Compare
Trade Solar vs Energybuild, MY SOLAR & retail brands.
A factual comparison for QLD builders evaluating a solar trade partner. Public claims, channel structures, and channel-leak risk for each option — sourced from each provider's own website.
Last updated 5 May 2026. Sourced from each provider's homepage as published.
| Dimension | Trade Solar | Energybuild | MY SOLAR (Builders) |
Retail brands Solahart, Sunboost, Springers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Channel structure | Trade-only. No homeowner sales, no retail website, no consumer ad spend. Your client cannot buy from us directly. | Mixed. Builder channel + national homeowner support line published on homepage (1300 983 668). | Builder-focused. Has a "complete service" builder offer. Public site does not list a homeowner sales channel. | Retail-first. Built around homeowner-direct quoting. Builder pricing leaks through consumer site at the same RRP. |
| Margin-leak risk | None — the price your client sees on Google for Trade Solar is, by design, nothing. | Yes — homeowner channel publishes pricing the builder's RRP must match. | Low — public site does not display retail pricing. | High — every retail brand publishes consumer pricing visible to builders' clients. |
| Geographic focus | South East Queensland only. Crews live in the coverage area; install windows are scheduled to suit roof-on dates in Brisbane, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, Logan, Ipswich, Redland, Moreton Bay, and Toowoomba. | National. Six offices: Brisbane (HQ), Sydney, Central Coast NSW, Melbourne East, Melbourne West, Adelaide. | National team with local installer network. | National with retail-focused marketing footprint. |
| Pricing transparency to builder | Trade price + suggested RRP + per-package margin breakdown disclosed on the price sheet. | "Volume pricing passed on to builders" — specific margin breakdown not publicly detailed. | Public site emphasises full-service handling; pricing model not publicly described. | Wholesale terms negotiable; retail pricing visible to your client. |
| Single-visit install during construction | Yes — install timed to roof-on date, single visit, SMS to site super 48 / 24 hr ahead. | Yes — claims industry-first single-visit install. | Builder-coordinated install (process described). | Typically post-handover retrofit; not optimised for build program. |
| Warranty exit | Direct to homeowner from handover. Builder is removed from the warranty path on day one. | Customer support handled centrally (homeowner phone line published). | Public site states builder-out-of-loop after handover. | Retail terms typically route warranty through original purchaser; builder remains in chain. |
| Components | Tier-1 only. Jinko Tiger NEO panels, Sungrow inverters/batteries, Tesla Wall Connector for EV. | "High quality products from the world's best manufacturers" — specific brands not publicly listed on homepage. | Jinko, JA Solar, Risen Solar (publicly listed brand range). | Brand mix varies by retailer. |
| NatHERS / NCC 2022 documentation | NatHERS-aligned spec sheet included with every install pack. Dedicated /nathers-compliance-solar resource. | Compliance handling described as part of full-service delivery. | "Solar contribution calculations and reports" listed as deliverable. | Not consistently positioned for new-build NatHERS workflow. |
| STC paperwork | Lodged on builder's behalf, included. | Handled. | In-house registered STC trader. | Typically handled. |
| Designed for QLD-specific factors | Yes — climate zone 2 + zone 5 (Toowoomba), Energex + Ergon grid, BAL/coastal/cyclone-region mounting standardised across the LGA portfolio. | Multi-state operation, not QLD-specific. | National coverage, not QLD-specific. | National. |
Sources: Energybuild publishes a "FOR HOMEOWNERS" national support line at energybuild.com.au; MY SOLAR's builder offering is described at mysolar.com.au/builders; retail brand positioning sourced from solahart.com.au, sunboost.com.au, and springers.com.au homepages. Cross-checked 5 May 2026.
The structural difference
Why "trade-only" is the dimension that matters most.
Most of the dimensions above can be matched by any solar provider that puts effort into a builder channel. Tier-1 components, single-visit install, NatHERS docs, STC handling — these are commodities. Any competent installer can deliver them.
The dimension that structurally cannot be matched is whether the provider also sells to homeowners. If they do, your inclusion margin is a Google search away from being challenged. If they don't, it isn't.
Energybuild publishes a homeowner support line on its homepage. That single fact tells you how their channel structure is organised — and by extension, how exposed your builder pricing is to comparison shopping by your own clients. Trade Solar publishes no such line because there isn't one to publish.
That is the entire pitch in one sentence: we don't sell to homeowners. Everything else flows from that.
See the actual numbers
Request the price sheet to see trade cost, suggested RRP, and per-package margin.
Sent within one business day. Builder partners only.