Before you spend $15,000 on solar and battery,
know what it's actually worth.
BuyerSideEnergy is an independent home battery valuation service for Australian homeowners. We analyse your actual half-hourly energy usage and deliver a clear verdict: Proceed or Don't Proceed. You get your real payback period, annual return on investment, and 15-year financial outlook, within 48 hours. No installer relationships. No referral fees.
Installer quotes use generic assumptions designed to make the numbers look good. We analyse your actual half-hourly usage data and tell you what the system will genuinely deliver — including a clear Proceed or Don't Proceed recommendation. Before you sign, get the numbers your installer can't give you.
$10,000–$20,000
Average solar + battery install
$149
Independent valuation report
Before you sign, know your real payback period, your actual annual return, and whether $15,000 in solar and battery works harder than $15,000 in index funds. Most installers won't raise that question. We will.
See the Depth of Your Valuation
The installer quoted 42kWh but I wasn't going to use all of it. BuyerSideEnergy ran my actual usage and right-sized the system. The 3-year payback they quoted turned out to be closer to 6.”
$3,497
Installer overstatement found
6.1 yrs
Real payback (installer quoted 3)
13.9% p.a.
Annual return on investment
$2,451/yr
Annual saving after install
Your 15-Year Financial Journey
From a $15,000 outlay to $19,393 net profit — plotted year by year, with the exact moment your investment crosses into the black.
The Subsidy Trap
The Cheaper Home Batteries Program is genuine good news. From 1 July 2025, Australian households receive around 30% off the upfront cost of an eligible battery system connected to rooftop solar. That is real money. But a 30% discount on hardware is not the same as a 30% improvement in your financial return. Many homeowners who receive a promising installer quote find that real-world payback looks very different once the system is running.
“The average Australian homeowner quoted a 3-year payback receives a real payback of 4 to 8 years or more.”
A National Scheme Worth Knowing
The Cheaper Home Batteries Program funds approximately $311 per usable kWh of battery installed, delivered as a discount off your upfront price. No vouchers and no waiting. The discount is applied directly by your installer at the point of sale.
Your Payback Is Personal
A 30% upfront saving does not guarantee a fast return. Real payback periods for Australian homeowners typically range from 4 to 8 years depending on household usage, local tariff structure, battery sizing, and solar generation. Installer quotes often use industry averages rather than your actual consumption data.
Why the Numbers Don't Add Up
Installer payback estimates are typically back-of-envelope calculations. They apply a single average daily consumption figure against a flat assumed export rate. They do not model your actual half-hourly load shape, your morning and evening peaks, your solar generation curve, or how a battery dispatch algorithm behaves under your tariff structure. A household that uses most of its power while the sun is shining saves far less from a battery than one with heavy evening demand. Our model runs 17,520 interval calculations against your real data. That is the difference between a generic estimate and a number you can actually trust. Last reviewed March 2026.
Simple, Fast and Transparent
Get your Valuation Report in 4 steps.
1. Pay
Secure your independent valuation. You'll get an instant payment confirmation.
2. We're in touch
You'll receive an email from us within a few hours with exactly what to send.
3. Send your data
Reply with your installer's quote, your latest electricity bill, and your half-hourly interval data CSV from your retailer. Please remove your name and address from any documents before sending.
4. Your report
We model your actual consumption data and deliver your Valuation Report within 48 hours of receiving your files.
Why Your Data Changes Everything
Most online battery calculators use state-wide household averages. We use your half-hourly interval data, up to 17,520 readings across the year, so the model reflects your actual morning peaks, evening draw, weekend patterns, and solar generation profile.
The result is a financial projection accurate to your home, not a generic estimate that may be off by thousands of dollars.
How to Get Your Interval Data
- 1Log in to your electricity retailer’s online portal or app.
- 2Look for a section called Usage Data, Energy Data Download, or similar.
- 3Download the CSV export of your half-hourly consumption. Ideally select the past 12 months for the most accurate model.
- 4If you cannot find it, contact your retailer and ask for your NMI interval data in CSV format.
- 5Before sending, open the CSV and remove or blank out your name, address, and NMI number. We only need the usage readings.
Most Australian retailers provide this data free of charge. It is your data.
Built by people who have seen it from the other side.
The BuyerSideEnergy team comes from Australia's large-scale energy industry. Before advising homeowners, we spent years modelling the economics of utility-scale battery, solar, and wind assets for major network operators and energy retailers across the NEM. We have seen firsthand how financial models get built, where assumptions get stretched, and what a rigorous interval-level analysis actually looks like. That experience is what we now bring to every Valuation Report.
400 MW+
Utility-scale battery projects advised
1.2 GW+
Solar and wind asset modelling
15+ years
Combined energy finance and engineering experience
Your questions, answered
Get quick answers to the most common questions about our service.
What is the Cheaper Home Batteries Program?
The Cheaper Home Batteries Program is a federal government initiative that provides approximately 30% off the upfront cost of eligible home battery systems connected to rooftop solar. It started on 1 July 2025 and is available to households, businesses, and community organisations across Australia. The discount is delivered through Small-scale Technology Certificates and is applied directly by your installer at the point of sale. No vouchers are required.
Why might my real payback differ from my installer's quote?
Installer quotes often use industry-wide average household consumption rather than your actual energy data. They may also use solar generation estimates that do not reflect your specific roof orientation and shading, omit battery degradation over time, or assume a tariff structure that does not match your current plan. Real payback periods for Australian homeowners typically range from 4 to 8 years. Our valuation uses your actual half-hourly interval data to give you a figure that reflects your home, not a statistical average.
What interval data do I need and how do I get it?
You need a half-hourly consumption CSV from your electricity retailer, ideally covering the past 12 months. Log in to your retailer's online portal and look for a Usage Data or Energy Data Download section. Most Australian retailers provide this free of charge. If you cannot find it, contact your retailer and ask for your NMI interval data in CSV format. This is your data and you are entitled to it.
Do you install batteries?
No. BuyerSideEnergy is strictly an advisory and valuation service. We do not install, sell, or refer battery systems. This independence is the foundation of our service and our only interest is giving you an accurate financial picture.
Are you against home batteries?
Quite the opposite. We believe home batteries are an important part of Australia's energy future and can be an excellent investment for many households. Our goal is to help you understand exactly what a battery will mean for your home financially, so you can make a confident decision based on evidence rather than estimates.
What states do you cover?
We serve homeowners in all Australian states: Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, and Western Australia. Our solar generation profiles are calibrated to each state using real meteorological data.
Is this only for home battery systems?
Yes, for now. Our valuation is designed for residential home battery systems. We are working on a small business offering and will announce it when it is ready.
Know your numbers. Own your decision.
Join Australian homeowners who got clarity before they committed. Secure your independent battery valuation before you commit.
Solar & Battery Valuation
Introductory pricing- Real payback period for your home
- Actual savings estimate
- Quote accuracy check
- Independent — zero installer commissions
- Delivered within 48 hours
Secure payment via Stripe · One-off fee