Solar panels Parramatta, priced up front.

Our starting prices are $4,500 for a 6.6kW system and $8,500 for 10kW, for a standard single-storey install. What moves the number is the roof, not the postcode: two storeys, tile instead of sheet, a switchboard that needs upgrading, or an array split across several faces all add labour. We confirm the final figure in writing after a site assessment, so the price you accept is the price you pay.

Not on panels, and that surprises people. There is no New South Wales rebate for rooftop solar. The discount you hear about is federal, it comes off the price as a point-of-sale deduction rather than a cheque you claim later, and every accredited installer in the state gets the same one. Batteries are different: a federal battery discount and a separate NSW incentive for connecting to a virtual power plant both apply, and they stack. We set out what you qualify for in writing with the quote, against the rules on the day.

It is a rough guide that a solar system will typically cover around a third of a home's electricity use unless you change when you use power or add a battery. It is a reasonable sanity check on any sales pitch: if someone tells you panels alone will wipe out your whole bill, ask them to show you the numbers behind it. Shifting your washing, dishwasher and pool pump into daylight hours does more than most people expect, and a battery is what moves you past it properly.

Usually one of three reasons, and none of them is that solar stopped working. Systems installed a decade ago are reaching the end of their inverter life and get replaced rather than removed. Some were undersized for the household from the start and never delivered what was promised. And some were installed badly by companies that are no longer trading, which is the strongest argument for choosing an installer who will still be there in ten years. Panels themselves usually outlast everything else on the roof.

Most single-storey installs are a one-day job. A larger system, a two-storey home, or a battery going in at the same time can run into a second day. We tell you which it is before you book, because taking a day off work for a job that was always going to take two is a bad way to start.

Our own crew. DSW Energy is a CEC Accredited Installer and an NETCC Approved Solar Retailer, working under NSW electrical licence 497806C, and the people who quote the job are the people who do it. That matters when something needs fixing in year three, because there is nobody to hand you off to.

Yes, both together and as a retrofit to an existing system. Battery starting prices are $8,500 for 10kWh, $9,900 for 20kWh and $12,990 for 30kWh, and a 10kW solar system paired with 20kWh of storage starts at $12,900. Whether a battery is worth it for you depends on how much power you use after dark, which is a question we can answer from your bills.