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When something looks wrong in your inverter app, the natural reaction is to send a screenshot.<figure id="figure-kezejunogmljyoewh"><img id="kezejunogmljyoewh" src="https://cdn.durable.co/covers/31jpXIGvVZClaPjLn3DEpiHkQIvRbSOfv1KGpiBebIKeuFhdKqe0h6aYENkKq4u8.jpg" alt="" title="" class="object-cover bg-gray-100 rounded-2xl md:rounded-3xl lg:rounded-4xl selected" style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; object-position: center center;" data-corners="default" data-aspect="16:9" data-caption="" data-positionx="undefined" data-positiony="undefined" data-fullwidth="false" data-mce-src="https://cdn.durable.co/covers/31jpXIGvVZClaPjLn3DEpiHkQIvRbSOfv1KGpiBebIKeuFhdKqe0h6aYENkKq4u8.jpg" data-mce-style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; object-position: center center;" data-mce-selected="1"></figure>It makes sense. You can see the graph. You know what happened. It feels obvious.<figure id="figure-9zqwaiaq5mljypntc"><img id="9zqwaiaq5mljypntc" src="https://cdn.durable.co/blocks/3eqHu2IqMDex00aO6RmzZOje4atKKZOE4q6ncjyn1yyAwZPrWz5KT726GGoqCnqd.jpg" alt="" title="" class="object-cover bg-gray-100 rounded-2xl md:rounded-3xl lg:rounded-4xl" style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; object-position: center center;" data-corners="default" data-aspect="16:9" data-caption="" data-positionx="undefined" data-positiony="undefined" data-fullwidth="false" data-mce-src="https://cdn.durable.co/blocks/3eqHu2IqMDex00aO6RmzZOje4atKKZOE4q6ncjyn1yyAwZPrWz5KT726GGoqCnqd.jpg" data-mce-style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; object-position: center center;"></figure>The problem is that a screenshot is missing most of the information needed to properly diagnose an issue.<figure id="figure-x0au9i3r0gmljyoua9"><img id="x0au9i3r0gmljyoua9" src="https://cdn.durable.co/covers/2d6cQ387EvBJpFP3qs0DpCM704CYFwyotbxI7PpTshqREiRv8aDkbtpONdrEbMgG.jpg" alt="" title="" class="object-cover bg-gray-100 rounded-2xl md:rounded-3xl lg:rounded-4xl" style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; object-position: center center;" data-corners="default" data-aspect="16:9" data-caption="" data-positionx="undefined" data-positiony="undefined" data-fullwidth="false" data-mce-src="https://cdn.durable.co/covers/2d6cQ387EvBJpFP3qs0DpCM704CYFwyotbxI7PpTshqREiRv8aDkbtpONdrEbMgG.jpg" data-mce-style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; object-position: center center;"></figure>What a Screenshot Does Not ShowAn inverter cloud graph usually does not tell me:<ul><li>The exact inverter serial number</li><li>The exact five minute interval</li><li>Whether the timestamp is start-of-interval or end-of-interval</li><li>Whether daylight savings has been applied</li><li>The raw numeric values behind the chart</li><li>The price and forecast used at that moment</li><li>The internal decision logic and thresholds</li><li>The suggested action vs the final executed action</li></ul>Each inverter brand also uses different colour conventions. What is “export” in one app may be shown differently in another.Powston operates on AEMO five minute intervals using end-of-interval timestamps and no daylight savings. Many inverter apps apply DST depending on their timezone settings. That alone can shift charts by an hour.A screenshot shows a picture of an outcome. It does not show the inputs or the decision process.<h3>Why Problem Reports Are Different</h3><figure id="figure-hk7w1parxlmljyucr3"><img id="hk7w1parxlmljyucr3" src="https://cdn.durable.co/blocks/33rzYBrpoAqUWRcBSP7IBVTZBFY8zNa5A0Lv8ztPE3LAHMG9StN4PYgsZi7YnBQH.jpg" alt="" title="" class="object-cover bg-gray-100 rounded-2xl md:rounded-3xl lg:rounded-4xl" style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; object-position: center center;" data-corners="default" data-aspect="16:9" data-caption="" data-positionx="undefined" data-positiony="undefined" data-fullwidth="false" data-mce-src="https://cdn.durable.co/blocks/33rzYBrpoAqUWRcBSP7IBVTZBFY8zNa5A0Lv8ztPE3LAHMG9StN4PYgsZi7YnBQH.jpg" data-mce-style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; object-position: center center;"></figure>When you submit a problem report from inside the Powston app, I receive:<ul><li>Exact timestamps aligned to AEMO intervals</li><li>Site and inverter identifiers</li><li>Raw numeric values</li><li>The full system state at the time</li><li>The decision reasoning string</li><li>The suggested vs executed action</li></ul>This is structured telemetry, not a visual interpretation.It allows proper debugging.<h3>The Fastest Way to a Fix</h3>If something looks wrong:<ul><li>Let the data settle for the day</li><li>Submit a problem report from inside the Powston app</li><li>Include the time range you are concerned about</li></ul>Screenshots help me understand what you are seeing.Problem reports give me what I need to actually fix it.

