Solar & Battery Finance

It is funding used to install a rooftop solar system, a home battery, or both. It is usually a personal loan, sometimes a specifically designated green loan at a discounted rate, sometimes finance arranged by the installer, and sometimes an addition to your mortgage. The system is generally not used as security, so most solar loans are unsecured, which is why the rate sits above a mortgage but the process is far quicker.

Yes, and it is worth confirming how your quote is presented. Small-scale technology certificates are the federal incentive for solar, and installers almost always apply them as an up-front discount, meaning the price you have been quoted is often already net of the rebate. If it is not, the amount you actually need to finance is materially lower than the headline figure. Ask the installer to confirm explicitly, because financing the gross figure when the discount applies means borrowing money you do not need.

That is the question worth answering before anything else, and the answer depends on system size, your usage, your feed-in tariff, and the loan term. A well-sized system on a reasonable term is often cash-flow positive from the first month, meaning the repayment is lower than what you stop paying the retailer. A stretched term at a high rate can flip that. Bring us your quote and your recent bills and we will run the comparison in dollars rather than percentages.

Sometimes genuinely yes, and sometimes the cost is built into the system price rather than shown as a rate. Interest-free offers in particular are worth reading closely: check whether an establishment or monthly fee applies, what happens at the end of the interest-free period, and whether the cash price would have been lower. Bring us the offer and we will price the alternatives against it honestly, including telling you when the installer offer wins.

For the STC rebate, yes, and for most designated green loan products, also yes. Green loans typically require both a CEC accredited installer and components on the approved product list, which is how the lender justifies the discounted rate. If you are set on a particular installer, check their accreditation before assuming a green loan is available, because it determines whether the discounted pricing is on the table at all.

By interest rate, a mortgage top-up is much cheaper. By total cost, often not, because spreading a fifteen year asset across a twenty five year loan means you are still paying for the panels well after their productive life. A common middle path is to add it to the mortgage but make additional repayments so it clears in five to seven years, which captures the low rate without the long tail. We will model both against a personal loan so you can see the totals.

Yes, and it is increasingly common where solar is already installed. Batteries have a longer payback period than panels, which makes the finance structure more important rather than less: a long loan term on a battery can easily outlast the savings. Battery incentives vary considerably by state and change often, so check what is currently available where you live before finalising the amount, since it may reduce what you need to borrow.

Every credit application is recorded on your file, and several in a short window read poorly to the next lender. This is worth knowing before accepting an installer's offer to submit your details to two or three finance providers at once, which can leave several enquiries on your file from a single appointment. We work out which lender fits before an application is lodged, so your file carries one enquiry.

A comparison rate combines the interest rate with the standard fees into a single figure so two loans can be compared honestly. It matters here because interest-free installer offers frequently carry fees, which a rate of zero does not reveal, and because the three routes on this page price on completely different tiers. A comparison rate is also only meaningful for a specific amount and term. We quote your rate and comparison rate for your real numbers instead.

Yes, we do. A default, an old arrears listing, or a thin credit file does not rule you out, and it is not something we will make you feel awkward about. Most people carrying a listing picked it up during a period they did not plan for. Several lenders on our panel assess your current capacity rather than the credit file alone, and price for it rather than decline it. Note that discounted green loan products are generally the least flexible on credit, so the trade-off may be a standard rate rather than a decline.

Yes. When we provide credit assistance on consumer lending we owe you a best interests duty. We make reasonable enquiries into your financial situation, requirements, and objectives, and we must not suggest or help you apply for a loan that is unsuitable for you. On this page that duty is why we point you to state schemes and the STC discount first, and why we test the repayment against the bill saving rather than simply writing the loan. Before we provide credit assistance you will receive our Credit Guide.

Because a solar system that is meant to pay for itself should be financed in a way that lets it. Most of the people we help have a quote in hand and a finance form the installer would like them to sign in the same appointment. There is no judgement in the conversation and no pressure in it either. What matters is the net amount after the STC discount, your expected bill saving, and the term, because those three numbers decide whether the system is cash-flow positive. We will point you to state schemes first, since some of them are interest free and beat anything we could arrange, and if a loan is still the answer we will price the green, standard, and mortgage routes against the installer offer. Our panel covers 90+ bank, non-bank, and specialist lenders. We are based in Sydney and work with borrowers Australia-wide. Joseph Farhat and his team will tell you honestly and early what is achievable.

No. We do not guide you on your finances, nor give financial advice. We focus on outcomes and solutions of presenting your unique scenario to the right lender so you can access funding in a timely and compliant manner.

Yes. Settled With Joe is based in Sydney but arranges personal finance Australia-wide, covering both metro and regional areas. We work with clients in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, and Canberra, as well as regional areas including Newcastle, Wollongong, Geelong, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, and Toowoomba. Location matters more than usual on this product, because rebates, battery incentives, feed-in tariffs, and state loan schemes all differ by state and territory and change regularly. Joseph Farhat and his team will identify which lenders on the panel are the best fit for your situation.