Posts By SolarQuotes Founder Finn Peacock

About Finn Peacock

I'm a Chartered Electrical Engineer, Solar and Energy Efficiency nut, dad, and the founder of SolarQuotes.com.au. I started SolarQuotes in 2009 and the SolarQuotes blog in 2013 with the belief that it’s more important to be truthful and objective than popular. My last "real job" was working for the CSIRO in their renewable energy division. Since 2009, I’ve helped over 800,000 Aussies get quotes for solar from installers I trust. Read my full bio.

See You At Everything Electric Sydney This Weekend

The giant Everything Electric show returns to Sydney Showground this weekend, Friday 18 to Sunday 20 September, six months later than planned. [Read more…]

Australia Has Installed Half a Million Batteries. Who’s Checking They’re Safe?

Peter Hannam quoted me in RenewEconomy on Friday, saying I expect there are hundreds of thousands of solar and battery systems out there that aren’t optimally installed or configured, some of them carrying real potential for dangerous outcomes. [Read more…]

The Question Nobody Asks Before Selling You A Battery

a home energy ecosystem

Last week I was in Officeworks waiting for some printing. Next to me, a woman was buying a laptop, and the Officeworks bloke helping her knew his stuff. Processors, RAM, screen brightness: all of it correct. Then he asked whether she’d considered a Mac, which opened a second long conversation about MacBooks, and by the end of it, she looked more confused than when she started.

He left her to think it over. I couldn’t help myself. [Read more…]

If Your Battery Dies, Your Bills Will Rocket. Here’s Who Should Pay.

a styilised still from 730 report

A fortnight ago, 7.30 aired an investigation into Solar Power Nation, a retailer the ABC reports is under investigation by authorities in Queensland, NSW and South Australia after hundreds of complaints.

One customer, Amin Khorram, paid $13,000 for a battery system. Only one of the two inverters was installed, so he got 5 kW of the promised 10 kW and couldn’t charge or discharge his batteries fast enough to get all the savings he expected. He chased the company for eight months. The missing inverter finally appeared last month, as his QCAT hearing date approached. Funny, that. [Read more…]

Best Hot Water Heat Pump In Australia 2026: Installer’s Choice Awards

Heat pump hot water systems continue to grow in popularity as more Australians look for ways to get off gas.

To find out which heat pump installers trust most in 2026, we asked Australian installers a simple question:

“Which heat pump hot water system would you choose for your own home?”

The result wasn’t even close. [Read more…]

Kilowatts vs Kilowatt-Hours: The Mix-Up That Never Dies

I first wrote about this back in 2012. Fourteen years later, I’m still writing about it. That should tell you something about how sticky this confusion is. [Read more…]

‘The Battery Won’t Power The Aircon After Dark’ (And Why That’s Not Your Fault)

“After installation, we have found out the battery will not power the aircon after dark…”

This is a direct quote from the My Efficient Electric Home (MEEH) Facebook group. Tim Forcey suggested it deserved an article. I agree, because there’s a limitation of three-phase battery systems you need to understand before buying.

[Read more…]

The Best Home EV Chargers In 2026 Are Made By Battery Manufacturers

With full EVs accounting for more than one in five cars sold in July 2026, home EV chargers are selling like hot cakes.

To find out which chargers the experts trust, we asked our network of installers a simple question:

“Which EV charger would you choose for your own home?” [Read more…]

The Best Conflict Of Interest Is The One You Can See

Every year we publish the Installer’s Choice Awards, and every year the same two objections turn up in the comments within about four milliseconds.

[Read more…]

From My Wardrobe To A Million Quotes: What’s Changed (And What Hasn’t)

Solar panels on multiple roofsThis week SolarQuotes ticked over one million quote requests. Somewhere in a database is customer number one1, and somewhere in the queue right now is customer number one million.

[Read more…]

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