AI staff for solar installers
AI staff for solar installers: every call answered, every quote and invoice followed up
Since Cheaper Home Batteries started on 1 July 2025, 546,789 home batteries have gone in, on top of 272,480 small-scale solar systems in 2025 alone (Clean Energy Regulator, data to 30 September 2026). Every one of them started as an enquiry, a quote and a pile of rebate and grid paperwork. Your AI staff answer the enquiries and chase the paperwork while you’re on the roof.
Growth plan: 5 AI staff for $950 a quarter + GST, about $2.08 a day each. See all plans
What your customers ring about
Most solar calls aren’t emergencies, apart from safety faults. The time pressure is the rebate: the Clean Energy Regulator says battery rebates are set by the installation date, not when the contract is signed, and the STC factor steps down every six months. A battery enquiry left sitting can push the install past a step-down.
- Battery quotes, with or without existing solar
- New solar systems, from 6.6kW up
- Inverter error codes and warning lights
- Output has dropped: shading, dirt or hail damage
- Tripped breakers and a monitoring app that’s stopped working
- “Has my grid approval come through?”
- Two-yearly service bookings
What your AI staff do for a solar installation business
Battery enquiries before the next step-down
Emily follows up new enquiries within minutes and asks your qualifying questions: existing system, roof, switchboard and what they want the battery for. Then she books the site visit.
How this job worksQuotes followed up while the rebate still stands
Talk SAM through the system design and SAM writes the quote. Emily follows up the quotes you’ve sent and never touches the price or the rebate figure.
How this job worksInverter faults and output questions
Anna answers every call and text 24/7. She takes the error code, the inverter brand and what the customer is seeing, then texts you when it sounds like a safety issue. The diagnosis stays with you.
How this job worksGrid approval and install-date questions
“Has the grid approval come through?” and “When’s my install?” come in every week. Zoe, on the Scale plan, answers from your job information and tells customers when their approval is through.
How this job worksDeposits, final payments and STC paperwork chased
Carol chases deposits and final payments and checks what’s been paid. Your AI staff also chase customers for the photos and documents you need for STC claims and grid applications.
How this job worksTwo-yearly service reminders
Energy Safe Victoria recommends rooftop solar be serviced every 2 years by a licensed electrician. Mia, on the Scale plan, reminds past customers when their service is due and fills your diary with them.
How this job works
What one job is worth: typical solar prices in Australia
| Job | Typical price | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 6.6kW solar system, fully installed | $6,000–$9,000 | SolarQuotes, 2026 |
| 6.6kW solar system, after STC rebate | $4,500–$8,000 | Energy Matters, 2026 |
| 10kW solar system, after STC rebate | $8,000–$12,000 | Energy Matters, 2026 |
| Adding a battery | typically $7,000–$12,000 | Energy Matters, 2026 |
| Panel cleaning, single storey | around $7.50 a panel | SolarQuotes, 2025 |
One 6.6kW system at $4,500, the bottom of Energy Matters’ range, is more than a full year of the Growth plan ($3,800).
The paperwork: what AI can chase, and what stays with you
Your AI staff handle
- Chasing customers for the photos and documents STC claims and grid applications need
- Booking confirmations and inspection-day reminders
- Letting customers know when grid approval is through
- Following up quotes before the next rebate step-down
- Chasing deposits and final payments
Stays with you and your licence
- System design and the SAA-accredited install
- Signing the STC compliance paperwork
- Electrical certificates: the COES in Victoria, the CCEW in NSW
- The technical content of the grid application
- Quoting and pricing, including the rebate figure
Installers need Solar Accreditation Australia accreditation, which replaced the Clean Energy Council scheme in 2024. In Victoria, solar and battery work is prescribed work, so it needs an independent inspection within 8 business days, and the customer gets their Certificate of Electrical Safety within 4 days of it being completed. In NSW, a CCEW is lodged within 7 days through eCert.
Rebate deadlines, servicing and repeat work for solar installers
Solar demand follows the rebate calendar more than the weather. Rooftop solar hit a record 1 GW in the second quarter of 2026, and households brought installs forward ahead of the 1 May battery rebate change. Anna takes the rush when a step-down is coming, and Mia works through the two-yearly service list.
- Rebate step-downs: the battery STC factor falls every six months, from 6.8 STCs per kWh (May to December 2026) to 2.1 by December 2030
- Next step-down: after December 2026, a natural deadline for open quotes
- Battery demand: more than 500,000 applications since the program began (CER, August 2026)
- Servicing: every 2 years by a licensed electrician, says Energy Safe Victoria
- Inverters: usually the first part to fail, often after 10 to 15 years
Questions solar installers ask us
- Will AI work out a customer’s battery rebate?
- No. The system design, the price and the rebate figure stay with you, and the Clean Energy Regulator has its own STC calculator for batteries. SAM writes the quote as you talk it through.
- Can it chase customers for STC and grid paperwork?
- Yes. Your AI staff chase the photos and documents you need and tell customers when grid approval is through. Signing the STC compliance paperwork stays with you.
- What happens when a customer rings with an inverter fault?
- Anna takes the error code and what they’re seeing, and texts you if it sounds like a safety issue. Energy Matters advises calling a licensed technician if a warning persists, and that’s you.
- Will it follow up quotes before the rebate drops?
- Yes. Emily follows up every quote you’ve sent, which matters when rebates lock in at the install date, not the signing date. Discounts and price changes are never hers to offer.
- Can it book two-yearly services?
- Yes, on the Scale plan. Mia reminds past customers when their service is due and books them in. On Growth, Jenny rings after each install to check how it went and asks for a Google review.
Sources
- 1. Clean Energy Regulator, Small-scale installation postcode data (data to 30 September 2026)
- 2. Clean Energy Regulator, Record solar and battery growth (August 2026)
- 3. Clean Energy Regulator, Battery rebates are changing from 1 May 2026 (March 2026)
- 4. Clean Energy Regulator, Solar Accreditation Australia announced as new accreditation scheme operator (2024)
- 5. Canstar, Why the government is overhauling its Cheaper Home Batteries program (April 2026)
- 6. SolarQuotes, Solar system cost (October 2026)
- 7. Energy Matters, How much do solar panels cost in Australia? (February 2026)
- 8. Energy Matters, Solar panel problems in Australia and fixes (August 2026)
- 9. SolarQuotes, Solar panel cleaning (June 2025)
- 10. Energy Safe Victoria, Solar safety
- 11. Energy Safe Victoria, Certificates of Electrical Safety for consumers
- 12. NSW Government, When to submit a Certificate of Compliance for Electrical Work (CCEW)
Other trades
Guides
- What is AI staff? AI staff vs an AI receptionist vs an AI agent
- How to choose AI for a trade business: 10 questions to ask before you buy
- How much does an AI receptionist cost in Australia? (2026 prices)
- Receptionist, answering service, VA or AI: what each really costs in Australia in 2026
- What a missed call costs a tradie, and how to stop missing them
- Which office jobs can a tradie hand to AI in 2026, and which to keep
- How to follow up a quote without being pushy
- How to chase unpaid invoices as a tradie in Australia
- Quote template for tradies: what to include, plus a layout to copy
- Overdue invoice reminder emails: 7 templates for tradies
Ring Emily and hear what your customers would hear
Emily answers LeadAI’s own line, any time. We look forward to speaking with you.