From signed quote to switch-on: the full journey

The shape of it

Accepting a quote starts a process with more moving parts than most customers expect - not because anything is wrong, but because a generator is being legally connected to the public grid. End to end, a typical NSW residential project runs two to six weeks from acceptance to switch-on, with the spread driven almost entirely by approvals, stock and scheduling rather than the installation itself.

Here's the whole arc, so nothing on it surprises you.

Weeks one to two: approvals and logistics

First, the grid application: we apply to your network (Ausgrid or Endeavour in Sydney) for connection approval, which confirms your export arrangement and any conditions. In parallel: final engineering checks against your site-check details, hardware allocation from stock, and your installation date scheduled. Deposit terms and everything you've agreed sit in writing before this begins - if any retailer starts work before you've received full terms, that's a red flag we've written about.

You don't need to do anything in this phase beyond answering the occasional confirmation. If approval conditions affect your design - an export constraint, a metering requirement - you hear about it now, with options, not after installation.

Install day

Most residential systems are installed in a single day by SAA-accredited installers; batteries, three-phase or complex roofs can run longer. Expect power to be off for a period while the system is connected, and expect the crew to need switchboard and roof access. Being home is recommended though not always essential - decisions occasionally benefit from you being reachable.

The day ends with commissioning: the system tested against its design, safety verification, and your compliance documentation - keep it, it matters for warranty and eventual sale. Our install-day article covers the roof-type specifics, including the tile question.

The meter, and the quiet week

After installation, your electricity retailer arranges any required meter reconfiguration so exports are measured - usually days, occasionally the slowest step, and frustratingly outside your installer's direct control. Your system generates and self-supplies in the meantime; the metering step is about being paid for exports and billed correctly.

This is also when your monitoring goes live: production visible immediately, and consumption too if your system includes site metering - which every battery system we commission does. The first fortnight of data is worth actually looking at; it's your baseline.

After switch-on: the two follow-ups that matter

One: re-shop your electricity plan - your old plan was chosen for a household that no longer exists, and the comparison takes twenty minutes with the sites in our retailer-offers article. Two: use the monitoring - the expected-versus-actual comparison is how underperformance gets caught in days instead of quarters, and it's the evidence base for any warranty conversation.

From there the system should be boring in the best way: generating, saving, and occasionally glanced at. That's what all the process above buys - decades of uneventful.