Service category
Solar and Battery, Gold Coast
Solar fault diagnosis, battery monitoring integration, and off-grid system design across South-East Queensland. Three connected services covering existing solar that's stopped working, battery monitoring that ties solar and storage into one dashboard, and stand-alone power systems for properties without grid connection. The work splits between what we deliver directly under our Queensland Electrical Contractor licence and what's coordinated through SAA-accredited partner installers, which is explained plainly below, not buried in fine print.
Which service fits your situation
Solar projects start in different places depending on whether you've got an existing system that's failing, an existing system you want to monitor better, or a new project on a property without grid connection. The right starting service depends on which problem you're trying to solve.
Start with Solar Health Check if:
Your existing solar has stopped producing, is producing less than it used to, or is throwing fault codes you don't understand. The original installer is gone, unhelpful, or quoting suspiciously. You want to know what's actually wrong before deciding whether to repair or replace. The Solar Health Check is the diagnostic entry point. $250, written report, fault findings, and a clear path forward.
Start with Solar and Battery Monitoring if:
Your solar (and battery, if you have one) is working fine but the monitoring is scattered across five apps that don't talk to each other. You want one dashboard showing production, consumption, battery state, EV charging, and grid flow in real time. Or you're planning to add a battery to existing solar and want monitoring designed in from the start rather than bolted on later.
Start with Off-Grid Solar System Design if:
Your property has no grid connection and the connection quote is over $30,000, or you're building a rural cabin or workshop where running a sub-feed is uneconomic, or you specifically want full grid independence. Off-grid is engineering-led work. Load profile, battery sizing, hardware selection across multiple platforms, and project management of the SAA-accredited installer who delivers the install.
If your existing solar is fine but you want to add a battery to a working grid-connected system, that work falls between the monitoring and off-grid services depending on scope. The audit covers the question and identifies the right path.
SAA accreditation, in plain language
The Australian solar industry has a specific accreditation regime that splits the work in ways that aren't always obvious to homeowners. Here's what it actually means in practice for any solar work we quote.
Direct work
Battery installation (off-grid systems and standalone storage), DC-side fault finding, BMS configuration, DC isolator replacement, monitoring hardware (CT clamps, energy monitors, controllers), inverter integration with the broader electrical system, and EV charger circuit work. All delivered directly under our Queensland Electrical Contractor licence. This covers most of the day-to-day solar service work and all of the integration layer.
SAA partner work
Anything that touches the grid-connection point on a grid-tied solar system requires SAA accreditation under the Clean Energy Regulator's small-scale renewable scheme. SAA replaced CEC as the accreditation body in February 2024. Iron and Air's SAA accreditation is in process. Until it issues, the following work is coordinated through SAA-accredited partner installers working to our design:
- New grid-tied solar installations (claiming Small-scale Technology Certificates / STCs)
- Replacing a grid-tied inverter on an existing system
- Panel removal and refit on an existing grid-tied system
- Off-grid system commissioning (claiming SPS-class STCs)
- Battery storage installations on grid-tied systems (claiming GCBS-class STCs)
The split is invisible to the client
One project manager (us), one written scope, one combined deliverable. You don't manage two contractors, we do. The pricing reflects the actual scope. Documentation specifies who delivered what, which matters for warranty purposes. STCs are claimable in full because the SAA-accredited installer claims them on the partner-delivered portion. When our SAA accreditation issues, the partner-installer step disappears and we deliver everything directly.
Why this is actually a quality assurance
The SAA-partner arrangement means we're not biased toward any specific solar hardware vendor. We design for what fits your situation, then engage the right installer for the install. Many sole-trader solar installers are tied to a single distributor and recommend whatever they can buy easily. The design-and-project-manage model produces better-fit hardware decisions, even when the same person eventually does both phases.
The same engineering approach across all three
The three services aren't independent products. They share an engineering foundation that distinguishes the work from volume solar installers and single-brand specialists.
Diagnostic depth before recommendation
Every solar service starts with measurement, not estimation. The Solar Health Check uses string-level voltage and current testing, insulation resistance, inverter fault log review, and DC isolator inspection. Battery monitoring audits map every brand and integration path before recommending hardware. Off-grid design starts with load profile analysis before any sizing calculation. Recommendations come from data, not guesses.
Open monitoring over manufacturer lock-in
Whatever inverter, battery, or off-grid platform we work with, the monitoring layer integrates into Home Assistant rather than locking you to the manufacturer's app. Fronius, SMA, Sungrow, GoodWe, Tesla, Sigenergy, Selectronic, Victron. All have integration paths into Home Assistant. The unified dashboard doesn't depend on any single manufacturer staying in business or honouring any specific cloud pricing tier.
Documentation as a deliverable
Every solar project ends with documentation: as-installed wiring diagrams, monitoring credentials, configuration backups, alarm thresholds, and (for off-grid) load profiles and sizing calculations. The documentation is yours regardless of who you continue with for service work after the install.
Honesty about scope and cost
Solar pricing is full of marketing tricks. STC discounts presented as savings, install costs that don't include certain components, "free quotes" that turn into surprise extras at install time. We quote in writing with explicit inclusions and exclusions, indicative cost ranges where exact pricing depends on audit findings, and we tell you when grid-connect makes more sense than off-grid (or vice versa) even if it costs us the larger job.
From audit to commissioned system
Solar projects follow roughly the same shape across diagnostic, monitoring, and off-grid work. Specifics vary by scope, but the structure is consistent.
1. Audit
The starting audit depends on the service. Solar Health Check ($250) for fault diagnosis. Home System Audit ($450) for monitoring integration on grid-tied systems. The same audit, with extended scope, for off-grid design ($600-$1,800 depending on rural travel and complexity).
2. Written report and design
Within five business days. The report specifies findings, recommendations, fixed-price quotes for direct work, indicative quotes for partner work, and a project plan covering the phases.
3. Hardware ordering and partner coordination
Standard hardware (inverters, monitoring components, CT clamps) usually in stock locally. Specialty hardware (off-grid components, larger batteries, specific inverter models) can have 2-8 week lead times. Where SAA partner work is involved, partner scheduling is coordinated as part of project management.
4. Install
Direct work scheduled by us. Partner-delivered work scheduled by us in coordination with the partner installer. You have one point of contact (us) regardless of which contractor is on site for which day.
5. Commissioning and integration
Last phase of every project. Components configured, monitoring activated, alarm thresholds set, dashboards built, training delivered. Owner walkthrough included on the final day.
6. Handover and documentation
Documentation pack delivered, training session covering daily use and what to do when something looks wrong. The first three months are covered by labour warranty on direct work; partner-delivered work carries the partner's warranty terms (documented in the project handover).
Common questions across the solar category
▸ Can I claim STCs if Iron and Air does the work?
▸ How does the SAA partner installer arrangement work in practice?
▸ What happens when your SAA accreditation issues?
▸ My existing solar is from an installer who's gone out of business. Can you still help?
▸ How does the cost compare to a volume solar installer?
▸ Can I get just monitoring on existing solar without changing anything else?
▸ Do you do new grid-tied solar installations?
▸ What about adding a battery to my existing solar?
Book the right audit
Solar projects start with the audit that matches your situation. Solar Health Check for fault diagnosis. Home System Audit for monitoring integration. Audit with extended scope for off-grid design. Most enquiries get a response within four business hours. If you're not sure which audit fits, the form context will help us recommend the right one before charging.