New build solar for Queensland builders.

Where solar fits in the program

New build solar starts before the roof is on. The electrical layout, roof plane, inverter position, switchboard allowance, and metering pathway all affect cost and site risk. A post-handover retrofit can work for an owner. It is the wrong model for a builder running fixed-price contracts and repeated designs.

The useful handover point is the plan set. That gives enough information to size a compliant system, check roof orientation, flag shading risk, nominate inverter location, and prepare a package that the selections team can sell without redesigning the house.

Installation then splits into two practical stages. Roof work happens when access is clean and the site super can coordinate scaffold or edge protection. Final-fit and commissioning happen once electrical works, meter position, and network approval are ready. This keeps the solar trade inside the normal construction rhythm.

The builder case

Solar is not only an owner upgrade. It can protect margin, reduce NatHERS pressure, and remove late-stage procurement noise. In many Queensland designs, PV is the simplest way to lift performance without changing glazing, wall build-up, roof colour, insulation scope, or the floor plan.

That matters under NCC 2022. When a house is short on energy performance, builders need a lever that does not trigger drafting changes, structural review, or client re-selection. Solar gives the estimator a clean line item and gives the energy assessor a predictable input. The related compliance path is covered in NatHERS 7-star compliance with solar.

The same logic applies to contract administration. If solar is presented as a package before contract, the client sees the full cost and the builder keeps control of scope. If it is left until late construction, the conversation moves to variation pricing, owner-supplied equipment, access disputes, and connection delays.

What the package includes

A new build solar package should be simple enough for sales and precise enough for construction. The builder needs a price, system size, equipment schedule, roof layout, inclusions, exclusions, and install assumptions. The site team needs the same scope converted into practical milestones.

• Plan-based PV design using the roof layout and electrical assumptions.
• Package pricing for standard inclusions and upgrade paths.
• Panel, inverter, isolator, and cabling specification.
• Roof-stage installation planning with site access assumptions.
• Final-fit commissioning and handover documentation.
• STC assignment, SRES paperwork, and registered-agent lodgement support.
• Energex or Ergon connection support where the build requires it.
• Warranty pathway for the builder and homeowner after completion.

Builders can align those inclusions with the standard offers on solar packages, then use project-specific design when the elevation, roof pitch, estate rules, or client upgrade changes the system.

Energex and Ergon timing

Queensland network timing is not a decoration. It affects when a system can be approved, commissioned, and handed over. Energex and Ergon requirements vary by site, phase, inverter capacity, export setting, meter status, and whether the build needs additional network review.

The key is to start early enough that approvals do not sit on the critical path. Builders should avoid discovering export limits, phase issues, or meter dependencies when the home is already approaching practical completion. The process detail is set out in the Energex connection timeline.

For regional projects, the same operating discipline applies under Ergon. The system design, connection pathway, and commissioning plan need to match the distributor area before install dates are promised to the client.

Selections and contracts

Solar performs best as a controlled selection. The client can choose a base system, a battery-ready upgrade, or a larger PV size where the roof and network allow it. The builder keeps scope tight because the offer is already documented.

The selections sheet should state system size, equipment class, monitoring inclusion, switchboard assumptions, access assumptions, and any known distributor constraints. It should also define what happens if the client requests extra capacity after contract. That prevents a simple PV upgrade from becoming a drafting, roofing, electrical, and network variation all at once.

For builders who want a standing trade model, the builder-only solar pathway sets out how Trade Solar works across design, pricing, installation, STC paperwork, and warranty support.

Build-stage checklist

1. Send the architectural plans, electrical mark-up, roof material, phase information, and estate requirements.
2. Confirm the target system size, package tier, inverter location, and battery-ready requirement.
3. Price the system before contract or before selections sign-off.
4. Coordinate roof-stage install with scaffold, access, and site-super approval.
5. Complete final-fit once the electrical works and meter pathway are ready.
6. Submit STC paperwork and connection documentation.
7. Commission, hand over documents, and record warranty details.

This is the low-friction version of new build solar. It treats PV as a trade package with defined commercial and construction controls.

Send the plan set

Trade Solar works with Queensland builders who need solar designed, priced, installed, and documented before handover. Send the plan set and build location. We will return a package-ready scope with the assumptions made clear.

Request a design for a Queensland new build solar package.