The 1KOMMA5° battery: Fox ESS hardware, premium price, and what to check
If you have been shopping for a battery lately, you have probably come across 1KOMMA5°. It is a German company that has grown quickly in Australia, partly by buying local installers[1], and it sells its own-brand solar, inverters and batteries, plus an energy app called Heartbeat AI. The thing people online ask about most is the battery, and whether it is really a Fox ESS. Here is what I have read, and what it means for the price.
What people are saying online
1KOMMA5° gets mixed reviews. On SolarQuotes, the former Solaray Energy business, now 1KOMMA5° Sydney and 1KOMMA5° Melbourne, averaged 4.3 from 742 ratings when I read it[2]; on ProductReview, 1KOMMA5° averaged 4.4 from 451 reviews[3]. Plenty of customers are happy with the sales process, the install crews and how their systems perform. The complaints that come up again and again are about communication, installs that dragged on, and after-sales support that was hard to reach[2][3].
That pattern is not unusual for a company that has grown quickly through acquisitions, and ratings move over time. It is worth reading the recent reviews for the branch you would actually deal with before you sign.
Is it just a Fox ESS?
The word online is that the 1KOMMA5° battery is a rebranded Fox ESS. From what I have read, there is a fair bit behind that, and it comes from 1KOMMA5°'s own paperwork.
The warranty for the 1KOMMA5° Battery is issued by Fox ESS Australia, and describes the product as a battery storage system manufactured by Fox ESS and distributed by 1KOMMA5° Distribution Pty Ltd under the 1KOMMA5° brand. The guarantor is Fox ESS[4].
The battery modules are the 1K5-BAT-4660 series, which Fox ESS publishes a datasheet for: 4.66kWh per module, scalable to 41.93kWh[5]. On the Clean Energy Council approved list, the 1K5-BAT-4660 series is held by FOXESS CO LTD under the FOX ESS brand, with usable capacities from 9.32 to 41.93kWh, the same steps as Fox ESS's own EQ4800 series[6].
To be clear, that is not a knock on Fox ESS gear. Fox ESS is a large manufacturer, and on this site it sits in the value tier because it is usually one of the cheaper ways to buy the storage you need. Selling another maker's hardware under your own brand is common in this industry.
Price: premium, for what
| Brand | Battery | Installed, before rebates | After rebates (VIC) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fox ESS | 10 kWh | $7,650 to $13,500 | $5,130 to $10,980 |
| Fox ESS | 15 kWh | $12,100 to $18,000 | $8,420 to $14,320 |
| Fox ESS | 27 kWh | $16,470 to $28,000 | $10,980 to $22,510 |
| 1KOMMA5° | 10 kWh | $8,800 to $15,520 | $6,280 to $13,000 |
| 1KOMMA5° | 15 kWh | $13,910 to $20,700 | $10,230 to $17,020 |
| 1KOMMA5° | 27 kWh | $18,940 to $32,200 | $13,450 to $26,710 |
So why does it matter? The price. On this site's numbers, a 10kWh 1KOMMA5° battery works out between about $1,150 and $2,020 more than a Fox ESS of the same size before rebates. That is this site's pricing assumption, not a 1KOMMA5° quote. But if the storage hardware is the same, the gap is worth asking about.
This site prices the 1KOMMA5° package at its premium tier, against Fox ESS's own batteries at value tier. What the difference buys is not different storage hardware. It is 1KOMMA5°'s installation, its packaging of panels, inverter and battery as one offer, and its Heartbeat AI software. Whether that is worth paying for is a fair question, and the honest way to answer it is to get a like-for-like quote for a Fox ESS system of the same capacity from an independent installer and compare.
The warranty terms
The battery modules are guaranteed for 12 years from installation, but the period ends at the earliest of 12 years, 154 months from the date of manufacture, or a set number of full charge cycles: 4,445 cycles at 80% of nominal capacity, or 7,333 at 60%[4].
Three conditions are worth reading before you sign. The installer has to register the battery with Fox ESS at commissioning and upload the signed acceptance report. Transferring the guarantee to a new owner needs Fox ESS's consent. And expansion modules added later are covered by the terms in force when they are commissioned, not the original ones[4].
Heartbeat AI
Heartbeat AI is 1KOMMA5°'s software for deciding when a home's system stores, uses or sells power, including trading on the wholesale market. It launched in Australia in March 2026, and was built to work with 1KOMMA5°'s own hardware[7]. 1KOMMA5° describes its model as a flat-rate software fee rather than a margin on electricity[1].
The only Australian saving figure published so far is the company's own: an average of $28 a month after all fees and charges, across a small group of early adopters who already owned 1KOMMA5° systems, measured against what they would have paid on their previous plans[8]. The sample size was not given. Ask for the software fee in writing, what happens to the battery's settings if you stop paying it, and whether you need to change electricity retailer.