Why a Screenshot Is Not Enough (And What Actually Helps)

Close-up View Of Home Battery Storage System On Building Facade

If you bought a home battery in Australia and received a discount through the Cheaper Home Batteries program, something important happened during that transaction — something that probably wasn't explained to you.The discount you received wasn't free money. It was funded by additional Small-scale Technology Certificates (STCs), and those certificates could only legally be created if a specific set of conditions were met. Not vague best-practice suggestions. Legislated conditions, set out in Regulation 20ACA of the Renewable Energy (Electricity) Regulations 2001.Those conditions exist to protect you. And in our experience supporting battery owners through Virtual Power Plant participation, they're often where things start to fall apart.<figure id="figure-zgjy9tzfijml4b78h9"><img id="zgjy9tzfijml4b78h9" src="https://cdn.durable.co/getty/dCJdDeoHBmy17a4ERAicWJPMxy5pUBWGctMjUqlkDJOEhZ0MB03O0IXpgLkfD8X4.jpeg" alt="home battery" class="object-cover bg-gray-100 rounded-2xl md:rounded-3xl lg:rounded-4xl" style="aspect-ratio: 16/9;" data-mce-src="https://cdn.durable.co/getty/dCJdDeoHBmy17a4ERAicWJPMxy5pUBWGctMjUqlkDJOEhZ0MB03O0IXpgLkfD8X4.jpeg" data-mce-style="aspect-ratio: 16/9;"></figure><h3>What the Law Actually Required</h3>The government's consumer-facing guidance tells you to check that your retailer provided information about the value of your discount, your system warranty, and the anticipated payback period. That's a reasonable starting point — but it dramatically understates what the legislation actually demands.Before those additional certificates could be created for your system, your battery retailer was required to provide you with written information about:<ul><li>The appropriate size of your battery relative to your solar panels</li><li>The appropriate size of the inverter relative to both the battery and panels</li><li>Your current and expected electricity needs</li><li>Whether any additional equipment, software, or other technology would be required for you to participate in a Virtual Power Plant</li><li>The expected performance of the battery within the warranty period</li><li>Expected payback period, energy benefits, or cost savings</li><li>Feed-in tariffs and export limits that apply to your system</li></ul>And they were required to sign a statement that all of this information was true, correct, and complete.That's not a nice-to-have checklist. That's the legal basis for the discount you received.<h2>Where It Breaks Down</h2>At Powston, we work with battery owners who want to participate in the energy market through our VPP. And a pattern has emerged: the support calls that take the longest, and the customers who are most likely to end up frustrated or seeking refunds, are overwhelmingly people whose systems weren't explained, designed, or implemented in line with what the legislation contemplated.Here's a practical example. The legislation requires that your battery and inverter must be capable of connecting to external entities to respond to remote signals — that's the VPP-readiness requirement in Regulation 20ACA(5). In plain language, your system needs a reliable internet connection so that a VPP operator can communicate with your battery.Now think about how that's typically delivered. The installer connects your battery to your home WiFi network during commissioning. It works on the day. The installer leaves.Six months