Solar, battery and EV charging franchises in Australia: licences, rebates and risks

• The battery STC factor fell from 8.4 to 6.8 on 1 May 2026 and is scheduled to keep falling every six months, to 2.1 in the second half of 2030.
• Since 1 May 2026, support also tapers with battery size, so larger batteries get proportionally less discount per kWh.
• Retailers must give customers written information on performance, feed-in tariffs, export limits and payback before the sale, and can be declared ineligible after 3 or more false or misleading statements in 3 years.
• Door-to-door sales are allowed only from 9am to 6pm on weekdays and 9am to 5pm on Saturdays, with a 10-business-day cooling-off period.
• FranchiseScope has no Register category that matches solar and EV franchises, so rely on each franchisor's disclosure document for costs.

• Retail and installation: you sell systems and manage accredited installers, either employed or contracted.
• Sales-led: you sell, and the franchisor or its partners install, which still leaves you responsible for what you promised the customer.
• Batteries and virtual power plants: battery sales linked to VPP participation, where retailers must tell customers whether extra equipment or apps are needed.
• EV charging: home and workplace charger sales and installation, which the New Energy Tech Consumer Code covers alongside solar, storage and VPPs.
• Commercial and mid-scale solar: from 1 October 2026, the Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme covers eligible solar PV systems up to 1 MW, up from 100 kW, with applications expected to open in mid to late November 2026.
• Service and maintenance: inspections, cleaning, repairs and warranty work, which can steady income between sales.

Government support flows through small-scale technology certificates (STCs) under the Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme. The Clean Energy Regulator administers it, and the settings change on a timetable.

• The Cheaper Home Batteries Program gives a discount of around 30% on batteries of 5 kWh to 100 kWh connected to new or existing solar PV.
• Customers can take the discount from an accredited installer or retailer, as an upfront reduction or a rebate after installation, or create and trade the STCs themselves through the REC Registry.
• The battery STC factor was 8.4 from January to April 2026 and is 6.8 from May to December 2026, falling to 5.7 in the first half of 2027.
• From 1 May 2026, the full STC factor applies up to 14 kWh of usable capacity, 60% applies to each kWh above 14 up to 28 kWh, and 15% applies above 28 up to 50 kWh.
• The discount depends on the STC factor on the date the battery is installed, so installation delays past a step-down reduce what the customer receives.
• Additional batteries at the same premises aren't eligible for STCs after the first claim, so check before you quote.
• In December 2025 the government expanded the program's estimated cost from $2.3 billion to $7.2 billion over 4 years, and the discount is reviewed at least annually and will decrease until 2030.

• Installers must be accredited by Solar Accreditation Australia, and systems and components must be on the Clean Energy Council's approved product lists.
• For batteries, the accredited installer must be on site for set-up, installation and commissioning.
• Installations must comply with state and territory electrical safety requirements, and installers must provide geotagged, timestamped photos of each battery's critical labelling.
• Before selling, retailers must give written information covering the contract, the designer and installer, expected performance, feed-in tariffs and export limits, payback and savings, and any conflicts of interest, and keep records for at least 5 years.
• Retailers sign a written statement for each system. Three or more false or misleading statements in a 3-year period can make a retailer ineligible, and ineligible retailers are listed publicly.
• Battery statements must also confirm sizing, VPP capability and the expected performance of the battery within the warranty period.
• The New Energy Tech Consumer Code replaced the Approved Solar Retailer program on 1 February 2023, and Approved Sellers must give customers the relevant consumer information product at contract stage.

Many solar businesses rely on door-knocking, phone calls or approaching people in shopping centres. Under the Australian Consumer Law these are unsolicited consumer agreements when worth $100 or more.

• Door-to-door visits are allowed only from 9am to 6pm on weekdays and 9am to 5pm on Saturdays, and telemarketing calls from 9am to 8pm on weekdays and 9am to 5pm on Saturdays, never on Sundays or public holidays.
• Salespeople must say who they are, who they represent and why they are there, leave when asked, and treat a 'do not knock' sign as a request to leave.
• Customers get a written agreement and 10 business days to cool off. During that time you can't supply services or take payment, apart from limited exceptions such as electricity, gas and emergency repairs.
• Breaking the rules extends the cooling-off period to 3 months, or to 6 months for failures such as not giving the written agreement or cooling-off information.
• Using physical force, coercion or undue harassment is against the law.
• The ACCC published a review of unsolicited selling and lead generation on 28 July 2026 that advocates changes to the regulatory framework, so ask how the franchisor generates leads.

• Costs: FranchiseScope has no Register category that matches solar and EV franchises closely enough to publish a median, so use each franchisor's disclosure document and test every line.
• Rebate dependency: model sales at lower STC factors, and with fewer customers motivated by the discount, through to 2030.
• Cash flow: if you give the discount upfront, you recover it later through STCs, so check how and when the franchisor or agent pays you.
• Warranty exposure: ask who handles warranty claims if a supplier or installer fails, and how the franchisor supports you. The scheme rules don't replace your Australian Consumer Law obligations.
• Installer capacity: accredited installers limit how many jobs you can deliver, so ask about subcontractor arrangements and quality checks.
• Product risk: stock only products on the approved lists, and check that list changes won't strand your inventory.

• Sales scripts that promise savings or payback periods you can't support, or that push customers to sign on the day.
• A lead model built on door-knocking or cold calling with no training on the unsolicited selling rules.
• Battery pricing that ignores the STC step-downs, or quotes that claim STCs for a second battery at the same premises.
• Unaccredited installers, or products that aren't on the Clean Energy Council's approved lists.
• A franchisor or network retailer on the Clean Energy Regulator's list of retailers ineligible to make written statements.
• Earnings claims outside the disclosure document, or projections based on peak rebate levels.
• Pressure to sign quickly. The franchisor can't sign until 14 days after you receive the disclosure document, a copy of the Code and the agreement in its final form, and must refund any payment made in that window within 14 days of your written request.

• Confirm who will install, their Solar Accreditation Australia accreditation and the electrical licensing rules in your state.
• Get the franchisor's sales scripts, contracts and customer information documents, and check them against the retailer and unsolicited selling rules.
• Model revenue with the scheduled STC step-downs to 2030 and a lower-rebate scenario.
• Ask how STC payments flow to you, and how quickly.
• Check warranty terms, who handles claims and how the franchisor supports warranty work.
• Check the Clean Energy Regulator's ineligible retailer list and the franchisor's New Energy Tech Consumer Code status.
• Call current and former franchisees about leads, installer capacity and customer complaints.
• Get independent legal and accounting advice before you sign.