Where they install
1KOMMA5° lists local representation and coverage in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, the ACT and South Australia[9]. It does not list Western Australia. In Perth, Fox ESS's own batteries are sold through independent installers, and Fox ESS inverters were on Synergy's Supported Solutions List as of 23 October 2026[10].
My take
If you have a 1KOMMA5° quote, do the simple thing: get a quote for a Fox ESS battery of the same usable capacity from an independent installer, and put the two side by side. If what 1KOMMA5° adds is worth the difference to you, good. If it is not, you have kept the difference.
1KOMMA5° in Victoria
Victoria is in 1KOMMA5°'s published coverage[9]. The prices above are Victorian. Solar Victoria's battery loans are no longer taking applications[11], so the federal discount is the only battery incentive in them. If the package includes panels, Solar Victoria's panel rebate of up to $1,400 may apply to that part, if the household is eligible[12].
Melbourne's network rules matter more than usual for a system that sells power. United Energy's, CitiPower's and Powercor's 2026 to 2031 connection policies lower the maximum static export limit to 1.5kW per phase and offer flexible exports of up to 10kW per phase[13][14][15]. Software that trades on the wholesale market can only sell what the export limit lets out, so ask what limit your pre-approval came back with, and whether the system will be set up for flexible exports.
What to check before you sign
Ask for the battery model and capacity in writing, and confirm it on the approved list. Ask what the same capacity costs as a Fox ESS system from an independent installer. Ask for the Heartbeat AI fee, term and exit conditions. On warranty claims, the guarantee has you report a fault to the business that sold you the system or to 1KOMMA5°, which passes the claim to Fox ESS[4]; ask who that contact is if your installer stops trading. And treat any bonus-module offer as part of the price, not a gift: compare the total cost per usable kWh.
Get your own numbers, then get them priced properly
Two minutes of questions gets you the battery size your house actually needs, what it should cost after rebates, and what it saves. Then I find the bottom of that price range for you. No installer sees anything unless you ask.
Run my numbers, freeCommon questions
Who makes the 1KOMMA5° battery?
Fox ESS. 1KOMMA5°'s own warranty document, issued by Fox ESS Australia, describes it as manufactured by Fox ESS and distributed by 1KOMMA5° under its own brand.
How long is the 1KOMMA5° battery warranty?
Up to 12 years from installation, ending earlier at 154 months from manufacture or after 4,445 full cycles at 80% capacity or 7,333 at 60%, whichever comes first. The guarantor is Fox ESS.
Is a 1KOMMA5° battery more expensive than Fox ESS?
This site prices the 1KOMMA5° package at its premium tier and Fox ESS batteries at value tier. Get a like-for-like quote for the same capacity from an independent installer to see the difference for your house.
Does 1KOMMA5° install in Perth?
Its published coverage is Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, the ACT and South Australia, not Western Australia.
Sources
- 1KOMMA5°, 24 February 2025, CleanTech startup 1KOMMA5° announces record sales and profitable growth. Read 2026-10-27.
- SolarQuotes, Installer reviews: 1KOMMA5 (formerly Solaray Energy), 4.3 from 742 ratings. Read 2026-10-27.
- ProductReview.com.au, 1KOMMA5 reviews, 4.4 from 451 reviews. Read 2026-10-27.
- Fox ESS Australia, via 1KOMMA5° Support, Limited Product Guarantee from Fox ESS Australia Pty Ltd for the 1KOMMA5° Battery (status 28 May 2025). Read 2026-10-27.
- Fox ESS, 1K5-BAT-4660 datasheet (AU). Read 2026-10-27.
- Clean Energy Regulator, CEC approved solar batteries (list). Read 2026-10-27.
- pv magazine Australia, 6 March 2026, 1KOMMA5° home energy ecosystem optimised with new AI platform. Read 2026-10-27.
- pv magazine Australia, 6 July 2026, 1KOMMA5°'s Heartbeat AI cuts electricity bills for Australian households. Read 2026-10-27.
- 1KOMMA5°, 1K5° battery rebate bonus offer page. Read 2026-10-27.
- Synergy, Supported Solutions List (last updated 23 October 2026). Read 2026-10-27.
- Solar Victoria, Solar battery loans (no longer taking applications; page updated 16 April 2026). Read 2026-10-27.
- Solar Victoria, Solar panel (PV) rebate. Read 2026-10-27.
- Australian Energy Regulator, final decision April 2026, United Energy Connection Policy 2026-31 (Attachment 16, Appendix A). Read 2026-10-27.
- Australian Energy Regulator, final decision April 2026, CitiPower Connection Policy 2026-31 (Attachment 16, Appendix A). Read 2026-10-27.
- Australian Energy Regulator, final decision April 2026, Powercor Connection Policy 2026-31 (Attachment 16, Appendix A). Read 2026-10-27.