How to Plan For Solar When Building a New Home

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If you’re building - or thinking about building - a new home and you know that solar panels, batteries, and EV chargers are in your future, then this is your sign to plan ahead. 

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Far too often, we see new homes that are extremely difficult to integrate with solar and battery systems once we, the solar installer, eventually enter the scene. It’s almost always the result of avoidable design decisions. 

If you’re working with an architect or builder, do them (and yourself) a favour and send them this blog. By following a few critical design tips, you can future-proof your home and save yourself a lot of expense and hassle when you’re ready to install an energy system. 

Read more: Faster EV charging: 22kW AC vs 25kW DC chargers explained

In this blog, we’ll highlight the most common building mistakes we see and show you how to avoid them when planning your new home for solar. 

Switchboard locations

One of the biggest pain points we encounter is poor switchboard placement. Under no circumstances should you let your builder or electrician install your switchboard on an internal wall. Don’t be afraid to question your build team about the planned installation location for the switchboard, and request a different location if you think that it isn’t suitable. 

Switchboard locations to avoid:

• Interior walls
• Inside pantries or cupboards
• In tight or inaccessible areas

Examples of poor switchboard locations

1. Switchboard on an interior wall in a central hallway

2. Switchboard inside a pantry

3. Switchboard on an interior wall at the entrance to the house beside the stairs

4. Switchboard inside a linen/utility cupboard

A poorly placed switchboard can make future solar and battery installations far more complex and far more expensive. It can limit cable routing options, restrict equipment placement, and even trigger rework on cabinetry or walls. 

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Gold-standard placement of switchboards includes:

• In your garage, if your garage is connected to the home
• On a wall that backs onto an exterior wall
• In a basement or utility room that is accessible and has free wall space

In addition to this, make sure your main switchboard will have spare capacity. If your new switchboard is completely full, there would be no capacity left for the solar and battery system. A switchboard upgrade would be required, costing you more money. 

Read more: Single-phase vs three-phase solar systems: what's the difference?

A garage or exterior wall placement, ample wall space, and spare capacity are the three key things you need to request of your builder or architect during the build of your new home. 

A smart switchboard location will make your home ready for solar and ensure your future installation is efficient and cost-effective. 

Read more: A guide to charging your EV with solar energy

Internet access

These days, it doesn't matter what solar or battery components you install, you can guarantee that you’ll need a strong internet connection. Solar inverters, batteries, and EV chargers all use cloud-based monitoring and apps for control and reporting.

The best way to future-proof your home is to hard-wire a LAN cable directly from your router/modem to your switchboard or inverter location. 

Wifi is the next best option available, but it can be unreliable, especially if your switchboard ends up in a low-signal area (like a garage or utility room). A hard-wired connection ensures excellent data transfer for system monitoring and future upgrades. And, it’s easy to request while you’re still in the build phase.

Read more: Top 10 energy-saving habits to lower your electricity bill

Roof design

Roof design plays an imperative role in dictating how much solar you can capture, how efficient your system is, and your return on investment. 

Try to avoid: 

• Overly complex rooflines
• Multiple hips, valleys, and gables
• Small or segmented roof surfaces

Example of a roof with limited solar due to the multiple hips and gables

Instead, aim for:

• Simple, clean rooflines
• Large, open roof faces
• If you can’t avoid a complex roof design, at a minimum, try to designate 1-2 large areas specifically for solar (don’t install additional assets, like a skylight or whirly bird) on these spaces. 

A simple roof design maximises the amount of solar you can install and ensures good long-term solar production. If your roof must have complexity (for aesthetic or design reasons), try to reserve at least one sizeable roof face that remains free from obstructions like vents or skylights. 

Example of an architecturally complex house with designated roofs for solar arrays

Our rule of thumb is the more solar you can install, the better. Retrofitting solar panels to an existing system is complicated and costly, so take advantage of doing it the first time by installing as many solar panels as you can. The more available roof space you have, the easier it is to achieve a robust system that can supply solar power for future loads or additions like batteries and EV chargers. 

Read more: Will my solar still work during a power outage?

Wrapping Up

We hope you’ve picked up some valuable tips from this blog. With some smart planning and a few simple design choices, your home can be solar-ready - allowing you to integrate solar panels, batteries, and EV chargers easily when the time comes.

If you’re an architect, builder, or homeowner planning a new build, we encourage you to take this seriously. The future of home energy is solar-powered - let’s make it easier, not harder, to embrace it.

Springers Solar | QLD's Most Experienced Solar and Battery Installer

Springers Solar provides quality components with proven performance, backed by industry-leading warranties, and dedicated after-sales support. Thousands of satisfied customers over 23 years of operation make Springers Solar one of the most established and experienced solar companies in Australia.

​Springers Solar has received multiple awards for design and installation and is a certified/preferred installer for a large range of solar panels, inverters, and solar battery manufacturers, including Sungrow, Tesla, and SolarEdge.

Our dedicated in-house team of electrical engineers, project managers, solar PV designers, solar installers, and electricians work closely with you before, during, and long after your project is completed. Springers Solar offers an industry-leading 10-year workmanship warranty which is a testament to our qualified staff and offers you outstanding peace of mind.