Solar questions, answered straight

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.

It depends on your usage, your tariff and your system size, so any figure quoted before those are known is marketing rather than arithmetic. We put your payback in the written quote with the assumptions behind it visible.

It is the single most useful thing you can give us. Twelve months is ideal, because a summer quarter and a winter quarter in Western Sydney look nothing alike.

We can give you an indicative figure, and we will be clear that is what it is. The written quote follows a site assessment, because that is where the switchboard, the roof condition and the real shade get established.

Shade is measurable and we measure it. Depending on the pattern it may mean fewer panels, a different layout, or panel-level electronics. It occasionally means solar is not worth it on that roof, and we would rather say so.

If it is a real plan within a couple of years, yes, because adding capacity later costs more than building it in now. If it is a maybe, we will show you both numbers and let you choose.

Most single-storey installs are a one-day job. A two-storey home, a larger system, or a battery going in at the same time can run into a second day, and we tell you which before you book.

Someone needs to be there at the start so we can get to the switchboard and confirm the panel layout with you, and at the end for the handover. You do not need to be there for the whole day.

Briefly, while the system is connected at the switchboard. It is usually under an hour and we tell you when it is coming.

Mounting hardware is fixed into the roof structure and sealed. On tile, we replace any tile that is broken during the work. If we find a roof that needs repair before panels go on it, we tell you before starting, not after.

The system produces from the day it is commissioned, but your retailer needs to reconfigure the meter for the feed-in first. That is usually a few weeks and it is out of our hands, though we lodge the paperwork for you.

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.

Only if it is configured for backup and wired to a backup circuit, which is a specific part of the install rather than something every battery does by default. Tell us at quoting stage if that is what you want, because it changes the design.

Usually yes. It depends on your existing inverter and switchboard, which we check before quoting rather than after.

Most commonly in a garage or against an external wall, in a spot that stays out of direct afternoon sun and meets the clearance rules. We confirm the location on site.

Warranties are typically stated in years and in throughput, whichever comes first, and the throughput figure is the one people forget to read. Ask for both numbers.

Generally yes, because it is one visit, one set of paperwork and one switchboard job instead of two. A 10kW system with 20kWh of storage starts at $12,900.

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.

Usually a few hours. It is a much smaller job than a full install.

Sometimes, but it is constrained by your array size and by what your network operator approves. We check both before quoting.

It will restore what you lost to the failing one, and newer units are usually a little more efficient. It will not produce more than your panels can make.

Only if you are adding a battery now or intend to soon. If a battery is not on the horizon, you are paying for capability you will not use.

That is a common situation and it does not stop us. We take on systems other companies installed, including ones where the brand has left the Australian market.

Every couple of years is reasonable for a healthy system, and straight away if output has dropped or monitoring has stopped.

Yes. A lot of our service work is on systems whose original installer is no longer trading.

Often it is just the wifi connection rather than the system. It is worth fixing either way, because monitoring is how you find out about a fault before a quarterly bill does.

We can usually keep it running and can tell you honestly when parts are no longer obtainable and replacement is the better spend.

Depends on the age and how many. One failed panel in a modern array is usually worth replacing. A widespread failure across an old system is normally the point to talk about renewing it.

You can, and it is fine occasionally. It is slow enough that most of the charging happens overnight on grid power, which is the expensive way to do it if you have solar on the roof.

No. It is a standalone electrical job. It is simply worth more when there is a system on the roof for it to draw from.

It should, and that is a setup question rather than a hardware one. The point is that the car does not empty the battery overnight unless you want it to.

Sometimes, and it is the first thing we check. Older boards in Parramatta houses often have no spare way and no room for one.

Most are a single visit. A board upgrade or a long cable run is the usual reason it becomes more than that.