How to Spot Dodgy Solar Sales Tactics (And Avoid Them)

Solar can be a genuinely good investment. But the way it's often sold — door-knocks, shopping-centre stands, "today only" phone offers — is engineered to stop you thinking clearly. The technology is fine; the sales machine around it is where households lose money. Here's how the common tricks work and how to defend against them.

Pressure quotes: the artificial deadline

The single most reliable warning sign is urgency. "This price is only good today." "We've got one government-subsidised installation slot left in your suburb." "The rebate is being cut, so you need to sign now."

None of that is how a solar purchase should work. A well-designed system for your roof, your bills and your usage pattern will still be a good idea next week. Urgency exists to prevent you comparing quotes or sleeping on it — which is exactly what you should do.

Never sign at the door or on the first visit. Ask for the full quote in writing to review.
Get at least three quotes from separate, unrelated installers.
Check the panel and inverter brands and warranty terms yourself, not just the headline price.

Fake or exaggerated "rebates"

You'll hear a lot about "government rebates" and "free solar". Here's what's actually real nationally. Rooftop solar earns Small-scale Technology Certificates (STCs) under the federal Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme, administered by the Clean Energy Regulator. These are legitimate — but they're already built into the "after STC" price a reputable installer quotes. They are not a separate cash cheque coming to you later.

For batteries, the federal Cheaper Home Batteries program gives an STC-based discount of roughly 30% of battery cost. Since 1 May 2026 it's tiered: 100% of the STC factor on the first 14 kWh, 60% on 14–28 kWh, and 15% on 28–50 kWh. Crucially, the STC factor steps down every January and July — so a salesperson quoting a battery "rebate" figure may be quoting an out-of-date amount.

Two things a dodgy rebate claim gets wrong: (1) treating the STC discount as a bonus on top of the discounted price, effectively double-counting it; and (2) quoting state incentives that don't exist in your state. State battery rebates, feed-in tariffs and certificate schemes vary enormously — and some have closed. The NT Home & Business Battery Scheme, for example, is closed, its funding exhausted. If a figure sounds specific and generous, ask exactly which scheme it is and confirm it independently.

Oversized systems: selling you more than you can use

Bigger systems mean bigger commissions, so there's a built-in incentive to upsize. That would be fine if you were paid well for every exported kilowatt — but you're not. Feed-in tariffs are retailer-set in most states and have trended down for years, typically landing somewhere in the range of 3–10 c/kWh. VIC, regional QLD and TAS set a regulated minimum; confirm the current rate for your state.

The maths matters. If a panel's output is worth ~30 c/kWh when it offsets power you'd otherwise buy, but only a few cents when exported, then panels you can't self-consume earn very little. Batteries are the same trap: a system sized far beyond your evening usage puts you into the lower reimbursement tiers of the federal program and stretches out the payback.

A genuinely useful sizing exercise starts from your data — your bill, your time-of-use pattern, whether you're home during the day. Time-of-use tariffs (peak often ~2–8pm) and daytime "free power" windows like the federal Solar Sharer offer (live from 1 July 2026, an 11am–2pm window on eligible plans with a smart meter) change what the right system looks like. A salesperson who never asks how you use electricity is not sizing a system — they're selling a package.

Other tells worth knowing

The finance switcheroo. A "$0 upfront" deal often bundles high-interest finance that dwarfs any saving. Ask for the cash price and the total repayable side by side.
Vague payback claims. "Pays for itself in a few years" with no reference to your bill is marketing, not analysis. Typical battery payback nationally sits around 8 years, and varies hugely with usage.
No CEC-accredited installer named. The person quoting should be able to name the accredited installer and the exact equipment.
Refusal to leave a written quote so you can compare. That alone should end the conversation.

Why independent advice pays for itself

Here's our honest position: sometimes solar, or a battery, simply won't pay for you — because of a shaded roof, low daytime use, a poor feed-in tariff, or a system being pushed on you that's twice the size you need. A commissioned salesperson is the last person who'll tell you that.

We sell and install nothing. For a fixed fee — $250 for a home, $1,000 for a commercial site — we model your actual usage, name the real schemes that apply in your state, and tell you what (if anything) is worth buying and at what size. If we save you from a $9,000 oversized system, or confirm a good quote is genuinely good, the fee has more than paid for itself. And because we're not chasing a sale, there's no "today only".

The person quoting your solar makes money when you buy. We make the same fixed fee whether the answer is yes, no, or "wait". That difference is the whole point of independent advice.

Want to know what actually pays for your place?

Get an independent, engineered read on your whole bill — solar, battery, tariff and the rebates you're really entitled to — for a small fixed fee. No system to sell, no sales call.

Start your audit — $100

Figures in this guide are current at the date of publication and indicative only — rebate and certificate values change over time (federal battery certificates step down each January and July), and state schemes are amended often. Confirm the current numbers for your situation before you commit. This is general information, not personal financial advice.