Energex owns and runs the poles and wires across South East Queensland. Before a solar or battery system can be connected to the grid, Energex has to approve it. This guide explains what that approval involves, what export limits mean for a Brisbane home, and how long it all takes from signing to switch-on. The figures come from Energex's own website and connection standards.
The Short Version
- Every new system needs Energex approval before it goes in. So does every change: adding a battery, swapping an inverter or adding panels.
- Your installer usually applies for you. Energex recommends it, because the application needs technical details.
- Most Brisbane homes get a standard ("basic") connection. On single phase power that means up to 10 kVA of inverters and up to 5 kW of solar sent to the grid at any moment.
- Some streets get less. Where the local network already has a lot of solar, Energex can lower the export limit, sometimes to zero.
- A "dynamic" connection can raise the limit to as much as 10 kW per phase when the network has room, using an internet link to your inverter.
- Energex's own timeframes run from immediate (an expedited basic application) to about 65 business days (a negotiated or dynamic one).
- The system stays switched off after installation until your meter has been changed or reprogrammed to measure export. Your electricity retailer arranges that.
Energex, Your Retailer and Your Installer
Three different businesses are involved, and it helps to know who does what.
- Energex is the network. It approves the connection, sets your export limit and may inspect the system. It doesn't send you a bill.
- Your electricity retailer is the company on your power bill. It arranges the meter change and puts you on a solar feed-in tariff if you're eligible.
- Your installer designs the system, applies to Energex, installs it and lodges the paperwork when it's done.
What Energex Approval Involves
Approved equipment and an accredited installer
Energex asks that the inverter and battery are on the Clean Energy Council's approved lists, and that the installer is accredited by Solar Accreditation Australia (SAA).
The connection application
Your installer submits a Connect Application through Energex's online portal for electrical contractors. It uses the details of the electricity account holder, so have a recent power bill handy: it also shows your NMI, the number that identifies your meter. Energex then checks whether the local network can take the system, and whether it qualifies as a basic connection or needs a negotiated one.
The connection offer
Energex makes an offer, and it has to be accepted before any work starts. Your installer can accept it for you, but the contract it creates is between you and Energex.
Installation
Nothing can be installed until the offer is accepted. After the install, the installer lodges an Electrical Work Request with Energex. Under Energex's standard contract that has to happen within 90 business days of the contract starting.
The meter
Every system needs a meter that measures what you export. Your retailer arranges a new meter or reprograms the one you have. Until that's done, the installer must leave the system switched off.
A possible inspection
Energex may visit to check the system matches the application and meets the standards. It needs access to your meter box and inverter, but not the panels.
Basic or negotiated?
Most home systems qualify for a basic connection. Energex offers it on standard terms, with no application fee. These are the standard limits for a fixed (not dynamic) connection on the main grid:
| Your power supply | Total inverter size | Export limit | Connection type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single phase | Up to 10 kVA | 5 kW | Basic |
| Three phase | Up to 10 kVA per phase (30 kVA in all) | 5 kW per phase | Basic |
Energex sizes inverters in kVA. For a home system you can read it as roughly the inverter's kW rating. A battery's inverter counts towards the total, and a hybrid inverter (one box that runs both the solar and the battery) counts once, for its full size.
A system outside these limits, a dynamic connection, or a site where the network needs a closer look becomes a negotiated connection. That takes longer and has a fee: $157 to $472 for a standard negotiated application, or $315 for a dynamic one, including GST (Energex's 2026-27 fees). Systems over 30 kVA, such as larger businesses, follow a separate process.
Adding a battery, or changing a system you already have
Energex has to approve the change first. Its words: changes "such as changing settings, swapping your inverter, or adding panels or batteries" must be approved before an installer makes them. So adding a battery to existing solar starts with a new application, just like a new system.
One rule catches people with single phase power. On a fixed single phase connection, the solar and battery inverters together can't go over 10 kVA. If your solar inverter is already 10 kVA, a fixed connection leaves no room for a separate battery inverter.