later, your modem dies. Your internet provider replaces it. The new modem has a different network name and password. Your battery silently drops offline. Nobody follows up. Nobody reconnects it. Your system is no longer VPP-ready — and you may not even know.This is entirely foreseeable. Modems fail. They get replaced. ISPs change hardware. Passwords reset. Anyone who has worked in this industry for more than a year knows this happens routinely. The industry training materials even flag it — recommending that a hardwired ethernet connection should be included in the proposal wherever practical, precisely because WiFi introduces this kind of fragility.For a vulnerable or older customer who isn't comfortable troubleshooting network settings, a WiFi-only installation with no follow-up plan isn't a VPP-ready system. It's a system that was VPP-ready for the length of time it took the installer to drive away.<figure id="figure-60nhei1ykygml4b7eai"><img id="60nhei1ykygml4b7eai" src="https://media.gettyimages.com/id/2098422511/photo/workers-building-solar-panel-system-on-roof-of-house-men-installing-photovoltaic-solar-module.jpg?b=1&amp;s=2048x2048&amp;w=0&amp;k=20&amp;c=RIfV-w-hIN-ajZ30DP2qhYFa2enAuC9_w_NTFph8b5E=" alt="solar installation" class="object-cover bg-gray-100 rounded-2xl md:rounded-3xl lg:rounded-4xl" style="aspect-ratio: 16/9;" data-mce-src="https://media.gettyimages.com/id/2098422511/photo/workers-building-solar-panel-system-on-roof-of-house-men-installing-photovoltaic-solar-module.jpg?b=1&amp;s=2048x2048&amp;w=0&amp;k=20&amp;c=RIfV-w-hIN-ajZ30DP2qhYFa2enAuC9_w_NTFph8b5E=" data-mce-style="aspect-ratio: 16/9;"></figure><h3>The Documentation Gap</h3>We've been considering whether to require customers to provide their 20ACA documentation before signing up to our VPP. Not as a barrier — as a quality check. Because the pattern is clear: when the legislated protections were actually delivered, the customer arrives with realistic expectations, a properly sized system, and an understanding of what VPP participation involves. When they weren't, we end up trying to reverse-engineer what was promised, what was installed, and why the two don't match.The legislation created these consumer protections for exactly this reason. But if nobody downstream ever checks whether they were delivered, they exist only on paper.<h3>Choosing the Right Energy Plan</h3>This brings us to a broader point about how battery owners engage with the energy market.Participating in a VPP means participating, to some degree, in the wholesale electricity market. And the wholesale market is not for everyone. That's not a criticism — it's a statement about how markets work.A traditional retail electricity plan gives you a consistent, predictable price. You pay a margin to your retailer, and in exchange, they absorb the volatility. That margin is the cost of certainty. It's insurance — and insurance has genuine value, particularly if you don't want to think about electricity pricing on a daily or half-hourly basis.There is absolutely nothing wrong with choosing that certainty. For many households, it's the right call.Where we see people get into difficulty is when they approach wholesale energy the way some people approach credit card sign-up bonuses. There's a cohort of consumers who are very good at jumping between promotional offers — churning through introductory rates, collecting frequent flyer points, and moving on before the standard terms kick in. It's a legitimate strategy for credit cards, because