For a household using 10 kWh a day, about $373 a quarter at NSW's 30c a unit, the calculator puts 5–6.6kW solar at $5,220 to $7,250 after rebates, and 5–6.6kW solar + 10kWh battery at $6,880 to $14,880.
I am an advisor, not an installer and not a lead broker. You pay nothing at any point.
See what my home should costA retired couple in a townhouse, home some days, using 10 kWh a day.
A ballpark for one example household, not a quote. The low end of each range is what a competitive installer charges; the high end is a poor quote for the same equipment. Prices are from the same calculator the free assessment uses, with NSW rates and rebates, and sun hours are its figure for New South Wales.
Four real households, run through the same calculator this site uses for an individual report. Panels only, no battery, clean roof, someone home some of the time. Prices are after every rebate that applies in New South Wales.
| Household uses | Their quarterly bill | System | After rebates | Saves a year | Pays for itself |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 kWh | $373 | 5–6.6kW solar | $5,470 to $7,500 | $490–$730 | 9–10+ years |
| 15 kWh | $510 | 6.6kW solar | $6,250 to $8,250 | $650–$970 | 8–10 years |
| 22 kWh | $701 | 10–13kW solar | $8,000 to $13,000 | $1,020–$1,530 | 6–10 years |
| 30 kWh | $919 | 10–13kW solar | $8,000 to $13,000 | $1,230–$1,850 | 5–8 years |
The bill column is what that household actually pays in New South Wales at 30c a unit, which is why the same house has a different bill in every state. Savings depend on how much of the generation gets used on site rather than exported, and at 3.4c a unit for exports that is the number that decides the answer. A household out all day saves less than the figures above; one home most days saves more. Every figure is produced by the calculator, not written down, so it moves when the published rates move.
Kiama is a coastal town of retirees, townhouses and holiday homes, with salt air on every street near the water. It is the kind of small coastal community Endeavour Energy describes at the southern end of its network[1]. The good news is that a lot of Kiama households are home in the day; the catch is the salt and the shared roofs.
Your retailer sells you the power. Your distributor owns the poles and wires, and it is the distributor that decides how much solar you may send back to the grid. Kiama is on Endeavour Energy's network, which covers Greater Western Sydney[1][2], so Endeavour's rules are the ones a quote here should be designed to. Look for Endeavour Energy on your bill.
Flexible exports become the default. From November 2026, flexible exports become the default for eligible new and upgraded systems on Endeavour's network: up to 10kW per phase most of the time, turned down only when local grid conditions need it. It is rolling out in stages, from 2 November 2026 around Campbelltown, Camden, Picton and Liverpool, then late November 2026 and February 2027. If you would rather not, a fixed exports plan caps exports at 1.5kW. Flexible exports need an internet connection, net export metering and a CSIP-AUS approved inverter[3].
What that means in practice: an inverter that is not on the approved list, or a house with no reliable internet, gives up the 10kW option. Ask for the inverter model on the quote and check it. Power the house uses, or a battery stores for the evening, is worth the full import price, and exported power earns only a few cents, so size the array to what the house uses, not to the size of the roof.
At the 2021 Census the median Kiama resident was 52 and 32.4% were 65 or older, against 17.7% across New South Wales. Only 55.4% of occupied homes were separate houses; 24.1% were semis, terraces or townhouses and 19.2% apartments. 16.3% of private dwellings were empty on Census night.[4]
Smaller households, shared roofs and holiday homes, by the sea.
Things worth knowing before an installer walks the roof:
All of that describes the area, not your house. Two homes on the same street can be completely different jobs. Put your address in and the assessment works off the actual property rather than a town average.
Salt corrodes what is not made for it: rails, clamps, screws and the inverter's casing as well as the panels. Panels can be tested for salt mist corrosion to IEC 61701, at several severity levels, and some manufacturers limit warranty cover close to the sea. Ask for the coastal terms of the panel, inverter and racking warranties in writing, for your address, and for the inverter to go somewhere sheltered.
With nearly half of Kiama's homes in townhouse or apartment buildings, the first question is often whose roof it is. In a strata building, the owners corporation decides. NSW grants co-fund shared solar on apartment buildings until 4 December 2026[5], and buildings of four or more units can get an upfront discount on a battery[6].
