Rooftop Solar Adds Big Bucks To Australian Home Values

A new report finds Australian homes with solar power and other energy efficiency upgrades aren’t just saving their owners big on bills, but also providing a significant price premium when they sell their houses.

How Much Value Do Solar Panels Add To Australian Homes?

Short answer: between around $14,000 and $31,000, or between +1.6% and +6.9% depending on where in Australia the home is located.

Longer answer: New insights from Cotality (formerly CoreLogic) looked at how rooftop solar power system uptake and energy efficiency upgrades have been shaping property values and house buyer behaviour in Australia.

Calculating the lift in value solar provides was based on the presence of solar panels versus none, with all other attributes held constant (and home batteries were not factored in). Values were based on 12 months sales data to 15 April 2025.

Capital City Solar Value Add:

• ACT: $23,285 (+2.1%)
• Adelaide: $14,093 (+1.7%)
• Brisbane: $30,219 (+3.3%)
• Darwin: $20,332 (+2.8%)
• Hobart: $30,459 (+5.4%)
• Melbourne: $24,360 (+2.8%)
• Perth: $14,939 (+2.1%)
• Sydney: $19,179 (+1.6%)

In a graph:

Regional Area Solar Value Add:

• Regional SA: $22,272 (+4.7%)
• Regional QLD: $28,102 (+3.6%)
• Regional NT: $31,350 (+6.9%)
• Regional TAS: $18,232 (+3.1%)
• Regional VIC: $18,892 (+3.1%)
• Regional WA: $22,594 (+4%)
• Regional NSW: $23,568 (+3.2%)

In a graph:

Nationally, the value boost averaged $23,107; +2.7%.

If you’ve read other reports taking a stab at how much solar boosts an Australian home’s value, some of the figures provided are incredibly high — much higher than Cotality estimates. Often that’s because those reports are very old, and/or based on figures from the USA where solar is much more expensive.

However, the comparatively low cost of installing home solar in Australia still makes for a very good investment based on Cotality’s findings; especially considering the homeowner saves money through use of system before the property is sold.

“A solar power system is one of the few home energy-efficient upgrades that is both easily recognised by buyers and reliably measurable in valuation models,” says the firm.

But while an existing system may be attractive to house buyers, there are issues they need to be aware of. Pick up some tips on buying a home with solar panels already installed.

How Much Value Do Energy Efficiency Upgrades Add?

Cotality also looked at how much an estimated additional Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme (NatHERS) star increased a home’s value.

NatHERS measures the energy efficiency of a residential dwelling — rating the building’s thermal performance (heating and cooling requirements) — using a star rating system out of 10. A house with a higher star rating should be more comfortable, have lower energy bills, and installing heating and cooling system costs should also be lower.

The minimum NatHERS rating for new homes these days is 7-stars. Homes built before 2003 have an average rating of just 1.5 stars. According to Cotality, more than 70% of Australia’s housing stock (not including apartments) sits below four stars.

With an additional NatHERS star:

Capital Cities (median uplift)

• ACT: $12,271 (+1.4%)
• Adelaide: $9,011 (+0.9%)
• Brisbane: $3,749 (+0.4%)
• Darwin: $32,946 (+4.5%)
• Hobart: $10,294 (+1.4%)
• Melbourne: $8,217 (+1.1%)
• Perth: $15,584 (+1.8%)
• Sydney: $21,350 (+1.4%)

Regional Areas (median uplift):

• Regional SA: $12,560 (+2.7%)
• Regional QLD: $7,091 (+0.9%)
• Regional NT: $5,973 (+1.6%)
• Regional TAS: $11,078 (+2.2%)
• Regional VIC: $4,938 (+0.8%)
• Regional WA: $14,598 (+2.3%)
• Regional NSW: $7,909 (+1.2%)

And in a graph:

The national median works out to $10,560; +1.3%.

“Our findings highlight that homes with energy and efficiency upgrades are delivering not only long-term energy bill savings and comfort, but also measurable price premiums at a time when cost-of-living concerns are top of mind for Australians,” said Tom Coad, Senior Director, Banking and Finance at Cotality Australia.

For further figures, commentary and details on methodology, the full Cotality “Watts It Worth” report can be accessed here.