A quality 6.6kW solar system on the Northern Beaches typically lands between $5,500 and $9,000 fully installed, after the federal rebate. A 10kW system usually runs $9,000 to $14,000. Those are the numbers most Dee Why and Mona Vale homeowners actually want before they read anything else.

What you actually pay in 2024-25

Here's how the common sizes break down for a standard single-storey home with a straightforward roof, after the STC rebate is applied at the point of sale:

6.6kW: $5,500–$9,000. 10kW: $9,000–$14,000. 13.2kW: $12,000–$18,000. The spread comes down to panel and inverter brand, roof complexity, and whether your switchboard needs work.

The cheaper end of each range is usually budget panels and a single-phase string inverter on an easy tile or Colorbond roof. The top end is premium gear (think Tier 1 panels with microinverters or optimisers), a two-storey home, or a tricky roof with multiple orientations and shading from those big angophoras you get up around Frenchs Forest.

Why the price range is so wide

Two quotes for the "same" 6.6kW system can be $3,000 apart, and it's rarely just margin. Roof type matters: tile installs take longer and need proper roof anchors, while Colorbond is faster. Two-storey homes need more scaffold and edge protection, which adds real cost.

The big hidden variable is your switchboard. A lot of older homes on the Beaches still have ceramic fuses or no main switch room for a new solar breaker. If we need to upgrade the board to make the install compliant, that's typically $800–$2,000 on top. A quote that ignores this is a quote that's about to grow.

A common mistake we see from cut-price installers: cramming panels onto a south-facing roof face just to hit a kilowatt number on paper. South-facing panels in Sydney produce noticeably less, so you pay for capacity you'll never properly use. We'd rather fit fewer panels in the right spot.

The rebates and what they're worth

The federal STC rebate is already baked into the prices above — it's not something you claim later. For a 6.6kW system it's worth roughly $2,500–$3,000 off the sticker price, and it steps down slightly each year until the scheme ends in 2030. Bigger system, bigger rebate.

There's also the NSW battery incentive, which knocks a chunk off battery installs (not the solar panels themselves). It's worth real money if you're adding storage, but the discount scales with battery capacity and the rules have already changed once, so we'll confirm the current figure on your quote rather than promising a number that's out of date by the time you read this.

Feed-in tariffs: don't bank on selling power

Feed-in tariffs have fallen hard. Most retailers on the Beaches now pay 4–7c per kilowatt hour for what you export, while you're buying it back at 30c-plus. The maths is simple: the value is in using your own solar, not selling it.

That changes how we size a system. We look at your bill and your daytime usage pattern — if you're out all day, a bigger system only helps if you shift loads (pool pump, dishwasher, hot water) into daylight hours, or add a battery. Most of the Northern Beaches sits on the Ausgrid network, which has its own export limits we design around so your inverter doesn't get throttled.

One metering gotcha worth knowing: if you've still got an old accumulation meter, you'll need a smart meter swap before solar can be commissioned. The retailer organises it, but it can add a couple of weeks to your timeline, so we flag it early.

What we check before quoting a price

On a site visit we get up on the roof — we don't quote off satellite images. We check roof condition and material, rafter spacing for the mounting, the path for cable runs, and how much shade you'll actually cop at different times of year.

Then we open the switchboard, confirm whether you're single or three-phase, check there's room for new breakers, and verify the meter type. Those five minutes are what separate a fixed-price quote from a nasty surprise on install day.

Getting a real number for your home

Ranges are useful for a gut check, but the only price that matters is the one for your roof, your switchboard and your usage. We cover the whole Northern Beaches and out to Newcastle and Charlestown, and we're happy to look at a recent power bill to see whether solar, a battery, or both actually stack up for you.

Book a free on-site assessment with Impressive Electrical & Solar and we'll give you a fixed, itemised quote with no switchboard surprises.