Solar Panels and Batteries in the Sutherland Shire

Over 24,000 solar systems are registered across the Shire’s postcodes, and more than 4,500 home batteries have gone in since July 2025. We design and install both, with our own licensed team, from Menai and Engadine to Cronulla and Kurnell.

Based in Peakhurst, just over the Georges River from the Shire.

Free site assessment and written quote. Just your address and a recent electricity bill to start. No obligation.

Two Sydney Air & Solar installers on a roof
Solar In The Shire

Sydney Air & Solar handles solar panel installation and battery installation in every Sutherland Shire suburb, including Sutherland, Miranda, Caringbah, Gymea and Jannali. We work on houses and townhouses, add batteries to existing solar, and plan for coastal salt air and tree shade. Our own SAA accredited crew does every job, Monday to Friday.

The Sutherland Shire is one of the most solar-dense parts of Sydney. For every 100 houses across its postcodes there are about 40 registered solar systems, and in Menai, Illawong and Barden Ridge the figure passes 50. If you are thinking about solar or a battery, a fair share of your street has already done it.

As solar installers we use our own crew, not subcontractors, and every system is tailored to your roof, your electricity bill and your energy needs. The business is family-owned and has run since 2000. Founder Alex Arnautovic is a licensed electrician and SAA designer who spent 16 years maintaining Qantas aircraft.

24,658

Solar systems registered in Shire postcodes

4,588

Home batteries installed since July 2025

11.2 kW

Average new solar system in the last 12 months

By Postcode

How Many Homes in Your Postcode Have Solar and Batteries?

Figures from the Clean Energy Regulator’s postcode data, set against the number of houses and townhouses in each postcode at the 2021 Census. Solar counts every system registered since 2001, so a home that upgraded counts twice; read it as how common solar is, not as an exact share of homes.

PostcodeSuburbsSolar systemsPer 100 housesBatteries since Jul 2025Average battery
2234Menai, Illawong, Bangor, Alfords Point, Barden Ridge4,8935195930.5 kWh
2233Engadine, Heathcote, Yarrawarrah3,9404468628.3 kWh
2232Sutherland, Kirrawee, Kareela, Loftus, Grays Point3,2613863929.3 kWh
2229Caringbah, Taren Point, Lilli Pilli2,9023351029.1 kWh
2230Cronulla, Woolooware, Burraneer, Bundeena2,5094342028.7 kWh
2228Miranda, Yowie Bay1,6553329230.9 kWh
2226Jannali, Como, Bonnet Bay1,6064131529.1 kWh
2227Gymea, Gymea Bay1,4323229429.4 kWh
2224Sylvania, Sylvania Waters1,4103129632.5 kWh
2225Oyster Bay6924114133.1 kWh
2231Kurnell358463631.8 kWh

Source: Clean Energy Regulator, small-scale installation postcode data to August 2026; Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) Census 2021. Updated quarterly.

What stands out in the Shire

Menai and Illawong lead the Shire

Postcode 2234 has the most solar systems and the most batteries in the Shire, around 10 batteries for every 100 houses. Only 2% of homes there are units, so nearly every household has a roof of its own.

Cronulla comes close, despite the apartments

More than half the homes in 2230 are units, yet the postcode still has 43 solar systems for every 100 houses. The houses there use solar as much as anywhere in the Shire.

New systems are bigger than they used to be

A new system in the Shire over the last year averaged 11.2 kW. Across all years the average is under 8 kW. If your system is ten or more years old, it is often much smaller than a new one, which matters if you plan to add a battery.

Batteries

Did Shire Batteries Get Smaller After the May 2026 Rebate Change?

The federal Cheaper Home Batteries discount started in July 2025. From 1 May 2026 it pays less for each kilowatt-hour above 14 kWh, and the Shire’s numbers show the change clearly.

July 2025 to April 2026
30.7 kWh

average battery, 3,765 installed

May to August 2026
25.6 kWh

average battery, 823 installed

People rushed to install large batteries before the rate dropped, then sizes came back down. The most recent months will still grow as late registrations come in, but the drop in size is already clear.

So size a battery to your evening use, not to the rebate. A 13.5 kWh battery still gets the full rate on every kilowatt-hour. A 40 kWh battery bought for the rebate now earns much less on the top half, and many households would rarely fill it.

The timing matters. The battery rebate is fixed on the day the battery is installed. From 1 January 2027 the same battery earns about 16% less. If a battery is already in your plans, it is worth having the assessment done this year.

Installing In The Shire

What Do Sutherland Shire Roofs Need for Solar?

