Solar Panels on Strata Buildings: How to Get It Approved and Who Benefits

Across Australia

Solar approval depends on the building structure and the state approval pathway. NSW has a sustainability infrastructure route. Victoria, Queensland, WA, SA, Tasmania, ACT and NT schemes still need to check their local voting thresholds, common property powers, embedded-network rules and electricity retail obligations.

The commercial question is national: roof condition, ownership of the system, allocation of savings, maintenance responsibility, insurance impact and what happens if roof works are needed later.

What to know before you act

• Solar approval is easier when the benefit model is clear before the vote.
• Roof condition, structural capacity, metering and maintenance can make or break the economics.
• Decide who benefits and who pays before installation.

Solar proposals succeed when the numbers are legible. Owners need to see who pays, who benefits, and what happens if the roof needs work later.

Solar on an apartment building is more complicated than solar on a house. The roof is common property, the electricity savings need to be allocated and dozens of owners may have to approve the upfront cost.

A well-designed solar system can reduce common-area electricity costs by 40–70%, improve the building's NABERS energy rating, increase property values and recover its cost within five to eight years.

The approval process

Solar panel installation on a strata building involves modifying common property (the roof). The approval process depends on your state:

State	Resolution Required	Key Consideration
NSW	Sustainability infrastructure resolution; passes unless 50%+ of votes are against (simple majority)	Solar classified as sustainability infrastructure under the 2021 amendments
Victoria	Special resolution (75%) for common property modifications	Some councils offer incentives for strata solar installations
Queensland	Ordinary resolution or committee decision depending on cost	Body corporate can approve directly if under the committee spending limit
ACT	Ordinary resolution for sustainability infrastructure	Strong government incentives available
WA	Usually strata company approval under common property rules	Check strata company authority and local planning requirements
SA	Usually strata/community corporation approval	Check corporation authority and local planning requirements
TAS	Usually body corporate approval under strata rules	Check body corporate authority and local planning requirements
NT	Usually body corporate approval under unit title rules	Check body corporate authority and local planning requirements

In NSW, solar panels qualify as sustainability infrastructure. The motion passes when fewer than 50% of votes cast are against it, a lower threshold than the former special-resolution requirement.

1. 01
   Feasibility study and roof check
2. 02
   Costs and savings modelled
3. 03
   Committee endorses the proposal
4. 04
   Owners pass the resolution
5. 05
   Install, metering and commissioning
6. 06
   Savings flow to common area bill

When the economics work

The financial case for strata solar depends on the building's common area electricity consumption. Buildings with high common area loads, such as lifts, pool pumps, air conditioning in lobbies, car park lighting and ventilation, benefit most.

Building Size	Typical System Size	Estimated Cost	Annual Savings (Common Area)	Payback Period
Small (10–20 lots)	10–20 kW	$10,000–$25,000	$2,500–$5,000	4–6 years
Medium (30–60 lots)	30–60 kW	$30,000–$70,000	$7,000–$15,000	4–7 years
Large (80+ lots)	80–150 kW	$80,000–$180,000	$18,000–$40,000	5–8 years

Gold: cumulative energy saved. Navy: remaining net cost.

These figures assume the solar energy is consumed on-site by common area loads. Feed-in tariffs (exporting excess energy to the grid) are typically only 3–7 cents per kWh, far less than the 25–35 cents per kWh you save by consuming the energy directly. This is why system sizing should be matched to the building's daytime consumption profile, not maximised for roof coverage.

Who benefits and how

This is where strata solar gets politically interesting. The savings from a rooftop solar system accrue to the owners corporation's electricity bill, which is funded through levies paid by all owners. This means the benefit is shared proportionally across all lot owners through reduced levies, even if some owners would have preferred to spend the money elsewhere.

There are three common models for distributing solar benefits in strata:

Common-area only is the simplest approach. Solar energy offsets the building's common-area electricity costs, so owners benefit through lower levies. No individual lots are connected. This is the most common and least contentious model.

With an embedded network, the building operates as a small electricity retailer and distributes solar energy to individual lots. This requires regulatory compliance with the Australian Energy Regulator and is more complex. Some larger buildings and new developments use this model.

Virtual net metering allocates solar credits to individual lot electricity bills. It is not yet widely available in Australia but is being trialled in some jurisdictions.

Battery storage

Adding battery storage to a strata solar system allows excess daytime generation to be stored and used during evening and overnight peak periods. This can increase self-consumption rates from 40–60% (solar only) to 70–90% (solar plus battery), reduce reliance on expensive peak-period grid electricity, and provide backup power for essential common area systems during blackouts.

However, batteries add significant upfront cost ($15,000–$50,000 depending on capacity) and have a shorter lifespan (typically 10–15 years) than solar panels (25+ years). The payback calculation is less clear-cut than for solar alone, particularly in buildings where common area consumption is low overnight.

Roof space and structural checks

Not every strata building is suited to solar. Check the available unshaded roof area, structural capacity, other rooftop equipment, heritage or planning restrictions and ownership of the roof under the strata plan. North-facing space is ideal, but east and west orientations still produce 80–85% of optimal output. Panels typically weigh 15–20 kg each.

Government incentives

Federal and state incentives significantly reduce the cost of strata solar installations. The federal Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme provides Small-scale Technology Certificates (STCs) that effectively discount the system cost by $3,000–$8,000 for a typical strata installation. Some state and local governments offer additional rebates or grants for community and strata solar projects. The NSW Strata Solar initiative through Energy NSW has provided co-funding for solar feasibility studies and installations in strata buildings.

Maintenance and ongoing management

Solar panels require minimal maintenance: typically an annual clean and electrical inspection. The owners corporation should budget $500–$1,500 per year for maintenance, include the solar system in its 10-year capital works fund plan, ensure the installation warranty (typically 10 years for workmanship, 25 years for panel performance) is registered in the name of the owners corporation, and monitor system performance through an online monitoring portal.

How UnitBuddy helps owners see it

UnitBuddy's sustainability assessment records whether the building has solar and compares its energy costs with similar buildings. Installed solar also contributes to the UnitBuddy wellness score.

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Start with the roof, daytime power use and voting threshold. A proposal that shows the cost, allocation of savings and payback period gives owners something concrete to decide.

Further reading

• NSW: Can a strata by-law ban solar panels in NSW?, via LookUpStrata
• WA: How to prepare and approve a solar panel infrastructure contract for strata voting, via LookUpStrata

Keep the scheme file in one place the committee and the manager can both open. Features, pricing, or book a tour.