Solar battery installation in Perth
What a battery installation involves
Solar battery installation in Perth starts with Western Power, which must approve the battery's link to the grid before it is switched on. On the day, the battery and inverter go in. Afterwards the meter is updated, and the installer switches the system on and registers it with Synergy.
The battery matcher shows which batteries fit your home before you ask an installer to quote.
On this page7 sections
Who approves a battery installation in Perth?
Western Power approves the connection, because it runs the poles and wires every Perth home on the grid connects through. Some councils also ask for their own approval, which your installer or the council can confirm.
| Who | Their role |
|---|---|
| Western Power | Checks that its network can take the system, for any new battery including one added to existing solar. |
| Synergy | Your electricity retailer, which issues the reference number the Western Power application needs. |
| Your installer | Lodges the application for you once you authorise it. |
Western Power approves most connection applications without sending them to a review.
The rest take longer and do not always end in approval. Western Power most often declines a system too big for the cable or connection that brings power to the home, or an application with a wrong system drawing, the plan the installer submits.
For a home with overhead power lines, Western Power suggests an electrician checks for voltage rise before the application goes in. Voltage rise is the lift in voltage at your connection when the home sends power back to the grid. Our guide to Western Power's rules for home batteries explains the size and export limits behind an approval.
Where can the battery go in my home?
A battery can go in most spots outside the living areas of a home, while the Australian battery safety standard AS/NZS 5139 rules out a few places and sets distances from the rest.
- In most Perth homes, an attached garage: shaded, accessible, and easy to route cabling from
- A ceiling or roof space, or a wall cavity
- Under stairs or a walkway
- Inside a habitable room, which is a room people live in such as a bedroom or living room
Lithium is the usual chemistry in home batteries, so these limits apply to most installs. A battery must also be at least 60 cm from any exit, window, vent or appliance. Mounted below one of those, it needs at least 90 cm of space. A wall with a living space on the other side needs a mounting and backing that cannot burn.
Will the battery keep the power on in a blackout?
Only when it is set up with a backup mode, since a grid-connected system otherwise shuts down in an outage for safety.
Plan early
What happens on installation day?
The power to the home is switched off while the battery and inverter are mounted and wired in, and an installer accredited by Solar Accreditation Australia (SAA) must be on site for the set-up and a check midway through.
Before work starts, check that the battery and inverter on site are the ones named in your quote. The installer carries a digital SAA ID card you can ask to see.
When the federal rebate is claimed through the Cheaper Home Batteries Program, the installer must photograph each stage of the job with the location and time stamped on the photo. A claim with missing photos can fail.
What happens after the battery is installed?
Once the battery is in, the meter work, the switch-on and a final notice to Western Power finish the job.
Meter change
Synergy and Western Power change or reprogram the meter so it records power flowing both ways, and Synergy charges for that work.Switch-on and testing
The installer connects the system, then tests and registers it through Synergy's online installer tool with the accredited installer present. Registration lets Synergy control how much the home sends to the grid over the home's internet. Without a steady internet connection, exports are held to 1.5 kW.Notice of Completion
The installer lodges this notice with Western Power, and it must confirm that any backup mode was tested.
Keep
What should I ask an installer before signing?
Ask who will do the work, who lodges the approval, where the battery goes and what the quote and warranty cover.
Ask every installer
5 questionsFrequently asked questions
Can a battery be added to the solar I already have?
Yes, through a new hybrid inverter that runs the panels and the battery together or through a battery inverter beside the old one. The guide to adding a battery to existing solar covers both setups.
What if my house has an old meter panel?
Asbestos meter panels were mostly installed before 1990, so the panel in an older home may contain it. Western Power expects a panel containing asbestos to be replaced before it does its part of the job, so a new panel may be part of the work.
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Sources
- Western Power, Connecting your solar to the power grid
- Western Power, Connect my solar, battery or EV: inverter system up to 30kVA
- Western Power, How solar connects to the grid
- Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, Cheaper Home Batteries
- Western Power, Service request terms and conditions
- Synergy, Getting connected to the grid
- Synergy, DEBS, REBS and DES solar application
- Energy Policy WA, New requirements for solar and batteries: information for installers and retailers
- Building and Energy, Updated electrical installation standards: battery systems and cable selection
- Building and Energy, Battery energy storage systems (BESS)
- Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, Your Home: Batteries
- Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, Installation day and after
- Clean Energy Regulator, Solar battery installers and designers
- Consumer Protection WA, WA Residential Battery Scheme
- Consumer Protection WA, Solar panel systems factsheet
- Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, Consumer rights and guarantees
- Asbestos Safety and Eradication Agency, Asbestos products database: electrical fuse and meter board backing