Solar panels with stainless steel mounting rails on a metal roof near the water in southern Sydney

Salt air on the water

Cronulla, Kurnell, Sylvania Waters, Bundeena and the Port Hacking foreshore get salt spray. We use Schletter rails and stainless fixings, and we check the panel and inverter installation manuals for coastal limits before we specify.

Bush and tall trees

Parts of Engadine, Heathcote, Jannali and Bonnet Bay have big gums over the roof. Where shade moves across the array, we use Enphase microinverters so one shaded panel does not pull down the rest.

Bigger homes, bigger bills

Menai, Illawong and Barden Ridge are almost all detached Sutherland Shire homes. Homes with a pool, ducted air conditioning or an EV are where a 10 kW system and a battery usually earn their keep.

Units and townhouses

If you live in a unit in Cronulla, Miranda or Sutherland, solar depends on the strata. Talk to us before the strata meeting and we can tell you what is practical for your building.

Equipment

Solar and Battery Systems We Install in the Shire

We keep a short list and know it well.

Running a business or adding an EV? We also handle commercial solar and EV charger installation.

Rebates

Rebates for Solar and Batteries in the Sutherland Shire

Shire homes get the same rebates as the rest of Sydney. We claim them for you and take them off the invoice.

  • Solar panels (STC): about $1,700 off a 6.6 kW solar power system in 2026, under the federal Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme. Sydney is in STC Zone 3.
  • Batteries (Cheaper Home Batteries): about $252 per kWh for the first 14 kWh, less above that since 1 May 2026. The rate is set on the day the battery goes in, and it steps down again on 1 January 2027, by about 16%.
  • NSW VPP incentive: an extra payment if you connect your battery to a virtual power plant. Optional, and not right for everyone.
How it works

From Your Power Bill to a Working System

Written workmanship warranty of up to 10 years, on top of the manufacturer warranties.

Accreditation: our designers and installers hold Solar Accreditation Australia (SAA) accreditation, which replaced Clean Energy Council (CEC) installer accreditation in May 2024, and we are a NETCC approved solar retailer.

Paperwork we handle: the STC and battery rebate claims, the grid connection application and network approval, and the electrical compliance certificate. What you see in your quote is the price after the rebate.

01

Send us a recent bill

And your address for a solar quote. We look at your usage and your roof from the satellite view.

02

Get a written proposal

Panel layout, battery size, rebates already deducted, one price.

03

Installation day

Our own crew, usually one day for solar, half a day for an add-on battery.

04

Handover

We connect the app, show you what everything does and lodge the grid connection with Ausgrid.

FAQ

Solar in the Sutherland Shire: Frequently Asked Questions

Do you install solar across the whole Sutherland Shire?

Yes. We are local solar installers for Sutherland Shire homeowners across the Shire, in every suburb, from Menai, Illawong and Engadine in the west to Cronulla, Kurnell and Bundeena in the east. We work Monday to Friday from our base in Peakhurst.

About 24,700 solar systems are registered in the Shire’s postcodes, roughly 40 for every 100 houses. Menai and Illawong (2234) have the highest rate, above 50.

New systems in the last 12 months averaged 11.2 kW. Most family homes land between 6.6 and 10 kW; the right system size depends on your electricity bill, not your roof area.

For most homes with solar and high evening use, yes. A battery stores excess solar energy from the day for the evening. Around 4,600 Shire homes added a battery between July 2025 and August 2026. Since 1 May 2026 the rebate pays less above 14 kWh, so size the battery to your evening use.

Yes. We use Schletter rails with stainless fixings and choose equipment rated for coastal sites. Salt spray is a reason to choose parts carefully, not a reason to skip solar.

Sometimes. It depends on the strata and the roof. Send us your building details and we will tell you whether it is practical before you go to the strata committee.

On most homes, no. Rooftop solar is exempt development under the NSW Transport and Infrastructure SEPP 2021. If your home is a heritage item or sits in a heritage conservation area, panels on the roof facing the street need sign-off from Sutherland Shire Council first. We check this before we quote.

Service area

Sutherland Shire Suburbs We Cover

Menai · Illawong · Bangor · Alfords Point · Barden Ridge · Engadine · Heathcote · Yarrawarrah · Sutherland · Kirrawee · Kareela · Loftus · Grays Point · Gymea · Gymea Bay · Miranda · Yowie Bay · Caringbah · Taren Point · Lilli Pilli · Cronulla · Woolooware · Burraneer · Bundeena · Sylvania · Sylvania Waters · Jannali · Como · Bonnet Bay · Oyster Bay · Kurnell

Nearby areas we also cover

Book Your Free Site Assessment

Tell us your address and send a recent power bill if you have one. We look at your roof, your switchboard and your usage, then send a written proposal. No obligation. We reply within one to two business days.

Prefer to talk? Call 1300 725 426, Monday to Friday.