These are examples, not an average for Kiama. They are picked to show how the answer moves for the kinds of household the census shows are common here. Clean roof, no shading, NSW rates and rebates, and the battery prices assume it is installed before the federal battery discount steps down on 1 January 2027.
| Option | System | After rebates | Saves a year | Pays for itself |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Change plan and cut waste first | No system | $0 | $70–$220 | Nothing to pay back |
| Solar panels only | 5–6.6kW solar | $5,220 to $7,250 | $490–$730 | 9–10+ years |
| Solar plus a 10kWh batteryPays back fastest | 5–6.6kW solar + 10kWh battery | $6,880 to $14,880 | $900–$1,180 | 7–10+ years |
Solar plus a 10kWh battery. It pays back fastest of the options open to you, which is the only measure here that accounts for what the thing actually costs.
Before any of it: get onto a competitive retail offer. It costs nothing, it takes an afternoon, and on a bill your size it is worth roughly $70 to $220 a year. Every payback below gets shorter once you are paying less per kWh, so it is worth doing first either way.
| Option | System | After rebates | Saves a year | Pays for itself |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Change plan and cut waste first | No system | $0 | $100–$310 | Nothing to pay back |
| Solar panels only | 6.6kW solar | $5,960 to $7,960 | $650–$970 | 7–10 years |
| Solar plus a 10kWh batteryPays back fastest | 6.6kW solar + 10kWh battery | $7,540 to $15,440 | $1,250–$1,650 | 5–10 years |
Solar plus a 10kWh battery. It pays back fastest of the options open to you, which is the only measure here that accounts for what the thing actually costs.
Before any of it: get onto a competitive retail offer. It costs nothing, it takes an afternoon, and on a bill your size it is worth roughly $100 to $310 a year. Every payback below gets shorter once you are paying less per kWh, so it is worth doing first either way.
"Pays for itself" is the range between a competitive quote and a poor one for the same equipment, and 10+ means not inside ten years. The battery ranges are wide for the same reason. Your own usage, roof and timing will move every figure here, which is what the free assessment works from.
Applied by the installer as a discount on the quote, not something you claim. It scales with system size: on the 5–6.6kW solar in the first example above the calculator counts $1,750. It falls a little each year until the scheme ends in 2030.
There is no upfront state rebate on solar panels in New South Wales. There is the Home Energy Saver loan: interest-free, up to $15,000, repaid over up to ten years, for property owners, including landlords, with a combined taxable household income up to $210,000. Rooftop solar and batteries are both eligible, and the loans are delivered by Brighte and Plenti[7]. A separate discount of up to $4,000, for households earning up to $80,000 a year or holding an eligible concession card, has been announced but was not yet open on 26 October 2026[8]. The calculator leaves the loan out of every price, because it is repaid.
The federal Cheaper Home Batteries Program applies in NSW. On a 10kWh battery the calculator counts $2,520. The rate is set by the date the battery is installed, not when you order it, and it steps down on 1 January 2027 and every six months after that[9]. NSW's own battery discount under the Peak Demand Reduction Scheme is now only available through approved programs or on government sites, and NSW points battery owners to a separate incentive for joining a virtual power plant[10].
IPART's benchmark for a flat feed-in tariff in 2026-27 is 3.4 to 6.5c a unit, down from 4.8 to 7.3c the year before, and retailers do not have to pay it[11]. The calculator assumes 3.4c a unit, the bottom of that range, which is why every example on this page is decided by how much power the house uses itself.
The full breakdown, with dates, is in NSW solar rebates explained.
Already holding a quote? This is how I read one, line by line.
For the first example household on this page, 10 kWh a day, the calculator puts 5–6.6kW solar at $5,220 to $7,250 after NSW rebates, and 5–6.6kW solar + 10kWh battery at $6,880 to $14,880. The range is the gap between a competitive installer and a poor quote for the same equipment. Your own figure depends on your usage and roof, which is what the free assessment works out.
Endeavour Energy. It is on Endeavour Energy's network, so Endeavour sets your export limit, not your retailer. From November 2026, flexible exports of up to 10kW per phase become the default for eligible new and upgraded systems, with a fixed 1.5kW plan for anyone who opts out. Ask your installer whether the inverter on the quote is on the approved list.
Often, but it starts with the owners corporation if the roof is common property. NSW Solar for Apartment Residents grants co-fund shared solar on apartment buildings until 4 December 2026, and buildings of four or more units can get an upfront battery discount.
The installer, and only when a job completes. Never the homeowner. No installer can buy placement, and nothing about you reaches one until you ask me to make the introduction.
About a minute. You get the system size, what it should cost, and what it saves. No one calls you unless you ask.
Start My Free CheckIndependent explainers on the parts of this that actually change the answer.
Prices, savings and paybacks come from this site's calculator, using NSW rates verified 2026-08. Everything else is from the sources below, read on the date shown. Rules and rebates change, so check the source before you rely on one.