Solar, Battery and EV Charger: The Complete Home Energy Setup for 2026

More Hunter households are running the numbers on a full home energy setup — solar on the roof, a battery on the wall, and an EV charger in the garage. Done right, the three parts reinforce each other: the solar fills the battery, the battery runs the house overnight, and the car charges on energy you generated yourself. Here is how the pieces fit together and the smartest order to build.

Why the Combination Beats the Parts

Solar alone exports your surplus for a few cents per kilowatt-hour, then you buy it back at night for many times more. Adding a battery captures that surplus for evening use, which is where most of the bill savings come from. Adding an EV changes the maths again: a car is a big, flexible load you can point at your cheapest energy — midday solar — instead of charging it on peak-rate grid power. The household that coordinates all three typically imports very little from the grid at retail rates.

Getting the Sizing Right

An EV adds meaningful daily consumption, so systems sized for a pre-EV household often fall short. As a rule of thumb, we size solar generously (roof space permitting) because the marginal cost of extra panels is low, then match battery capacity to your overnight usage rather than trying to store the car's entire charge. The car itself charges directly from solar during the day where possible — storing solar in the home battery and then transferring it to the car adds unnecessary conversion losses.

What About VPPs and Wholesale Pricing?

A virtual power plant (VPP) can coordinate compatible batteries to support the grid. Participation is optional. Compatibility, battery access, reserve settings, charges and any export payments depend on the chosen program and contract; savings are not guaranteed.

The Smart Build Order

If budget forces staging: solar first, sized for the future; battery second, while the federal rebate is at its current rate (it steps down on a set schedule through 2030); charger third — or together with the battery if an EV is imminent, since combining the electrical work saves on labour. Get a free quote and we will design the full setup around your usage, roof and switchboard, even if you build it in stages.