Balcony solar plugs for WA apartments: what it could cost
WA plans plug-in balcony solar for apartments and renters. Here's what that could mean against the cost of a standard rooftop solar system.
Western Australia is moving towards allowing small plug-in solar panels and batteries for apartment dwellers and renters. It's only a proposal so far, with no product, price or start date. Here is what has been said and how it compares with rooftop solar.
What was announced
According to Perth is OK!, the State Government has proposed letting small solar panels and batteries connect to ordinary household power outlets. It is now working towards the safety standards needed, and consultation will help shape them, including measures to stop circuits being overloaded.
The report says the devices are already common in parts of Europe. It puts potential savings at about $240 a year on electricity bills, or around $500 with a battery. Energy and Decarbonisation Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson said the change would offer fairer access to solar for people who don't own their roof.
The same report says more than 40 per cent of homes on WA's main grid have rooftop solar, and more than 35,000 households have installed batteries through the State rebate scheme.
What it means for your costs
We can't price a product that doesn't exist yet, and we won't guess. What we can do is show the benchmark a plug-in system would be competing with: a standard rooftop installation.
For a typical 6 kWp system, we estimate $8,950 (usual range $6,950 – $11,600), including GST and after the federal small-scale technology certificate (STC) discount. See our [solar panel cost guide](Solar panels) for the full breakdown.
Adding storage lifts the price. Our mid-range figure with a 5 kWh battery is $8,950, and with a 10 kWh battery it is $10,400. The comparison table below shows every option:
| Material | Typical | Usual range | Lifespan |
|---|---|---|---|
| No battery | $7,500 | $5,850 – $9,750 | – |
| 5 kWh battery | $8,950 | $6,950 – $11,600 | – |
| 10 kWh battery | $10,400 | $8,100 – $13,500 | – |
| 13.5 kWh battery | $11,400 | $8,900 – $14,800 | – |
If the source's savings estimates hold, a much smaller plug-in kit would take longer or shorter to pay back depending on its price, which isn't known. Judge it on payback, not on the headline saving.
Who benefits most
- Apartment owners and renters who can't fit rooftop panels, and who are the target of the proposal.
- Households with a small daily load, where a modest system could cover a meaningful share of use.
- Owners of houses with good roofs will still likely get better value per watt from a full rooftop system, because installation costs are spread over more capacity.
What to watch before you buy
- Standards first. Safety rules are still being developed. Don't import or plug in unapproved kit in the meantime.
- Licensing. Under current rules, electrical work must be done by licensed tradespeople. Whether plug-in devices will be exempt is not yet settled, so check once the standards are published.
- Existing incentives. The federal Cheaper Home Batteries Program gives a certificate-based discount on home batteries that steps down every six months until 2030. WA's residential battery scheme offers up to $1,300 (Synergy) or $3,800 (Horizon Power) with virtual power plant participation. Whether any of this will apply to plug-in devices hasn't been announced.
- Landlord and strata approval. Renters and apartment owners will probably still need permission, though the rules haven't been set.
How we'll treat it
Once standards are final and products reach the market, we'll price them using the same method as the rest of our cost model: labour hours × local rates plus materials, checked against market prices and real quotes. Until then, if you are weighing up a rooftop system, use our quote checker ("is my quote fair") to test any installer's price against the figures above.
If you own a house and are comparing options now, our [solar panel cost guide](Solar panels) is the best place to start.