How we rate home batteries.
A home battery is judged on how long its warranty really protects you, how well it copes with heat and weather, and whether it can grow with you. We read each brand's Australian warranty document as well as the datasheet.
Method version 2.2, 7 October 2026. Product data checked 16 September 2026.
- series on the approved list
- 34
- home series ranked
- 28
- approved models covered
- 2,339
- criteria, each with a published rule
- 4
What makes up the score.
Each criterion turns one published value into a score from 0 to 10. The weights add up to 100%.
Warranty that lasts
30%Battery warranties end at 10 years or when a set amount of energy has passed through, whichever comes first. This is how many years the warranty covers for a typical home, which cycles its battery about 300 times a year.
The rule
Years of performance warranty at 300 full cycles a year, from the manufacturer's Australian warranty document: 6 years scores 0, the full 10 years or more scores 10.
- Lowest
- 9.3 yrs
- Typical
- 10.0 yrs
- Highest
- 12.0 yrs
Across the 22 ranked home series that state it.
Weather sealing
25%Outdoor-rated batteries can go on any wall, including in the weather.
The rule
IP66 or better scores 10, IP65 9, IP55 6, IP54 4, lower 0.
- Lowest
- IP55
- Typical
- IP65
- Highest
- IP67
Across the 28 ranked home series that state it.
Room to grow
25%Start with what you need and add modules later, for an EV or electric heating.
The rule
Largest approved configuration, usable kWh: 10 scores 0, 40 or more scores 10.
- Lowest
- 5 kWh
- Typical
- 29.3 kWh
- Highest
- 83.9 kWh
Across the 28 ranked home series that state it.
Heat tolerance
20%Batteries in garages and on west walls get hot. Higher operating limits mean less throttling.
The rule
Highest operating temperature: 40°C scores 0, 55°C or more scores 10.
- Lowest
- 45°C
- Typical
- 53°C
- Highest
- 60°C
Across the 28 ranked home series that state it.
How we read the documents.
The details that decide whether a number is fair to compare.
- Warranty that lasts
- Most warranties run 10 years or until a set amount of energy has passed through, whichever comes first. We divide that throughput by usable capacity, then work out how many years it covers at a typical 300 full cycles a year.
- Room to grow
- The largest approved configuration in usable kWh, from the approved list.
- Cycle life
- Lab cycle-life figures are shown where printed but not scored. They aren't a guarantee, and many brands don't print them.
- Depth of discharge
- Not scored, because the usable capacity you're sold already allows for it.
Before anything is scored
- Currently on the Clean Energy Council approved batteries list
- Manufacturer datasheet on file for the series
Not in the score, and why
- Cycle life printed on datasheets. It's a lab test the maker isn't held to, and many brands don't print it; we score the warranted throughput instead
- Depth of discharge, because usable capacity (what you're sold) already allows for it
- Price and the federal rebate, which change every six months
- Continuous power, because datasheets quote it per module or per system inconsistently. We show it, but don't score it yet.
- Round-trip efficiency, which brands measure in different ways
A worked example.
Sigenergy SigenStor BAT (SigenStor battery module), exactly as the site scores it. Each value is from its documents, the score applies the rule, and points are score × weight.
- Warranty that lasts10.0 yrs10.0 × 30%3.00
- Weather sealingIP6610.0 × 25%2.50
- Room to grow54 kWh10.0 × 25%2.50
- Heat tolerance55°C10.0 × 20%2.00
- EnergyUpgrade Score10.0
How home batteries brands are rated.
A brand rating adds what a datasheet can't show: what owners say, how the brand's products have held up, what installers and the market say, and whether you can reach it in Australia.
Product scores
45%Average datasheet score of the brand's two best home series in the category, the ones an installer would actually quote. Older ranges still on the approved list don't drag a brand down.
Owner reviews
15%What owners say across the brand's products in this category: SolarQuotes owner reviews for panels, inverters and batteries, and ProductReview.com.au plus SolarQuotes for heat pumps. Reviews are averaged by count, and every brand is pulled towards 4.0 stars as if it had 30 more reviews at that level, so a handful of perfect reviews can't beat thousands of good ones. 3.0 stars or lower scores 0, 5.0 scores 10. Listings for a range the brand no longer sells are shown but not counted, and a listing about the company in general counts half.
Track record
15%Panels: Kiwa PVEL Top Performer status, 2 points for each of the 2024, 2025 and 2026 scorecards plus up to 4 for total editions (10 or more scores 4). Inverters and batteries: up to 7 points for years selling in Australia (8 or more scores 7) and 3 for a stock-exchange listing. Heat pumps, which should last 10 to 15 years: up to 7 points for years trading in Australia (20 or more scores 7) and 3 for a listing. ACCC recalls of that kind of product take points off: 3 for one covering a range we list, 2 for another, doubled when the brand offers no remedy. A brand in liquidation scores 0.
Installer and market standing
15%Average of two independent results, each using the better of this year's result and last year's (last year's counts 80%). The SolarQuotes Installers' Choice vote: 1st scores 10, 2nd 8, 3rd 7, 4th or 5th 6. SunWiz awards from Clean Energy Regulator installation data: No. 1 for homes scores 10, No. 1 in another segment or 2nd–3rd 8, top 5 or fastest growing 6. For panels, BloombergNEF Tier 1 status scores 6 when there's no SunWiz award. For heat pumps, which have no installation-data award, the second result is popularity from the number of owner reviews: 10 reviews scores 2, 100 scores 5, 1,000 scores 8.
Australian support
10%Published Australian office 4 points, local support phone 3, local service email 2, more than one office 1.
What the score bands mean
- 9.0Excellent8.5 and above
- 8.0Very good7.5 to 8.4
- 7.0Good6.5 to 7.4
- 5.0FairBelow 6.5
Data confidence
- High
- Australian datasheet, verified against the approved list, states at least 85% of what we weigh, and every scored value appears in the PDF.
- Medium
- A global edition of the datasheet, a small gap in the data, or a value we couldn't find printed in the sheet we hold.
- Low
- The datasheet doesn't clearly match every model in the series, or leaves out more than a third of what we weigh. Low-confidence series can't be a pick.
Questions about the battery method.
Why 300 cycles a year?
Most homes don't fully empty and refill a battery every single day. About 300 full cycles a year is typical; heavy users should check the throughput figure on the warranty.
Why isn't power output scored yet?
Datasheets quote continuous power per module or per system inconsistently. We show it, and will score it once it can be compared fairly.
Some series say 'not stated' for the warranty. Why?
We couldn't find a published throughput figure in the brand's Australian warranty document. Send it to us and we'll score it.
More on how we rate
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