The emergency backstop
Since 6 February 2023, a new or enlarged system whose inverters add up to 10 kVA or more must give Energex a way to switch it off in a grid emergency, at the direction of the market operator (AEMO). That is either a small signalling device in the meter box, or a dynamic connection over the internet. Energex says the backstop has never been used in Queensland and is a last resort to avoid widespread blackouts. A battery inverter that only runs from the battery (an AC-coupled battery) doesn't need it.
What Export Limits Mean for a Brisbane Home
"Export" is the solar your home doesn't use at that moment, which flows out to the grid and earns a feed-in tariff from your retailer. The export limit is how much can flow out at once.
On a standard connection the limit is 5 kW per phase. In parts of the network that already have a lot of solar, Energex can set it lower, and in some areas it has been zero.
What happens to solar over the limit
Nothing breaks. The inverter watches what's going out and turns its own output down so the export stays at the limit. The extra solar simply isn't made.
For example: on a sunny afternoon your panels could make 8 kW while the house uses 1 kW. That leaves 7 kW spare. With a 5 kW limit and no battery, 5 kW goes to the grid and the inverter trims the other 2 kW.
How a battery helps
A battery soaks up solar that would otherwise be exported or trimmed, and gives it back in the evening when you'd be buying power from the grid. Energex's own advice is that the best way to get value from solar is to use as much of it as you can in your home or business. Stored solar you use at night is usually worth more to you than solar you export for a feed-in tariff.
Dynamic connections
A dynamic connection replaces the fixed limit with one that moves. Your inverter, or a small add-on device, talks to Energex over your home internet, and Energex updates the limit every 5 minutes based on how much the local network can take.
- More export when there's room: up to 10 kW per phase, against 5 kW on a basic connection.
- A floor of 1.5 kW: even when Energex needs to cut exports, you can still export 1.5 kW, unless there's a serious emergency.
- Bigger systems on single phase: up to 10 kVA of solar inverter plus 10 kVA of battery inverter, without moving to three phase. A hybrid inverter is still capped at 10 kVA in total.
- When limiting is most likely: Energex says on clear, sunny days around autumn and early spring, when demand is low, and on streets with a lot of solar.
- The catch: it needs a compatible inverter or gateway device and a working internet connection. If the internet drops out for long, the limit falls back to 1.5 kW until it's restored. It is a negotiated connection, so it takes longer to approve and has the $315 fee.
You can get a rough idea of whether your street is likely to have export limits from Energex's Network Capacity Map, though Energex says it's only a general guide. Your installer finds out for sure when the application comes back.
How Long It Takes From Signing to Switch-On
There are three parts: Energex's approval, the install itself, and the meter.
Energex's approval
| Type of application | Energex's timeframe |
|---|---|
| Basic, expedited | Approved as soon as it's submitted, where the network has capacity |
| Basic, not expedited | Offer within 10 business days, with 45 business days to accept it |
| Negotiated, including dynamic | Energex gets in touch within 10 business days and aims to make an offer within 65 business days, with 20 business days to accept it |
The install
Most residential solar installations are completed in a single day. After you accept your quote, we typically schedule installation within 2 to 4 weeks, depending on the season.
The meter
After the install, the installer lodges the paperwork with Energex, and your retailer arranges the meter work. Energex says your retailer will tell you whether your meter needs changing and how long it will take. The system stays off until then.
Timing and the battery rebate
The federal battery discount is set by the date your battery is installed, and the rate steps down on 1 January and 1 July. Energex approval comes before installation, so leave time for it if you're aiming for a particular date. See our guide to solar and battery rebates.
What Can Slow It Down
- A negotiated assessment. Larger systems, dynamic connections and busy parts of the network can take up to about 65 business days.
- Switchboard work. Some older homes need switchboard or meter box upgrades before solar can go in. Your installer will tell you at the quote.
- The meter. The system can't be switched on until the retailer has changed or reprogrammed it.
- Wrong account details. The application has to match the electricity account holder on the power bill.
Ready to Start?
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