SolarQuotes has published the home battery category of its 2026 Installer's Choice Awards. The survey put a single question to 125 vetted Australian solar installers: which home battery would you choose for your own home. Responses were collected across late 2025 and early 2026.
Current-guidance boundary: This survey is a dated preference record from one referral network. It does not establish current product safety, compatibility, performance or suitability for a particular site.
The result
No brand carried a majority. The winning share is roughly a quarter of the room, and the three published places account for 58 per cent of votes between them, so most installers named something outside the podium. A first place here is a plurality, not a consensus.
The stated rationale for surveying installers rather than owners is that installers design, commission and service these systems continuously, and that Australian Consumer Law leaves the installing party carrying warranty and performance exposure for ten years or more. The sample is drawn from installers SolarQuotes has vetted for its own referral network, so it reflects that network rather than the national installer base.
The recall context sits inside the result
Sigenergy took first place while an Australian product safety recall against part of its single-phase range was, and remains, open.
Sale window and recall date are taken from ACCC recall PRA 2025/20703. SolarQuotes states the survey period as late 2025 to early 2026 without publishing exact dates, so it is drawn as an approximate band and should be read as indicative.
Data table
| Event | From | To | Precision |
|---|---|---|---|
| Affected units sold | 4 Mar 2025 | 18 Nov 2025 | Exact |
| Survey responses collected | 1 Oct 2025 | 31 Mar 2026 | Approximate |
| Recall published | 19 Nov 2025 | Point in time | Exact |
| Awards published | 27 July 2026 | Point in time | Exact |
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission published recall PRA 2025/20703 on 19 November 2025. It covers SigenStor EC 8.0, 10.0 and 12.0 kW SP AU Energy Controllers fitted with quick-connect AC plugs, sold between 4 March and 18 November 2025. The recall notice states that the AC plugs may overheat and become damaged, posing a risk of fire. The remedy is a free replacement with an updated plug design plus an additional two-year warranty, and the recall is still running as a replacement program. Energy Spurt Pty Ltd, the distributor supplying the McKercher group, is one of four retailers named on the notice.
SolarQuotes records that it has removed Sigenergy from its own recommended brands chart while it monitors the response to the recall, and separately notes that installers ranked the brand first despite the recall preceding the survey.
Those two facts belong together rather than apart. The survey measures what installers would choose; the recall notice records an open safety obligation on specific units already installed. Neither displaces the other. Full detail on affected models and the owner process is set out in Sigenergy Recall: 8, 10 and 12 kW Single-Phase Controllers.
Points worth carrying into customer conversations
- The recall is open, not closed. Any single-phase SigenStor EC in the 8 to 12 kW range supplied in the 4 March to 18 November 2025 window still needs the AC plug replacement completed, and the firmware derating measure is an interim control rather than the remedy.
- Sungrow's placement reflects a repositioning. The brand was formerly read as a budget option and now sits as a mid-range choice, which is worth knowing when a customer arrives with an older perception of it.
- iStore's third place carries a compatibility limit. SolarQuotes describes the product as Huawei technology sold under a different badge with Australian servers, and notes it is not compatible with many virtual power plants or third-party controllers. That constraint matters for any customer who intends to join a VPP later.
Perth Solar Warehouse and PSW Energy install Sigenergy as a Sigenergy Gold Installer, so this survey concerns a brand the group supplies. The recall status above applies to the group's own installed fleet in the affected window and should be treated as a service obligation independent of any award result.
Sources: SolarQuotes, "Best Home Battery In Australia 2026: Installer's Choice Awards," 27 July 2026 (opens in a new tab); ACCC Product Safety recall PRA 2025/20703, SigenStor EC 8.0/10.0/12.0kW SP AU Energy Controllers (opens in a new tab).
Current-status note
This bulletin was reviewed on 9 August 2026. Survey rankings record the preferences of the stated sample during its collection period and are not a product endorsement, safety finding or substitute for site-specific assessment. Recall scope, remedies, product compatibility and warranty conditions can change. Check the current Product Safety Australia recalls register (opens in a new tab) and manufacturer documentation before advising a customer or working on an affected unit. Related context is available in the battery retrofit guide and the editorial standards.
