Solar panels on the roof of a house

How to connect - Homeowners & small businesses

Follow the steps below to start or alter an electricity network connection for your solar panels, batteries or renewable energy system. As part of the connection process, we’ll check if the local network can support your proposed system to work effectively. We’ll also need to establish a new connection contract with you.

What are battery and solar energy systems?

Please refer to our Solar PV and Battery energy storage web pages for more information on the types of systems, how to choose the best system for you, and other handy hints and checklists.

How to apply for connection

  1. 1 Choose your system and installer

    Once you have chosen your system, you’ll need to find someone to install it. Please ensure the person who installs your system is accredited by the Clean Energy Council.

  2. 2 Submit a Connect Application

    To ensure our electricity network can support the connection of your system, you need to apply for a new connection contract with us. As technical information is required, it’s a good idea to have your system retailer/installer apply for you.

    As a customer, you can submit your Connect Application yourself through our Customer Self Service. If you’re not quite sure about the information you need to provide, we recommend talking to your system retailer/installer who can submit the application on your behalf.

    If you are a system retailer/installer operating on behalf of a customer, you will need to submit the Connect Application through the Electrical Partners Portal.

    Note: During the connection process we will usually contact the person who makes the application.

    Connection Application -  Apply now

    You can check the progress of your Connect Application via Track Service Orders.

    If you still have questions, you can call our Solar and Renewables Team on (07) 4789 5959 (8am to 4pm, Monday to Friday) or email us.

    When we receive your application, we’ll check if your proposed connection qualifies as a basic connection or if a negotiated connection will be required. We will also assess whether the local electricity network can support your new system.

  3. 3 Accept our Connection Offer

    Once the Connect Application has been submitted, we will review it and provide a Basic or Negotiated Connection Offer.

    The offer must be accepted for your system connection to proceed.

    If someone submits the application on your behalf, they will also need to accept our connection offer on your behalf.

    Note: Even though someone may be acting on your behalf, the connection contract that is formed by accepting our connection offer is between you and us, and it is IMPORTANT you understand your connection contract.

    Basic Connection

    If your connection is assessed as basic, it can be fast-tracked when submitting the online Connect Application by ensuring the Expedite Application box is ticked. The connection contract will automatically be created based on the terms of our Model Standing Offer - Micro Embedded Generation (PDF 449.3 kb).

    If your application is assessed as basic, but is not expedited, we’ll make a Basic Connection Offer within 10 business days (or another date agreed with you). You'll have 45 business days to accept it. Your connection contract starts when the offer is accepted.

    Negotiated Connection

    If your connection is unable to be classified as basic, it will be classed as a negotiated connection. We’ll contact the person who applied to discuss the terms of your connection contract. There may be additional costs which will need to be accepted at this time.

    We do a technical assessment for most applications that will receive a Negotiated Connection Offer. If our technical assessment finds that your proposed system may not work effectively with our network, we’ll send an email advising of the options available. Once you choose your preferred option, we’ll arrange for your connection offer to be sent.

    We’ll aim to make a Negotiated Connection Offer within 65 business days of your Connect Application being submitted. You'll have 20 business days to accept it. Your connection contract starts once the offer is accepted.

    See our indicative terms for a Negotiated Connection Contract (PDF 387.9 kb).

    Read more about connection service types, offers and contracts in our FAQs.

  4. 4 Install your system

    The installation or alteration of any system that will be connected to our network must not be commenced until after you have accepted our connection offer and your connection contract has been formed.

    Your system installer must submit an Electrical Work Request (EWR) to us within the timeframes outlined in your connection contract once the system has been installed.

    You must also contact your electricity retailer to advise of your new/modified system and arrange for appropriate metering to be installed if needed. Your electricity retailer may also require changes to your account (e.g. apply a solar feed-in tariff if you are eligible and will be exporting electricity to the grid).

    Note: Metering that measures any electricity exported to the grid is required on all systems. Your electricity retailer may need you to have a new meter installed or your existing meter programmed to measure export. Please discuss this with your retailer and the timeframe for this to occur.

    Important: Your installer must leave your system switched off until the metering has been replaced or programmed to measure export. Before the system is turned on you should talk to your installer about how to do this safely.

  5. 5 We inspect your system

    We may visit your premises to inspect your system to confirm it matches your application and meets safety and electrical standards. We may inspect your system after installation, as part of an audit, or if there's potential for your system to have an impact on our network. We don’t need to check the solar panels.

    It's important that any system changes such as changing settings, swapping your inverter, or adding panels or batteries are approved by us before an installer makes the changes. You'll need to submit a Connect Application (see step 1 above) to apply for the changes.

    Note: If we visit your premises, we’ll need access to your meter box and your inverter.

How long will it take?

To establish your connection contract, we’ll make a connection offer within the following timeframes. This offer is typically made via the portal used to submit the Connect Application.

OfferTimeframe
Basic Connection Offer
(expedited)
  • If you expedited your Connect Application, your connection contract will start when your application is submitted.
Basic Connection Offer
(non-expedited)
  • If you didn't expedite your Connect Application, we'll make a Basic Connection Offer within 10 business days
  • You'll have 45 business days to accept it
  • Your connection contract will start when your offer is accepted.
Negotiated Connection Offer
  • We'll make contact within 10 business days of your Connect Application to advise that we'll be giving you a Negotiated Connection Offer and clarify any information
  • We'll aim to provide this offer within 65 business days
  • You'll have 20 business days to accept it
  • Your connection contract will start when your offer is accepted.

To have your system connected, we need an EWR from your installer. After this, a metering provider will need to receive a service order from your electricity retailer to complete any necessary metering changes.

Your retailer will advise you if changes are required to your metering and the estimated timeframe for these changes.

How much will it cost?

Fees and charges will depend on the type of connection service you have applied for, and whether any work is needed on the electricity network to allow for the connection of your system.

If any network changes are required to enable your connection, an estimate of these charges will be included in your connection offer. See our latest prices on our Connections charges web page.

Other charges may apply under a Negotiated Connection Offer. For example, an application fee, a network extension fee, or a capital contribution.

All our connection charges have been approved by the Australian Energy Regulator.

We are no longer responsible for the installation of, or updates to, metering. This will be arranged by your electricity retailer.

There may be fees to install or enable the required electricity metering at your premises. The amount is charged to you by your electricity retailer so you will need to discuss this with them.

Your installer or licenced electrical contractor will advise you of any work required to prepare your premises for the installation of your system, for example upgrading your switchboard. We recommend you talk to them for more information on the work needed at your premises.