Battery work is the busiest part of the small-scale certificate market, and it is also the part with the tightest rules. Since the Cheaper Home Batteries Program began on 1 July 2025, a battery earns STCs only when it is installed by an accredited installer, uses an approved product and comes with complete evidence. If you are a licensed electrician or a solar installer considering the move, that is the gate you have to pass through.
The good news is that the pathway is clear and mostly sequential. This guide sets out the steps from licence to first claim, the standard you have to know, the product and evidence rules and the cash-flow side that catches new battery crews out. It does not list training units or fees, because they change. Confirm those with Solar Accreditation Australia (SAA).
The pathway at a glance
| Step | What you need | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Electrical licence for your state | State electrical regulator |
| 2 | Solar accreditation if you also install PV | SAA |
| 3 | Battery accreditation | SAA |
| 4 | Working knowledge of AS/NZS 5139 | Standards Australia |
| 5 | Approved products | Clean Energy Council list |
| 6 | Evidence system for photos and forms | Your own process |
| 7 | A certificate trader for settlement | Your choice |
Step 1 and 2: licence and base accreditation
Battery installation is electrical work. You need the electrical licence for the state you work in, with the right class for connection to the network. Most battery crews come from rooftop solar, where SAA accreditation is already part of the job, but battery work has its own requirements on top. If you do not yet have solar accreditation, see how to apply for solar accreditation in Australia.
Step 3: battery accreditation
For batteries that earn STCs, the installer responsible for the work must hold current SAA accreditation that covers batteries, or the work must be supervised on site by someone who does. The accreditation number belongs on the paperwork for each job. Training, assessments and ongoing professional development are part of it, and accreditation can be suspended for non-compliance. The detail is in our answers on SAA battery accreditation requirements and whether you need SAA accreditation to install batteries.
Step 4: AS/NZS 5139
AS/NZS 5139 is the standard for installing battery systems with power conversion equipment. It controls where a battery can go and how it is protected. In summary it deals with location limits, clearances from doors, windows and ignition sources, fire-resistant barriers and mechanical protection, ventilation and labelling. A compliant installation is a condition of creating STCs, and a site that breaks the standard is both a safety issue and a failed claim. Read the standard itself, and see our answer on AS/NZS 5139 and battery installation.
Step 5: the product rules
The battery and its inverter must meet several conditions at once:
- On the Clean Energy Council approved list.
- VPP-capable.
- Between 5 and 100 kWh of usable capacity, with up to 50 kWh eligible for STCs.
- Paired with solar, new or existing.
- One per property.
- Commissioned on or after 1 July 2025.
For 2026 installs the STC factor is 6.8 per kWh of usable capacity, falling to 5.7 on 1 January 2027 and to 5.2 on 1 July 2027, then steps down every six months to 2030. The factor is why the price of a battery to the customer changes at set dates. See the Cheaper Home Batteries Program installer guide for the full detail.
Step 6: evidence you can repeat
New battery photo and evidence rules applied from 1 March 2026. A typical set includes the battery in place, serial and rating labels, the installation location with clearances, isolators and labelling, and the commissioning screen. You cannot retake a photo after you leave the site, so build a repeatable process. The battery submission guide and STC photo requirements list what to capture. The assignment form is the other half. See STC assignment form.
A simple routine that works:
- Load a job checklist on the phone before arriving.
- Photograph each item as the install progresses, not at the end.
- Record serial numbers on the form and in the photos.
- Review the full set before leaving the site.
- Send the pack to the claim desk the same day.
From the desk: for a new battery crew, the first five jobs are the ones to get right, because they set your habits and show you where your process leaks. Send your first claims through a trader whose compliance desk pre-checks every one before lodgement. A missing serial photo caught on day one costs you an email. Caught at the registry, it costs you days.
Step 7: cash flow on your first jobs
Battery jobs are large. A 10 kWh battery in 2026 earns roughly 68 STCs (10 x 6.8). At around $39 per STC, which is within the roughly $38 to $40 range at the time of writing, that is about $2,650 of certificate value. Ten jobs a month is $26,500 that you are owed on top of the customer’s payment, and it is money you spent on equipment and labour before the certificates were sold.
Slow settlement hits hardest here. At a typical settlement of seven business days, $26,500 of monthly STC income means roughly $8,800 to $10,000 is always waiting on the trader. At 24 hours it is closer to $1,300 to $1,500. That is the difference between needing an overdraft and not. See battery rebate installer cash flow for more detail.
The mistakes new battery crews make
- Wrong battery, right paperwork. The product is not on the approved list or is not VPP-capable.
- Second claim at the same address. One per property. Check for a previous rebate.
- Photos taken too late. Evidence collected after the fact is rarely complete.
- Name mismatches. The owner on the form, the invoice and the electrical certificate differ.
- Skipping the standard. A location that breaks AS/NZS 5139 invalidates the work.
- No supervision record. If an unaccredited team member works under supervision, keep the record of who was on site.
The top STC claim rejection reasons lists these and more.
Where Energy Merchants fits
When you are ready to claim, the battery STCs page explains how battery claims run with us: the compliance desk pre-checks the claim, the rate is locked on lodgement of a complete claim, and an established partner is settled within 24 hours. Today’s rate is on /pricing/.
What to do next
- Confirm your electrical licence class and your SAA accreditation status.
- Apply for or confirm battery accreditation and note the supervision rules for your crew.
- Buy and read AS/NZS 5139.
- Build a battery job checklist from the battery submission guide.
- Choose a trader and run a first claim through the desk. When you are ready, start trading.