The cheapest solar in Victoria, and what cheap actually buys
The lowest honest price for a working solar system in Victoria is around $4,070 after rebates, for a 5–6.6kW solar install on a straightforward roof. Below that you are usually buying a problem rather than a bargain.
What is different about Victoria
At 30c a unit Victoria sits 4th of 8 on retail price, and one of the lowest feed-in tariffs at 1c, so exporting is close to giving power away and self-consumption carries the entire case. It averages 4.6 peak sun hours a day.
What the bottom of the market looks like
| Household uses | Their bill a quarter | System | After rebates | Saves a year | Pays for itself |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 kWh | $373 | 5–6.6kW solar | $4,070 to $6,100 | $350–$530 | 9–10+ years |
| 15 kWh | $510 | 6.6kW solar | $4,850 to $6,850 | $500–$750 | 8–10 years |
| 22 kWh | $701 | 10–13kW solar | $6,600 to $11,600 | $760–$1,140 | 7–10+ years |
| 30 kWh | $919 | 10–13kW solar | $6,600 to $11,600 | $990–$1,480 | 6–9 years |
Panels only, value-tier equipment, after rebates in Victoria. The low column is the cheapest a vetted installer should be doing this for.
Cheap that is fine, and cheap that is not
A low price is not automatically a bad system. The spread between quotes for identical equipment is mostly overheads and how full the installer's diary is that month, so the bottom of the range is often just a busy installer with low costs rather than anything wrong.
What should worry you is a price below the range entirely. The things usually cut to get there are the ones you cannot see from the driveway: undersized cable, a skipped switchboard upgrade, the cheapest available inverter, no attendance when something fails, and a warranty administered by a company that may not be trading in five years.
The questions that separate the two
Ask for the panel and inverter make and model, and check both against the Clean Energy Council approved list. Ask who does the warranty work and how long they have been trading here. Ask what is excluded: switchboard upgrade, meter change, scaffolding, tile replacement, extra travel. Get a price for each in writing in case it is needed, because those are the variations that appear after you have signed.
Cheapest is not the same as best value
On these figures the 10 kWh household pays $4,070 to $6,100 and saves $350–$530 a year, taking 9–10+ years. The 30 kWh household pays $6,600 to $11,600 and saves $990–$1,480, taking 6–9 years. The dearer system is the better buy, because it is matched to a house that can use what it makes.
$2,000 difference.
That is the gap between two quotes for the same 6.6kW system in Victoria, in the same week. Not build quality, not a better job. Overheads, how full the diary is that month, and what the person at your kitchen table thinks you will agree to. On solar with a battery the same gap is $7,900.
Closing that gap is what I do. I already know what installers in your area are quoting this month for this equipment, so I get you the bottom of that range for the same system other companies charge thousands more for. It costs you nothing. The installer pays me, and only if you go ahead, which is why there is no reason for me to push you at a bigger system than you need or at a dearer installer.
Get your own numbers, then get them priced properly
The table above is four example households. Two minutes of questions gets you your system size, what it should cost after rebates in Victoria, and a ten-year projection built on your roof and your usage. Then I find the bottom of that price range for you.
Run my numbers, freeNo installer buys placement or ranking here, and nothing reaches an installer unless you ask.
Common questions
What is the cheapest solar system in Victoria?
Around $4,070 after rebates for a 5–6.6kW solar install on a straightforward roof. Below that, something is usually being left out.
Is the cheapest solar quote a bad idea?
Not necessarily. Most of the spread between quotes is overheads rather than quality. A price below the range entirely is the one to question.
How much should I pay for solar in Victoria?
A mid-sized household should be paying $4,850 to $6,850 after rebates for 6.6kW solar.