Drive past any Shire shopping centre and you'll see the signs: '6.6kW solar — $4,900 installed.' Tempting. Also, not what it looks like.
What's in the price
A $4,900 install almost always means tier-3 panels (brands that won't exist in five years), a budget string inverter, and the minimum install time the team can get away with. The panels make power on day one. The install decisions quietly undercut everything else.
What's not in the price
Proper roof penetration sealing. DC isolators rated for the Australian sun. Cable management that doesn't chafe against the rail in a southerly. Commissioning time with the homeowner so they actually understand the system. None of that fits in a $4,900 budget.
The three-year problem
Cheap installs usually hit their first failure around year three. An inverter fault, a panel with yellowed backsheet, a roof leak from a poorly sealed mount. The installer's either gone or hasn't answered the phone since 2023. The warranty is technically still valid; the company backing it isn't.
The manufacturer warranty is only as good as the installer who's meant to claim it for you.
What a $7-9k install actually gets you
Tier-1 panels (Longi, Jinko, REC), a real inverter (Fronius, SolarEdge, Sungrow), neat DC-side work, proper commissioning, and an installer who still picks up the phone in 2031. Two thousand dollars extra, spread across 25 years, is $80 a year. The cheap install costs more than that the first time something goes wrong.
How to tell the difference before you sign
Ask for the panel brand AND model number. Ask for the inverter model. Ask who commissions the system and who comes back if something fails. If any of those answers are vague, the install will be too.
