas appliances with electric?)
• Your solar goals (do you want solar to minimise your bills or cut them completely?) 

"By looking at your bills, you'll get a good idea of the size of the solar system you'll need to meet your requirements," says CHOICE expert Chris Barnes.

"A good installer should help you with this before they quote, but understanding your own usage will give you a great head start."

It's also important to understand the solar panel rebate and battery rebate, their eligibility criteria and if there's any additional state or territory rebates available.

Why we partner with SolarQuotes

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.

2. Only getting a quote from one installer

We get it, chasing quotes can be time-consuming so it's tempting to just get one from the company your mate used or to go for that 'great deal' on social media (see point three). Additionally, organising numerous home inspections for quotes is a chore and turning down unsuccessful installers can be awkward. 

But despite all that, it's still essential to collect multiple quotes for many reasons. 

"We recommend always shopping around and getting at least three solid quotes," says CHOICE solar expert Chris Barnes.

"Not only can prices vary dramatically, but installers can offer very different system configurations, brands and levels of service so it's good to assess your options. The best ones will take time to tailor a system specifically to your home and budget."

We recommend always shopping around and getting at least three solid quotes

CHOICE solar expert Chris Barnes

To share a personal anecdote, a few years back I got quotes for new solar panels. One company just emailed me back a photo of my house's roof taken from Google Earth with little 'solar panels' drawn on to estimate the amount needed.

The second installer visited my home, got up on the roof to inspect it, brought a drone to do a flyover and sat down with me to talk through the proposed system and answer all my novice questions.

The quoted prices were similar, but the service and attention to detail were miles apart. Needless to say, we went with the second company.

The best installers will tailor a system specifically to your home and budget.

3. Falling for a dud deal

Start browsing for solar online and you'll soon be bombarded with targeted ads promising you everything but the sun. These tempting 'too good to be true' deals take many forms, including:

• Spruiking time-sensitive offers ('this month only!') 
• Offering 'free solar' or '$0 upfront cost', which usually means agreeing to give away your generated electricity to someone else and buying it back from them
• Claiming your suburb is now eligible for huge savings (not really, panel and battery rebates are available to everyone Australia-wide)
• Claiming rebates are ending soon (they're not, although they do decrease incrementally each year and some state rebates will eventually disappear)
• Offering a free eligibility check which is just a lead generator for them.

Also, be wary if you're approached by door-to-door salespeople and telemarketers using pushy sales tactics to make high commissions.

4. Chasing the cheapest price

This is related to the previous tip but also different. Going cheap might work for a new kettle or toaster, but when you're investing in something as costly, complex and long-term as solar, it's important to prioritise quality over price.

"Solar is expensive but the cost pales in comparison to the value of your home so it pays to find a good installer who will look after both," says Chris. 

"The margins on solar aren't big so if a company is offering you an outrageously cheap deal, they're likely cutting corners elsewhere. This could include inferior components, shoddy or unsafe installation, or poor warranty support later."

If a company is offering you an outrageously cheap deal, they're likely cutting corners elsewhere

CHOICE expert Chris Barnes

If you are tempted by a cheap offer, at least safeguard yourself by getting two more quotes to compare the different packages (as suggested in point one). 

Also remember you can only get the solar panel and battery rebates once per premises, so you really need to get it right the first time because the second time is going to cost a lot more. 

Social media is saturated with solar ads, including this very obviously AI-generated one. Credit: NSW Solar Program Facebook.

5. Choosing undersized or mismatched components

If you're investing in solar, you want a solution that's optimised for your home's specific power needs. 

A sloppy installer or a generic 'one size fits all' type package might not deliver that. If your set-up is undersized, the solar panels will struggle to charge your battery through the day so you'll still need to draw power from the grid at night. 

If your set-up is undersized, the solar panels will struggle to charge your battery

The size of the inverter can also be a bit of a trap. Many online deals currently spruik huge batteries with 40–50kWh capacity but only include a 5kW inverter, which will struggle to charge and discharge such a big battery.

"A good installer will look at your usage patterns and design a system that meets your energy expectations all-year round and anticipates your future usage too," says Chris.

6. Skipping installer accreditation checks

The good news is that the solar industry has more accreditation than ever to protect consumers. But that won't help if you don't bother to do the necessary checks before engaging an installer.

Companies must be accredited by Solar Accreditation Australia (SAA) and you can verify them by searching the SAA website.

Reputable companies may also be 'approved sellers' under the New Energy Tech Consumer Code (NETCC). Unlike accreditation, this is not compulsory but is a good indicator of service. 

The risks of using an unaccredited or subcontracted installer include:

• Voiding solar component warranties
• Voiding eligibility for government rebates for solar panels or a home battery 
• Voiding any home insurance claims 
• Dangerous safety issues including shoddy installation and risk of electrical fires.  

If the installer seems new, you should also check their ABN online. If they've only been registered since April 2025, when the government battery rebate was first announced, then that's a red flag and you should tread carefully.

For solar components, the Clean Energy Council (CEC) maintains a register of accredited panels (modules), inverters and batteries that meet Australian standards. 

It's highly unlikely that a good installer would be using unapproved components, but if in doubt, you should check that the components for the system quoted are clearly specified by make, size and model, and are CEC-approved.

7. Thinking you must get a home battery

With the new rebate offering around 30% off, batteries are all the rage at the moment with more than 100,000 installed since the rebate's launch on 1 July, 2025.

With all the hype, it's easy to think that you must buy one along with panels to be as solar super-charged as possible. But while storing surplus power is a huge boon, batteries are still very expensive (even after the rebate, a 10kWh battery can cost $7000–$11,000 to install) and that might not be within your budget right now.

"The good news is that if you just get solar panels alone, you can still greatly reduce your electricity costs," says Chris. "You might still pay high tariffs for peak time power from the grid, but if you can time-shift using power-hungry appliances to the day-time, you can save a lot now and maybe add a battery later."

"Just let your installer know if you're considering a battery down the track, so they can configure the solar panel system to accommodate it in future."

Admittedly, it can cost more to add the battery later rather than doing it all at once, but if it suits your budget better to stagger the costs, that could be the best approach.

Stock images: Getty, unless otherwise stated.

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