A checklist is the cheapest piece of compliance there is. It costs a printed page and two minutes per job, and it catches the errors that otherwise cost days: a blurred serial, an unsigned form, a battery that was never on the approved list. This one is built for the Cheaper Home Batteries Program, and it is organised by when in the job you can still fix a problem, because the cost of a fix rises sharply at each stage.
For the process around it, see battery STC lodgement step by step, and for the reasons claims fail, see common battery claim rejections.
Stage 1: before you quote
A problem found here costs nothing.
- Battery on the CEC-approved list, and VPP-capable. The model number on the quote must match the list exactly, including any suffix.
- Usable capacity between 5 and 100 kWh, with up to 50 kWh eligible for certificates. Note the usable figure from the datasheet, not the nameplate.
- Inverter or hybrid unit approved where the program requires it.
- One battery per property. Ask whether a battery has already claimed at the address.
- Your accreditation current, and the installer who attends is the one named on the claim.
- Installation date realistic. The factor depends on it: 6.8 to 31 December 2026, then 5.7, then 5.2 from 1 July 2027.
The reason for stage one is blunt: a battery that is not eligible earns no certificates, and the discount you put on the quote becomes your loss.
Stage 2: on site
A problem found here costs a few minutes. A problem found later costs a visit.
- Photograph the battery in place, with enough context to show where it is installed.
- Photograph the serial number and compliance labels clearly enough to read without zooming.
- Photograph the inverter or hybrid unit and its label.
- Photograph isolation and protection arrangements as the evidence rules require.
- Photograph the installed system as a whole, including how it connects to the switchboard.
- Record the installation date on the day.
Evidence rules were tightened from 1 March 2026. Our battery photo guide shows what each picture needs to show. A good habit: before you leave, scroll your phone and check that each photo is sharp and that the serial is readable at full size.
Stage 3: at handover
- Assignment form signed and dated by the customer, with the name and address matching the invoice and the compliance certificate. See the assignment form resource.
- Customer told what they are assigning, and what discount they have received.
- Certificate of electrical compliance issued, with the date aligned to the installation date.
- Installer written statement or declarations completed where the scheme requires them.
- VPP information recorded, even if the customer is not joining one.
Stage 4: before you lodge
This is the final review, ideally by someone who did not do the job.
| Check | What to compare |
|---|---|
| Serial numbers | Photo against form against registry entry |
| Installation date | Compliance certificate against assignment form against registry entry |
| Names and addresses | Every document must match |
| Usable kWh | Datasheet against registry entry |
| STC count | Your sum against the calculator’s |
| Installer details | Accreditation number and name |
| Attachments | Every required document present and legible |
Run the count in the battery STC calculator. For a 14 kWh battery installed before 1 January 2027, you should see 95 STCs, about $3,610 at $38.
A job that fails and a job that passes
Compare two jobs, both 14 kWh, both in November 2026.
Job A: the photos are sharp, the serial in the photo matches the form, the assignment form is signed and the installation date matches the compliance certificate. Claim lodged on day two. 95 STCs, $3,610.
Job B: the serial photo is angled and partly reflected, the assignment form has a different spelling of the customer’s street, and the compliance certificate is dated three days after the install. The claim is queried. The installer revisits for a new serial photo, re-signs the form with the customer, and resubmits. The job takes an extra week, an extra site visit that costs more than $100 of time and fuel, and the cash sits in limbo while the rest of the book carries on.
Nothing about Job B is dramatic. Each error is small, and each is preventable at stage two or three.
Making the checklist stick
A checklist works only if the whole crew uses it. Three small habits make it stick. Put the checklist in the job app or on a card in the van, so it is there when the work is done. Make the stage-four review a separate role, not a box the installer ticks. And review rejections as a team once a month, by adding any new failure mode to the list. Over a few months, the checklist becomes a map of your own crew’s errors, which is more valuable than a generic one.
Our general photo requirements and the guide on how STC audits work show where the same evidence matters after the claim is paid.
What the checks cost, and what they save
It helps to put numbers on the habit. Assume a crew that installs 30 batteries a month, averaging $3,300 of STC value each, so about $99,000 of certificates a month. The stage-four review takes five minutes a job, 150 minutes a month, about two and a half hours of one person’s time.
Now assume that without the review, 2 jobs in 30 are queried for a fixable error. Each query holds $3,300 for an extra week or two, and costs about $120 of re-visit time. That is $240 of direct cost and about $6,600 of certificate value delayed. With a rate locked at lodgement, the delay does not change the price, but it still holds your cash, and it can push a claim across a factor step if the date is affected.
Even if the review catches only one of those two a month, it pays for itself many times over, and it also protects the more valuable thing: your reputation with the people who buy your certificates and, in an audit, with the regulator. Our guide to how installer cash flow works with battery discounts puts the float into context.
Special cases to add to your list
Adding a battery to an existing solar system. The program works with new or existing solar. Record the existing system’s details and make sure the battery installation is documented as its own job, with its own date and photos.
Retrofit in a different location. If the battery sits somewhere unusual, such as a garage wall or an external enclosure, add a photo showing that the location meets the installation standard. See AS/NZS 5139 for battery installation.
Business customers. Eligibility for businesses and the property rules can differ in detail. Our answer on battery rebates for businesses covers it. Do not assume the residential checklist fits unchanged.
Multiple visits. If the job spans two days, record which date is the installation date for the claim, and make sure documents agree.
What to do next
- Print or build the four-stage checklist and trial it on the next five jobs.
- Assign the pre-lodgement reviewer.
- Decide who lodges, and what they need from you.
- Read the battery STC pillar and the Cheaper Home Batteries installer guide.
- Want a second pair of eyes on every claim? The compliance desk at Energy Merchants pre-checks photos, forms and serials before lodgement. Start trading or see how it works.