the downside is capped and the terms are transparent.Wholesale energy doesn't work like that. The prices move in both directions, sometimes dramatically, and the complexity of the market means that short-term promotional thinking can lead to outcomes that are genuinely worse than a simple retail plan. If your instinct is to chase the best deal of the month and switch as soon as something shinier appears, wholesale energy trading through a VPP is probably not the right fit.The customers who do well with VPP participation tend to be the ones who understand their system, understand the trade-offs, and take a longer-term view. And that understanding starts — or should start — at the point of sale, with the information the legislation says they should have received.<figure id="figure-yxdxmnntosml4b7o41"><img id="yxdxmnntosml4b7o41" src="https://cdn.durable.co/getty/22LP8oy7iZIbnySNkGdnwvwBjBQv5wq25PeGnkCK6IiESNxDXXE8OWesj7h9x6rO.jpeg" alt="lithium battery" class="object-cover bg-gray-100 rounded-2xl md:rounded-3xl lg:rounded-4xl" style="aspect-ratio: 16/9;" data-mce-src="https://cdn.durable.co/getty/22LP8oy7iZIbnySNkGdnwvwBjBQv5wq25PeGnkCK6IiESNxDXXE8OWesj7h9x6rO.jpeg" data-mce-style="aspect-ratio: 16/9;"></figure><h3>What We'd Like to See</h3>This isn't about blaming installers. Most are doing their best in a market that moves fast and demands a lot. It's about recognising that the legislated consumer protections in Regulation 20ACA were designed to create a chain of accountability — from designer, to installer, to retailer, to the customer — and that chain is only as strong as its weakest link.If you're a battery retailer or installer reading this: the documentation requirements in 20ACA aren't bureaucratic overhead. They're the foundation that makes everything downstream — including VPP participation, warranty claims, and customer satisfaction — actually work. A system that's properly designed, properly explained, and properly connected is a system that generates value for the customer for years. A system that was sold fast and installed faster generates support calls.If you're a battery owner: you should have received written information covering all of the items listed above. If you didn't, or if you're not sure, it's worth asking your retailer for it. Not because you need it to switch on your lights — but because it's the information you need to make informed decisions about how to use your system going forward, including whether VPP participation makes sense for you.And if you're considering a battery purchase: ask your retailer about every one of those points before you sign. Ask how your system will stay connected to the internet when your modem eventually gets replaced. Ask whether the system is sized for your actual usage or for the best-case scenario on the brochure. Ask what happens after the installer leaves.<figure id="figure-8a4folt8aml4b9psq"><img id="8a4folt8aml4b9psq" src="https://cdn.durable.co/getty/a7R2ElJ63a3KxK7bJijgeNOOmSaPXHVvE180iU3fnarCMAglhuOQLTTH2fnRHrvf.jpeg" alt="eco friendly home" class="object-cover bg-gray-100 rounded-2xl md:rounded-3xl lg:rounded-4xl" style="aspect-ratio: 16/9;" data-mce-src="https://cdn.durable.co/getty/a7R2ElJ63a3KxK7bJijgeNOOmSaPXHVvE180iU3fnarCMAglhuOQLTTH2fnRHrvf.jpeg" data-mce-style="aspect-ratio: 16/9;"></figure><h2>Conclusion</h2>The discount is the easy part. The value comes from everything that's supposed to happen around it.

Your Battery Discount Came With Protections. Were They Actually Delivered?

