Batteries guide
Adding a battery to existing solar
Most homes with solar can add a battery. What it involves depends on your inverter, your connection and, in Queensland, whether you still earn the 44c feed-in tariff.
Two ways to add a battery
Keep your inverter (AC-coupled)
The battery comes with its own inverter and connects alongside your existing solar. Your panels and inverter stay as they are.
Replace your inverter (hybrid)
A hybrid inverter runs the panels and the battery together. It can make sense if your inverter is old, failing or too small, but it changes your system, which can affect approvals and tariffs.
The two setups, side by side
DC coupling · one hybrid inverter
Solar panels and batteryBoth connect to the hybrid
Hybrid inverterRuns both
SwitchboardPowers your home
Good for a new solar and battery system. One inverter keeps it tidy, and it's slightly more efficient because energy is converted fewer times.
AC coupling · two inverters
Solar panelsExisting system
Solar inverterKept as it is
SwitchboardPowers your home
BatteryAdded later
Battery inverterThe battery's own
SwitchboardSame switchboard
Good for adding a battery to solar you already have. Your solar inverter keeps working as it is, and the battery gets its own inverter alongside it, so nothing that works needs replacing.
- Solar energy
- Battery energy
The federal discount applies to existing solar too
- The Cheaper Home Batteries Program covers batteries installed with new or existing solar. A battery without solar isn't eligible.
- The battery must be able to join a virtual power plant (you don't have to join one), be on the Clean Energy Council's approved list and be installed by an accredited installer.
- Your installer normally takes the discount off the quoted price. The battery size guide shows how the amount changes with capacity.
Approval and connection limits
Adding a battery needs your network's approval before it's installed, like a new system. In South East Queensland that's Energex: on a standard single-phase connection the total inverter capacity, solar and battery together, is limited to 10 kVA, while a dynamic connection can allow up to 20 kVA. Ask whether the upgraded system will need Queensland's emergency backstop device, which applies to new and replacement systems of 10 kVA or more.
Still on Queensland's 44c Solar Bonus Scheme?
The 44c feed-in tariff ends on 1 July 2028. You can keep it after adding a battery only if the battery doesn't run while your 44c system is generating (for example, only at night or in a blackout), or the battery has its own separate connection.
Replacing your inverter with a larger one ends eligibility, and so does adding panels beyond the inverter's capacity. If you're on the scheme, ask installers to explain how their design protects the tariff, or whether it's worth giving up before 2028.
Ask each installer
- Will my current inverter work with this battery, or does it need replacing, and why?
- Is my solar big enough to fill the battery on most days?
- Does my switchboard need work, and is it included?
- Who applies for network approval, and how long does it usually take?
- Will the battery provide backup in a blackout, and for which circuits?
- If I'm on the 44c tariff, will I keep it with this design?
Where it can go
The battery installation standard, AS/NZS 5139, limits where a battery can be installed. It can't go in a habitable room, a ceiling space or wall cavity, under a staircase, on an escape route, or within 600 mm of a doorway, a window into a habitable room, or an appliance.
- Ask installers where they'd put it, and whether that spot meets the manufacturer's installation manual, including any limits on direct sun and heat.
Sources
Facts on this page were checked on 15 October 2026. Rules and programs change, so confirm details with your installer.
- Clean Energy Regulator — Solar batteries and the Cheaper Home Batteries Program
- Queensland Government — Solar Bonus Scheme 44c feed-in tariff
- Energex — Model standing offer: basic micro embedded generating units (0–30 kVA)
- Energex — Dynamic connections: homeowners and small business
- Queensland Treasury — Emergency backstop mechanism
- GSES — Habitable rooms and restricted locations for battery installation (AS/NZS 5139)
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a new inverter to add a battery?
Not always. An AC-coupled battery has its own inverter and works alongside the one you have. A hybrid inverter replaces yours; it can suit an older or undersized system.
Does a battery added to old solar still get the federal discount?
Yes, if the battery and installation meet the program's rules. The solar can be new or existing, but it must be there.
Will adding a battery affect my 44c feed-in tariff?
It can. In Queensland you keep the 44c tariff only if the battery doesn't run while your 44c system is generating, or it has its own separate connection.
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