Buying a heat pump hot water system means wading through impressive-looking efficiency claims that aren’t always easy to compare.
Proposed federal government rules aim to change that by introducing a minimum efficiency standard for heat pump water heaters sold in Australia.
But a minimum efficiency standard doesn’t necessarily guarantee a good heat pump. So what will these rules actually achieve? [Read more…]
Queensland’s top-rated solar installer has held onto the crown for another year, while two new names have moved into the runner-up positions.
It’s part of SolarQuotes’ annual state installer awards, based on customer ratings and reviews submitted over the past year.
Here are Queensland’s top three for 2026. [Read more…]
Victoria’s Midday Power Saver offers three hours of free electricity from 1 October. The federal Solar Sharer initiative, already operating nationwide, has reportedly attracted only around 10,000 customers.
With Victoria’s tariffs now finalised, there’s an opportunity to see what the state is offering and whether its approach might prove more attractive to households.
[Read more…]
Last year’s national champion is back in the running as we reveal the three solar installers NSW customers rated highest in 2026.
The winners were determined using a weighted calculation of customer reviews published on the SolarQuotes website. This gives smaller companies with fewer reviews a fair chance against their bigger rivals. [Read more…]
Plug-in solar has moved a step closer in Australia, with federal, state and territory energy ministers agreeing to explore pathways for its safe deployment. The UK now allows approved systems, while New Zealand is also moving towards legalisation.
But there’s an electrical safety problem SolarQuotes raised when we looked at balcony solar in 2024. Two years later, we finally have a much better answer. [Read more…]
We’re launching our 2026 state installer awards in South Australia, where there’s a new number one in SolarQuotes’ annual rankings, knocking last year’s winner off the top spot.
Here are the three installers SA customers rated highest in 2026. [Read more…]
Electric cars have notched up their biggest Australian milestone yet. In August, they outsold petrol cars for the first time, taking almost a quarter of all new vehicle sales. For households, that also means more transport energy is shifting from the petrol bowser to the electricity meter.
[Read more…]
Carefully trickle-charging your EV with surplus solar instead of buying electricity from the grid sounds like the perfect way to charge. But there’s an uncomfortable truth: slow charging can waste considerably more energy than charging at higher power with a home charger.
Spoiler alert: that doesn’t mean you should stop charging from solar. Cheap electricity still trumps charging efficiency when it comes to your wallet. [Read more…]
Australia’s data centre boom is going to need an extraordinary amount of electricity. Without the right rules, households and small businesses could end up sharing the bill. [Read more…]
Most of us want to believe the best in people.
If your solar installer says they’re waiting on stock, you’ll probably accept it. If they ask for a few more weeks, you’ll give them a few more weeks.
But when does patience stop being reasonable?
That’s the question NSW homeowner Mark Barnes eventually found himself asking after seven months of delays, a missed installation date and, after cancelling his battery order, still waiting for the return of his $6,500 deposit. [Read more…]
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