Single phase vs three phase: what it means for your solar

What the difference is

Single-phase supply delivers power over one active conductor; three-phase over three. Most older and smaller NSW homes are single-phase; larger homes, homes with ducted air conditioning, and most business premises are three-phase. Your switchboard or meter tells the story, and it's one of the first things our site check confirms.

Why it matters for solar: export limits and inverter capacity rules are typically set per phase - commonly around 5 kW per phase in NSW networks - so your supply type directly shapes how large a system can usefully be.

Practical consequences

On single phase, systems up to about 13 kW of panels remain very workable within typical inverter and export rules - which is why our packages up to 13 kW offer both supply options, while everything larger is three-phase territory.

Three-phase homes get more headroom: larger inverters, higher export ceilings, and better support for big loads like EV chargers. Three-phase battery backup is also a more involved design question - which loads sit on which phase during an outage needs deliberate engineering, not assumption.

Should you upgrade?

Upgrading single to three phase is possible but costs real money and involves your network provider. It's rarely justified by solar alone; it starts making sense when solar coincides with other drivers - an EV, ducted aircon, a renovation. We'll tell you plainly if your goals fit within single phase, because they usually do.