Last week, I got 30 kWh of batteries, 14 kW of solar, an EV charger and a few new power points installed at my commercial property. The job took five days. The owner of the solar business and his apprentice turned up every day and absolutely worked their guts out: in the cold, on ladders, heads down, doing careful, beautiful, and at times dangerous work.
I was in awe of the effort, precision, and professionalism required to do this work well – especially right now, with installers flat out trying to keep up with the surge in demand driven by the July 1 start date of the federal battery rebate.
Which is why I find it so galling to see people on Facebook arguing solar installers shouldn’t make more than 15% profit. Or to read a disgraceful blog post that argues installers shouldn’t profit more from bigger batteries, suggesting if they’re already onsite installing a stackable battery, they should throw in extra battery modules at cost.
Honestly? These comments could only come from people who’ve never run a business with staff and stock and vehicles and insurance and cashflow and a dozen competing priorities to juggle. And many don’t even appear to understand the difference between gross and net profit.
Running a small business in the trades is hard yakka.
Margins aren’t some dirty secret. They’re how you stay in business when demand drops. They’re how you hire good staff, pay them properly, and back your work with proper support when something goes wrong. They’re what pay for the utes, the diesel the test gear, the insurance, the training, the IT, the admin person who makes sure your STCs and rebates are correctly lodged.
And if you’re a solar installer, they’re what pays for years of warranty support. Ten to twenty-five years of being on call to diagnose, replace, and troubleshoot hardware – some of which might not even be supported by the manufacturer by then.
Selling Battery Modules At Cost Is Nonsense
30 kWh of iStore batteries in the process of being installed at my commercial property.
So no – asking a good installer to sell you extra battery modules at cost just because they’re already there is nonsense.
Yes, the installer is there. But:
- That battery module still needs to be physically moved from the warehouse to the site – it might weigh 40 kg.
- It still needs to be mounted, commissioned, and tested.
- The mountains of packaging need disposal.
- It still needs to be warranted under Australian Consumer Law.
- It still needs to be supported for at least 10 years.
- It still needs to be cash-flowed by the business.
And they still have to wear the risk, cashflow it, and stand behind it.
Me standing in front of my professionally-installed 14.25kW array of Aiko solar panels.
Ridiculous Battery Rebate Marketing
No other business gives you extra gear at cost because they were already on the job. Try it with your plumber or your car mechanic and see how far you get.
Look, I get it. People want the best deal. And some of the battery rebate marketing out there is ridiculous – there are even ads promising 46 kWh of battery storage for free with a solar install, which I wouldn’t touch with a barge pole.
But if you’ve found a good solar installer – someone local, someone who showed up, did a tidy job, and looked after you – here’s a radical thought:
Let them make a fair margin, one they decide.
They’ve earned it.
For more on the true cost of quality battery gear and installation, read our detailed guide.
About Finn Peacock
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Totally agree.
If you want the back up service, don’t screw the company into the ground on price.
Profit is not a dirty word.
Finn, I’m reminded of my two owner-builds, where I provided materials, and tradies did the building. Almost universally, the price of labour & expertise was 100% of the cost of the materials. Running a business costs.
But rampantly self-indulgent theories abound in our cities in particular – I’ve heard “Old folk should be forced out of large homes to make room for young families with children.” Acquisitive energy is fine if it leads to a work ethic, I think, but communist greed is deeply repugnant. (It’s always “Me Me Me”)
The wishful thinking and mob rule implicit in “should” may soon manifest in tax policy. Spending beyond income is deeply entrenched, and big corporations are sacrosanct, so coasting oldies beware. My bush-block rates have quadrupled in a few years, and the 2025 Fire Services Levy increase is +150% for farmers – billions extracted from services-deficient rural folk to pay for trains going in circles.
It’s “Bread & Circuses” from here to the reset, I figure.
Yep!