It’s an exciting step to consider possible locations for your home battery. It's particularly helpful to do this ahead of your site assessment.
Having your ideal battery locations ready to discuss with your Installer means you can get the most out of your appointment and make your path to installation is efficient and smooth.
All our installers are accredited battery and solar professionals. They will make your installation complies with all relevant regulations. The following detailed guide will help you choose preferred locations for your home battery.
If you would prefer a simpler checklist with the basics, please click here.
How to identify possible locations
When identifying possible locations for your battery around your home, look for a location that has the following attributes
They can guide you on where best to install based on your property and relevant regulations.
Space around the battery
There will need to be clear space around battery. Allow a 2m x 2m area with no windows, doors, or vents within that space.
Most popular location: your garage (if you have one)
Garages can be a great location for a home battery, as they offer shade and a cool environment for the battery to run efficiently.
If your switchboard is in your garage – even better!
Many installers will recommend a garage location for the battery as the simplest option.
Clear space from doorways
The battery will need to be at least 600mmm from any door (including garage door) or vents to inside the house
Mechanical protection
If battery is going in garage, bollards may be required to protect your battery from any risk of being impacted by a vehicle.
Smoke alarms
If there are not already smoke alarms in your garage, your Installer may recommend these are added as part of your installation.
Second option: outside wall of a “non-habitable room”
A ‘non-habitable room’ is a construction industry term meaning rooms we don’t spend extended time in or visit frequently through the day.
There are less requirements to install on the exterior wall of a non-habitable room. Examples of these rooms include:
Third option: outside wall of a habitable room:
You can still install a battery on the wall of a “habitable room” (eg: bedroom, kitchen, dining room, TV room etc) with a few safety conditions.
If the wall isn’t made of fire-resistant material (eg: brick, cement, tile etc) installation can still go ahead with a fire rated barrier. This barrier creates an “exclusion zone” around the battery. This is only required for installations on walls of 'habitable rooms'.
Remember: as all our installers are accredited battery and solar professionals, they will ensure your installation is compliant with all relevant requirements.
Questions to Ask your Installer:
Will my wiring be inside the wall?
It can simplify installation to install your battery with wiring that runs inside the wall to your switchboard.
Where this isn’t possible, an installer will run the cables on top of the wall with cable trunking (protective covering for electrical wiring).
Some additional resources:
Thinking About A Home Battery? Better Think About Where.
Common Battery Installation Issues: Insights from an Electrical Inspector
battery-storage-guide-for-consumers.pdf