Solar and battery prices across the Northern Rivers are falling fast. Some installers are cutting their quotes to win work before the rebate changes on 1 January. A lower price is easy to like, but the real question is what has been left out to reach it.
We recently reviewed a battery system that had been installed less than a year earlier for a local household. They had chosen another installer because the quote was cheaper. The system had a 10 kW inverter, a 20 kWh battery and an 8.8 kW solar array across 3 roof faces. On paper, it looked like good value.
The reality was very different. Instead of falling, their electricity bills went up. For months they tried to get answers from their installer, but their calls went unanswered. When they finally got through, they were told it was ‘a them problem’. Their retailer insisted it was an installer issue. With nowhere else to turn, they asked Rainbow Power Company to get to the bottom of it.
The monitoring data told the story:
- One of the 3 solar inputs was producing nothing.
- 3 arrays had been wired onto 2 strings. Combining panels that face different directions on the same string does not meet the Australian Standard.
- The battery had been installed without the clearances the manufacturer specifies, again, failing to meet the Australian Standard.
- The inverter was set to export more than 3 times the limit allowed, today that issue results in fines for the installer, from 1 Feb 2027 it will result in the system being heavily throttled by the network provider in NSW costing you real dollars.
- The household’s retailer was not recording any of the energy the system exported, so not only were they not being credited for it, the retailer saw it as usage and were being billed for it.
None of these faults is visible from the kitchen. Each one costs the owner money every day, and fixing them costs more than doing the job properly the first time. Rainbow Power Company has been installing systems for almost 40 years, and we know what it takes to do the job right. Time and again, we find that cheap systems have been installed poorly, with corners cut and compliance issues left behind. Every one of those shortcuts ends up hurting the customer and costing them money.
Why being on site matters
The Clean Energy Regulator recently fined a Victorian installer $10,000 for falsely declaring he had attended installations while he was interstate. His accreditation was also suspended.
Accredited installers must be on site for job set-up, a mid-installation check, and testing and commissioning. These steps make sure the work is supervised and meets the standards.
When margins are cut to the bone, supervision and after-sales support are often the first things to go. A signature on a form costs nothing. A qualified person on your roof, and a team that answers the phone, cost time and money. They are worth paying for.
Trust and support are the better offer
Rainbow Power Company has worked from Nimbin for more than 35 years. We don’t compete on being the cheapest. We compete by designing systems that suit your site, installing them to standard and being here when you need us afterwards.
Our installers attend the jobs they sign off. Our technical support team answers the phone. When something isn’t right, we tell you plainly and help you fix it, even if we didn’t install the system. A system that runs well for decades costs less than one that underperforms from day one.
Got a quote you’re unsure about, or a system that isn’t performing? Talk to our team or call us at 02 6689 1430.
This article is general information only and is current at the time of writing. Rebate, export limit and compliance rules change over time and vary by network area. Rainbow Power Company, 1 Alternative Way, Nimbin NSW 2480.
