Installing Solar During a Home Renovation: What Should Be Done First?

If you’re renovating a Sydney home and planning solar, assess the roof condition, electrical supply, future appliance loads and solar design before the final roofing and electrical work is complete. Installing panels just before a roof replacement or major rewiring can lead to avoidable removal, reinstallation and redesign costs.

If your roof needs major repairs or replacement soon, it generally makes sense to complete that work first. Removing a recently installed solar array to reach tiles, battens or membranes adds expense and disruption. Have a suitable roofing professional assess the existing roof before the solar layout is finalised.

An existing solar array may need professional removal and reinstallation if you’re replacing roofing, extending the home or changing roof sections.This can also be a logical time to assess whether the inverter, panels and battery plans still suit the home. But reusing old equipment is not always straightforward; compatibility, condition, warranties and present standards matter.

See MPV Solar’s Important Tips for Removing Solar Panels and Solar System Upgrades & Expansion.

Yes. Renovations can add major loads, such as induction cooking, ducted air conditioning, electric hot water or EV charging. These may change the best solar and battery design and could influence the switchboard or electrical supply requirements.Ask your electrician and solar designer to consider the planned finished home, not just the electricity use shown on last year’s bill.

Ideally during planning, when the roof layout, skylights, ventilation, shading and electrical design can still be coordinated. Leaving solar until the end may limit panel placement or create more complex cable routes.

Your solar system might also need to accommodate future loads you haven’t yet purchased. A renovated kitchen, second EV or swimming pool can materially change annual electricity use. For the residential sizing approach, explore Residential Solar Packages.

During a major two-storey home renovation in Five Dock, MPV Solar installed 40 × 370W panels (14.8kW panel capacity) with Enphase microinverter technology. The published Five Dock solar installation project shows how solar can form part of a larger home energy upgrade. It does not establish a universal system size or construction schedule; those depend on the renovation and electrical design.

The practical lesson is to coordinate roof layout, equipment selection and future household loads before builders finalise the renovation, while keeping the installation sequence site-specific.

Not automatically. But planning battery location, suitable equipment and cable routes during renovation can preserve options for later. Backup capability, network connection and installation clearances should be discussed early if they’re important to you. Read MPV Solar’s Solar Battery Installation Sydney guide before selecting storage capacity.

They may, particularly if the renovation includes a new or upgraded solar system during the staged introduction of the 2026 NSW requirements. Relevant new systems need compliant equipment, commissioning and network communication arrangements.

For the latest requirements, see MPV Solar’s New NSW Solar Rules 2026

Plan the future electrical loads → assess roof condition and shading → review switchboard and supply → design solar and battery readiness → complete necessary roof and electrical work → install and commission solar.

The actual sequence may differ for major extensions or staged construction. Your builder, roofer, electrician and solar installer should coordinate before works begin.

MPV Solar designs residential systems for Sydney homes with a focus on reliable installation and long-term use. Share your renovation plans, roof details, current bills and future appliances so the system can be considered before the design is locked in.