One of the most common questions I get is not about how Powston trades, but how hard it should trade.<ul><li>Is a 5 c arbitrage worth it?</li><li>What does a battery really cost per kWh?</li><li>Do you use the sticker price, the post-rebate price, or something else entirely?</li><li>Should you be thinking about lithium prices five or ten years from now?</li><li>Do you want a lower bill today, or a battery that lasts a few extra years?</li></ul>They are all good questions. And they all matter.<h3>The Hidden Question Behind Arbitrage</h3>When people ask “is 5 c arbitrage worth it?”, what they are really asking is:<blockquote>Am I trading battery life for short-term savings?</blockquote>To answer that, you first have to decide how you value your battery.Some people think in capital cost per kWh. Some think in cycles remaining under warranty. Some think in total household bill reduction over time.There is no single correct answer.<h3>What Does Your Battery Actually Cost?</h3>Battery cost is not as simple as the invoice number.<ul><li>Do you include the government rebate?</li><li>Do you amortise over the warranty period?</li><li>Do you assume the battery lasts longer than the warranty?</li><li>Do you expect lithium costs to fall in 5–10 years?</li></ul>If you assume:<ul><li>A post-rebate installed cost</li><li>A warranty-defined energy throughput</li><li>And no residual value beyond warranty</li></ul>You end up with a conservative “cost per kWh moved”.But many users do not think that way at all. They think in terms of cashflow. Lower bill now, worry about replacement later.Neither approach is wrong.<h3>Warranty vs Battery Life vs Use-It-Or-Lose-It</h3>This came up in a really good Discord discussion recently.There are two schools of thought:1. Use it or lose it<ul><li>Batteries degrade with time regardless</li><li>Cycling within warranty is what you paid for</li><li>Savings now are certain, future battery value is not </li></ul>2. Preserve it<ul><li>Gentler cycling may extend usable life</li><li>Less degradation means more optionality later</li><li>A battery that still works in 12 years has value</li></ul>Both views are rational.<h3>Where I Personally Land (For Now)</h3>Right now, I tend to anchor to the warranty.I am comfortable cycling the battery in a way that broadly uses up its warranted throughput over the warranty period. After that point, the goal shifts almost entirely to bill reduction and risk management rather than preservation.That means:<ul><li>I am okay with relatively small spreads if they are frequent and predictable</li><li>I still avoid pathological cycling that adds wear without value</li><li>I reserve headroom for high-value events rather than chasing every cent</li></ul>This is not a permanent position. It is a practical one.<h3>Import Factor: Letting Users Choose</h3>Because reasonable people disagree on this, Powston should not hard-code a single philosophy.That is why I am working on an import factor that lets users dial this behaviour up or down:<ul><li>Push harder for short-term bill reduction</li><li>Or trade more conservatively for longevity</li></ul>This is not about right or wrong. It is about aligning the system with how you value your battery.<h3>The Honest Answer</h3>The jury is still out.Battery chemistry, pricing, and market conditions are all evolving. What made sense three years ago is not guaranteed to make sense five years from now.What I can say with confidence is this:<ul><li>These are the right questions to be asking</li><li>There is no universal optimum</li><li>And any system that pretends there is, is oversimplifying reality </li></ul>Powston’s job is not to decide for you. It is to make the trade-offs visible, adjustable, and grounded in data.That is the direction we are heading.

How Hard Should You Push Your Home Battery?

Black electric vehicle charging plug on wooden surface with solar panels in a grassy field background.

A customer recently came to us with a new solar and battery system that, on paper, looked complete.<ul><li>The installer had finished the job.</li><li>The paperwork was lodged.</li><li>And the distribution network, Energex, had marked the connection as accepted.</li></ul>Yet the customer had a problem: they could not access the very benefits the system was sold on.