Is my solar or battery quote any good?
Julian, owner of Bright HelpLast checked 17 October 2026
A good quote proposes the right system for your house and the way you use power, and includes setting it up to suit your energy plan from day one. The brand and the size are where I most often look twice: manufacturers run promotions for installers, so a quote can lean towards whichever model has one running, and that model, or that size, may not be the best one for you.
I read quotes as part of the consult, before I visit, and tell you what each would save you, how long it takes to pay back, and whether it’s the right job for your house.
What I look for
What the installer is proposing, and whether it’s right for your house and your needs. You can check most of it yourself.
- The size, against how you use power. A battery bigger than your evenings need costs more and saves no more.
- The brand and the model, and why that one. Fine if it suits your house, and worth asking about if it’s whatever is on promotion.
- What’s left out. A switchboard upgrade, a meter change, the monitoring and who sets it up, and who sets the battery to suit your plan.
- The warranties. The product’s, and the installer’s own on the workmanship, which matters as much.
- The rebates. What’s been taken off the price, and who claims them.
- The payback against the warranty. If it would take longer to pay back than its warranty lasts, you’re betting it keeps working after the warranty ends.
If you’re holding three quotes
Free programs will now put you in touch with installers for quotes. You can end up with three quotes that each propose something different, and nobody independent to say which suits your house. That’s the part I do, for houses across the Surf Coast, the Bellarine and Geelong: I read them all before I visit, and tell you which one, if any, and in what order.
After the install
As an engineer, I know the standards the work has to meet, so I can confirm it was installed correctly, and that it’s set up to get you the most out of it from day one.
In Victoria, solar and battery work has to be checked by an independent inspector, and you should get a copy of the Certificate of Electrical Safety within four days. Keep it. The inspection is about whether the work is safe, not whether the system is set up to save you money: our own battery ran for nearly seven weeks before it was saving us what it should.
If anything doesn’t check out, I’ll help you draft a reply to the installer, or run the whole job for you. I work for you, not for whoever installs it.
What it costs
I don’t sell a quote check on its own yet. It’s part of both consults, the $399 and the $649, and if you’re not sure you need either, a free ten-minute chat will tell us.