Fox ESS is going under cover, with the hugely popular home energy brand offering free cable covers to customers amid concerns about installs with inadequate mechanical protection.
What Is Included In Fox ESS’s Cover Offer?
Fox ESS is offering covers for both its battery and inverter cables.
A Fox ESS representative alerted SolarQuotes to the offer on Tuesday, in the wake of our coverage around inadequate mechanical protection observed with installations of the company’s products (along with other brands).
The Fox ESS representative advised that:
- Cable covers are provided free of charge to end‑users whose systems are missing them.
- Battery cable covers use a simple clip‑on design and can be installed easily.
- Inverter cable covers require installer support;
- Only one battery cable cover and/or one inverter cable cover will be supplied per serial number.
Why Battery Cables Need Cover
SolarQuotes founder Finn Peacock in April put the issue on the agenda in April, noting:
“If you’ve got a high-voltage stackable battery system and the DC cables between the battery and inverter don’t have mechanical protection, you’re not compliant with Australian standards and your systems could be classed as unsafe – and shut down.”
SolarQuotes’ in-house installer Anthony Bennett expressed concern that regulators seemed to be overlooking mechanical protection issues across multiple brands, and that some installers had improvised workarounds by plumbing conduit directly into inverters, creating a new problem of water ingress.
In late May, Anthony detailed how Fox ESS began shipping cable covers for the EQ Series via distributors in the second half of 2025 as separate packaged items, and included cable covers by default inside the battery packaging for the CQ Series.
All inverter models began shipping with mechanical covers to distributors in late 2025, in separate packages to the inverter itself.
An example of a Fox ESS install without the cover. Refer to the top image for an example of how your install should look instead.
How To Apply For A Free Fox ESS Cover
If you are an installer or owner of a Fox ESS system that lacks a cover, apply for yours via this form.
Shipment requests for covers will be processed on a fortnightly basis, and a tracking number will be sent to applicants once dispatched.
The form emphasises that while battery cable covers are a simple clip-on design, the inverter cable covers will require installer support required as they require wall drilling to install anchor points.
A New Factory To Meet Demand
Fox ESS has opened a new factory in Wenzhou.
The offer comes as Fox ESS officially opens its 46,000 m² Phase II factory in Wenzhou. In a press release announcing the development, the company stated:
“By optimising logistics and streamlining the production flow, the time from raw materials receiving to line commissioning has been reduced from 30 minutes to within 5 minutes, significantly improving throughput. With highly automated production lines, the facility delivers an output of one battery pack every 7 seconds, with an overall automation level of over 60%.”
That factory will help meet surging demand for Fox ESS systems, with the company claiming the place of highest installed storage capacity in Australia back in February.
In his recent look at Fox ESS, Anthony praised the company’s responsiveness to issues like limited charging rates in cold weather, but cautioned that the brand’s cheap price point was attracting disreputable installers.
For more on Fox ESS and to share your own experience with the brand, check out our review pages for the company’s battery storage, inverter and home EV charging solutions.
About Max Opray
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Positive response to constructive feedback.
Good to see this when it happens.
Cheers
Now all we need is a suitable commercial insulation solution for the cold weather
I have no issues with foxess response to anything. Firmware updates used to be hard needing installer support. Now its diy via the app..Regular firmware updates are real.
The app used to run to min 6 min cycles. Now it refreshes fast.
Amber integration used to be hidden. Now its very clear and even warns you not to touch settings.
My instal was audited soon after commissioning. No issues. The auditor even said he generally sees good compliance from the company we used (aussie solar batteries). He named a well known hardware supplier and well known retailer who promotes the product he would ‘avoid’.
Hi Paul,
Aussie Solar Batteries tried to join the SolarQuotes network. The images they submitted of their best(?) work were non-compliant garbage, so I’d hate to see what the average outcome looks like.
They also ran some spurious reasoning on their website about using a manual changeover switch for battery backup being “more compliant” than automatic cutover. That flies in the face of reality, but it would mean their phone doesn’t ring so much with complaints about overloaded backup circuits on cheap inverters.
Might want to talk to Voltex as well.
Doesn’t look like I can attach photos here, but similar issue that you raised with Fox ESS.
I ordered an inverter cover via the FoxESS app (select ‘Me’ ‘Contact us’ ‘Support’ ) The cover was delivered within a week without any costs. There were instructions to install. I self installed the cover as it clipped onto the inverter(KH10) and had two screws to support it.
I didnt need a battery cover as it was supplied on installation. Am pretty happy with the support received.
Its all a storm in a tea cup isn’t it? The covers would be lucky to stop a sparrow at half speed – and that is the same for most “physical protection” systems on solar installs of all brands.
Compliance is just a matter of providing acceptable lip service to the requirements of the standard.
Similar story with the physical protection for batteries in garages, most of the bollards installed would be flat out stopping a run away pram let alone a 2 tonne car…
Our installer, Al Joubert, put those covers in place when he installed things in March 26. Which again confirms why we are so pleased to have him do two jobs already for us.