Let's get technical.

For the people who read the manual. How we think about the numbers and the design, written plainly.

No. 01Return3 min read

What a roof pays back.

Payback is the number everyone asks for. Here is what actually moves it.

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No. 02Design3 min read

The shape of a good system.

A system is designed before it is priced. This is how we go about it.

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Contents

03LanguageLanguageThe words, explained.Solar has its own vocabulary. Here are the terms worth knowing, in the order you'll meet them.
04BillsBillsThe saving your bill doesn't show.Your bill counts what you bought. It has no line for what you never needed to buy.
05SeasonsSeasonsA year of sun.Melbourne gets about four times as much sun in January as in June. A system has to be designed for the year, not the day.
06HardwarePart 1Hardware · Part 1String, optimiser, micro.Three ways to wire a roof. This is the introduction; each has a piece of its own after it.
07HardwarePart 2Hardware · Part 2The string inverter.The simplest way to wire a roof. On a clear one, the hardest to improve on.
08HardwarePart 3Hardware · Part 3Optimisers.A small unit behind every panel, and one inverter on the wall.
09HardwarePart 4Hardware · Part 4Microinverters.A complete inverter under every panel, and nothing on the wall.
10StorageStorageA battery, honestly.What a home battery does, what it doesn't, and how to tell whether your home wants one.
11MonitoringMonitoringWhat to look at.Your system's app shows a great deal. Five things are worth your attention.
12SizingSizingHow many panels does a home need?The answer starts with your bill, not with your roof.
13BackupBackupWhen the grid goes down.Most solar switches off in a blackout. Here is why, and what changes that.
14Electric carsElectric carsCharging a car from your roof.An electric car is the largest load most homes will ever add. It's also one of the easiest to run on sunshine.
15IncentivesPart 1Incentives · Part 1STCs, explained.The federal incentive for solar: what it is, who gets it, and why it's a little smaller every January.
16IncentivesPart 2Incentives · Part 2The battery incentive.Since July 2025 a home battery earns certificates too. It steps down more often than the one for solar, and it favours modest sizes.
17IncentivesPart 3Incentives · Part 3Solar Victoria's rebate.Victoria's own help with solar panels sits on top of the federal incentive. It has rules about who you are, not just what you install.
18TariffsTariffsThree free hours.Victorian homes can now sign up for three hours of no-cost electricity in the middle of every day. Here is what that changes for solar and batteries, and what it doesn't.