<h3>What the installer said</h3><figure id="figure-gpeh4ym99mkm0ro8e"><img id="gpeh4ym99mkm0ro8e" src="https://cdn.durable.co/blocks/295cWwoDf743VhKaBKBFJUQbf67TLHOVof29olYhcOxPMUE5HXkbZekBK7BhLqU4.png" alt="" title="" class="object-cover bg-gray-100 rounded-2xl md:rounded-3xl lg:rounded-4xl" style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; object-position: undefined undefined;" data-corners="default" data-aspect="16:9" data-caption="What the installer said" data-positionx="undefined" data-positiony="undefined" data-fullwidth="false" data-mce-src="https://cdn.durable.co/blocks/295cWwoDf743VhKaBKBFJUQbf67TLHOVof29olYhcOxPMUE5HXkbZekBK7BhLqU4.png" data-mce-style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; object-position: undefined undefined;"><figcaption class="body-normal text-gray-500 mt-2">What the installer said</figcaption></figure>When asked about the missing smart meter, the installer was clear and confident:The system was installed in accordance with Queensland regulations<ul><li>All Clean Energy Council requirements had been met</li><li>Energex had accepted the connection and marked it complete</li><li>Metering upgrades were a retailer matter, not an installer issue</li></ul>From an electrical compliance point of view, that statement was correct.Energex acceptance confirms that:<ul><li>the installation is electrically safe</li><li>the system meets network connection requirements</li><li>the required documentation has been provided</li></ul>But that wasn’t the customer’s complaint.<h3>What the customer expected</h3>The customer hadn’t just bought “a compliant system”.They had been sold a battery on the basis of:<ul><li>time-of-use optimisation</li><li>export value</li><li>future VPP participation </li></ul>These benefits all rely on interval (Type 4) metering.Without a smart meter:<ul><li>time-of-use tariffs cannot settle correctly</li><li>exports cannot be measured properly</li><li>VPP participation is not possible</li></ul>So while the system was compliant, it was not ready for what the customer believed they were buying.Where government rebates raise the bar<figure id="figure-19g1nhmksmkm0wxtf"><img id="19g1nhmksmkm0wxtf" src="https://cdn.durable.co/covers/1ch1kW2L1KhjyHBshy0OUrsEjs3aYlWOksoScz3StaoqdDXj1TrkCIfSZ6D7SAwg.png" alt="" title="" class="object-cover bg-gray-100 rounded-2xl md:rounded-3xl lg:rounded-4xl" style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; object-position: undefined undefined;" data-corners="default" data-aspect="16:9" data-caption="Sample declaration installers make to secure the federal rebate" data-positionX="undefined" data-positionY="undefined" data-fullWidth="false"/><figcaption class="body-normal text-gray-500 mt-2">Sample declaration installers make to secure the federal rebate</figcaption></figure>This distinction matters even more when government rebates are involved. As part of the battery rebate process, installers and sellers are required to make formal declarations confirming that customers were given accurate information about savings, tariffs, exports, and VPP participation requirements. These declarations, submitted through platforms like Formbay, are made under legislation with penalties for false or misleading information. While the rebate does not require the installer to order a smart meter, it does require that customers are properly informed about any additional technology needed to achieve the outcomes being promoted. When VPP capability or ToU optimisation is part of the value proposition, interval (Type 4) metering is no longer incidental — it is a disclosed dependency.<h3>Where the disconnect happens</h3>This issue sits at the intersection of three different systems:<ul><li>Electrical compliance</li><li>Covers safety, wiring, standards, and network approval.</li><li>Network connection</li><li>Managed by the DNSP. Acceptance means the system can connect safely.</li><li>Market and metering</li><li>Managed by retailers and metering coordinators under national market rules.</li></ul>These systems are separate by design.A distribution network accepting a connection does not mean:<ul><li>a smart meter has been ordered</li><li>interval data is available</li><li>the system is market-ready</li></ul>That step only happens once the retailer initiates a meter upgrade.<h3>Why installer choice matters</h3>Here’s the key lesson from this situation:There is a difference between delivering a system that is electrically compliant and one that is functionally ready for time-of-use savings and VPP participation.Some installers:<ul><li>focus strictly on what the regulations require</li><li>stop at electrical and network compliance</li><li>correctly state that metering is “someone else’s job”</li></ul>Others:<ul><li>explain upfront that a Type 4 meter is required</li><li>help customers understand who orders it</li><li>set expectations about timelines and dependencies </li></ul>Neither approach is illegal. But only one avoids confusion and frustration.The takeaway for customersIf you’re installing solar or a battery:<ul><li>Ask whether a Type 4 smart meter is required</li><li>Ask who will help you follow that up</li><li>Ask whether the system is being sold as compliant or VPP-ready</li></ul>A compliant system can be perfectly safe and still fall short of the benefits you were expecting.The difference often comes down to how well your installer explains what happens after the install is complete.

