“What size solar system do I need?” is the question we hear most. The honest answer is that it depends on how much energy you use and what you want the system to do — but it helps to understand the common sizes and how large you can actually go. Here's the plain-English version.
Australia's most popular sizes
- 6.6kW — the most popular home size, around 14–15 panels. A great fit for most 2–5 person households. Read the 6.6kW guide.
- 8kW — a step up for larger homes and higher daytime use. Read the 8kW guide.
- 10kW — a large system for high-energy homes, EVs and small businesses. Read the 10kW guide.
- 13.2–13.3kW — about as large as it gets on a standard single-phase home. Read the 13.2kW guide.
How big can you actually go?
The size of your system is really governed by your inverter and your power connection:
- Single-phase homes: a 10kW inverter is typically the largest single-phase inverter. Panel arrays can be oversized by up to about 33% above the inverter's rating — so a 10kW inverter can carry up to roughly 13.3kW of panels, which makes it the biggest standard single-phase system.
- With a battery: a compatible hybrid/battery setup allows greater oversizing — up to around 200% — so you can pair a larger panel array (up to about 20kW) with a battery. This lets you generate and store more without needing a bigger grid connection.
- Three-phase homes: if your property has three-phase power, larger systems again become possible.
The right configuration depends on your inverter, your battery (if any) and your network's rules — we confirm all of this as part of your quote.
Which size suits you?
- Smaller households / modest bills: 6.6kW is usually plenty.
- Busy family homes: 8–10kW to cover higher daytime use, ducted air conditioning or a pool.
- High-use homes, EVs, or planning a battery: 10–13.3kW to generate enough to use and store.
- All-electric homes wanting maximum self-sufficiency: a larger array (up to ~20kW) paired with a battery.
Bigger isn't automatically better — a system only pays off if you use or store what it generates. The goal is the right size for your household, not the largest one that fits on the roof.
What about commercial systems?
Business systems work differently — they're sized around your load profile, usually run on three-phase power, and the federal incentive covers up to 100kW of inverter capacity (roughly 133kW of panels with oversizing), after which systems move to large-scale certificates. Our commercial solar guide covers it in full.
Don't forget the battery and the incentives
A battery lets you store daytime solar for the evening, and pairing one with a larger array can make a lot of sense for high-use homes. It's also worth understanding what support is available — see our guide to current solar & battery rebates, and our battery storage options.
Get the right size for your home
The only way to size a system properly is to look at your actual usage. Request a free quote and our team will design a system around your bills, your roof and your plans — no guesswork.
About this guide: system sizing and oversizing limits are general guidance as at July 2026 and depend on your specific inverter, battery, roof and network connection rules. It's not a quote — we'll confirm exactly what suits your home in writing.