How Much Less Solar Do You Actually Get in Melbourne Winter
Every solar quote comes with an “average daily output” figure. What most quotes don’t tell you is how much that number swings across the year, and in Melbourne, it swings a lot. If you’re trying to work out whether solar (or a battery) makes sense for your home, understanding the winter dip matters more than […]
Which Battery Is Best for a Solar System? A Straight Answer for Australian Homes
Which Battery Is Best for a Solar System? There is no single “best” battery, but for most Australian homes, a lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery, correctly sized to your household’s actual usage and properly matched to your inverter, is the safest and longest-lasting option available in 2026. The batteries currently rated highest for longevity and […]
EV Charger + Battery + Solar: What Actually Pays for Itself
If you already have solar, adding a battery and a home EV charger doesn’t just add convenience, it changes the maths on all three. A 7kW home charger typically costs $1,000 to $4,000 fully installed in Australia, and on its own it saves you the gap between public fast-charging and a standard powerpoint. But it’s […]
Heat Pump Hot Water + Solar + Battery: What Actually Pays for Itself
Victoria just tightened who can claim theSolar Homes hot water rebate, the combined household income cap dropped from $210,000 to $150,000 on 1 July 2026. If your household is now locked out, the story doesn’t end there: the federalSTC rebate and theVictorian Energy Upgrades (VEU) discount aren’t income-tested at all, and together they can still […]
Reverse-Cycle Heating & Cooling + Solar + Battery: What Actually Pays for Itself
If you read our heat pump hot water piece, you’ll know Victoria’s Gas Substitution Roadmap requires existing gas hot water systems to be replaced with electric alternatives from 1 March 2027. Space heating isn’t covered by that mandate, at least not yet, but it’s the bigger dollar figure of the two by a wide margin. […]
AlphaESS Just Doubled Its Single-Phase Hybrid Inverter, Here’s What a 10kW Option Actually Changes
AlphaESS has released a 10kW single-phase hybrid inverter, doubling the previous 5kW ceiling on AlphaESS’s own single-phase hybrid range. It brings AlphaESS in line with the 10kW single-phase inverter ceiling Victoria’s distributors already allow, and with other single-phase hybrid options already on the market, Sungrow’s SH10RS being a well-established example. For anyone specifically wanting to […]
How Long Do Solar Batteries Actually Last?
Most people ask this question after they’ve already bought a battery, not before. The honest answer: modern lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries, the type in almost every quote you’ll see in Australia today, carry a 10-year warranty guaranteeing at least 70% of original capacity at the end of that period. That’s not the same as […]
AlphaESS Just Doubled Its Single-Phase Hybrid Inverter, Here’s What a 10kW Option Actually Changes
AlphaESS has released a 10kW single-phase hybrid inverter, doubling the previous 5kW ceiling on AlphaESS’s own single-phase hybrid range. It brings AlphaESS in line with the 10kW single-phase inverter ceiling Victoria’s distributors already allow, and with other single-phase hybrid options already on the market, Sungrow’s SH10RS being a well-established example. For anyone specifically wanting to […]