When “compliant” isn’t the same as “ready”: a real-world solar and battery story

When solar and batteries are installed in Australia, a Type 4 smart meter is required before the system can export energy or report interval data correctly.Understanding who does what helps avoid delays and misplaced blame.<h3>Who actually requests the new meter? </h3>Under the National Electricity Rules, metering is a retail market function:<ul><li>Only the electricity retailer can appoint a Metering Coordinator</li><li>Only the Metering Coordinator can arrange a Type 4 meter installation</li></ul>This is set out in the National Electricity Rules (Chapter 7 – Metering), administered by Australian Energy Market Operator, which clearly separates:<ul><li>electrical installation work, and</li><li>market metering responsibilities </li></ul>Installers and customers cannot order meters directly under the NER.<h3>How grid connection rules fit in</h3>When solar is installed, the installer must notify the local distribution network that embedded generation has been added. In Queensland, this occurs through the Electrical Work Request (EWR) lodged with Energex or Ergon Energy.DNSP connection rules require that:<ul><li>new or altered embedded generation must comply with metering requirements, and</li><li>the site must have appropriate NEM-compliant metering to operate as approved </li></ul>However, DNSPs do not order meters. They rely on the retailer-led process defined in the NER.<h3>Where the installer’s role comes in</h3>While installers cannot request meters themselves, CEC guidance expects installers to guide customers through the connection and metering steps needed to make the system operational.Under Clean Energy Council frameworks, including the New Energy Tech Consumer Code (NETCC):<ul><li>customers must be given clear, accurate information about what is required for their system to work</li><li>installers are expected to explain post-installation steps that sit with retailers or networks</li><li>leaving a customer unaware of mandatory metering upgrades is treated as poor practice</li></ul>Part of the sales pitch when selling a battery usually includes taking advantage of time-of-use (ToU) savings, export incentives, and increasingly dynamic pricing. Under state and federal battery rebate programs, this goes further by requiring the battery inverter to be VPP-ready. All of these benefits depend on interval (Type 4) metering being in place. Without a smart meter, the battery cannot correctly respond to ToU tariffs, cannot participate in VPP-style programs, and cannot accurately measure exports. This is another reason why metering should be treated as a core part of the installation journey, not an afterthought. This is why competent installers:<ul><li>explain upfront that a Type 4 meter is required</li><li>tell customers that the retailer must raise the request</li><li>help customers ask the right follow-up questions </li></ul><h3>Why choosing a good installer matters </h3>From the customer’s perspective, solar installation is a single journey. From a regulatory perspective, it spans:<ul><li>electrical safety law</li><li>DNSP connection rules</li><li>national metering rules</li></ul>A good installer understands all three and helps bridge the gaps.That doesn’t mean chasing retailers forever, but it does mean:<ul><li>setting expectations correctly</li><li>pointing customers to the right party</li><li>avoiding weeks of confusion and blame </li></ul><h3>The takeaway </h3>National Electricity Rules: retailers and Metering Coordinators handle metersDNSP connection rules: generation must be declared and metering must be compliantCEC guidance: installers are expected to walk customers through the process Choosing an installer who understands this full picture is one of the simplest ways to avoid delays after your solar system goes on the roof.

Getting a new smart meter after a battery: who to ask, and why your installer matters

When something doesn’t behave the way you expect, the fastest way for me to fix it is a good problem report.I know this can sound like unnecessary bureaucracy. It can feel a bit like: <blockquote>have you filled out your TPS report?</blockquote>I promise it isn’t that.Powston makes a decision every five minutes. That is 288 independent decisions per day. Each one is based on prices, forecasts, battery state, load, and constraints at that exact moment.When a report says something like:<ul><li>“It happened overnight”</li><li>“This has happened before”</li><li>“The battery didn’t discharge enough”</li></ul>there is nothing concrete I can inspect. I cannot tell which decision you are referring to, or what you expected the system to do instead.A good problem report answers one simple question:Which interval do you think should have behaved differently, and how?That is why the in-app bug report exists. It automatically captures:<ul><li>The exact 5-minute interval</li><li>Prices and forecasts at that time</li><li>Battery SOC and power flows</li><li>The reason the system chose the action it did</li></ul>With that information, I can do one of three useful things very quickly:<ul><li>Confirm the behaviour was intentional and explain it clearly</li><li>Change the behaviour if the logic is wrong</li><li>Improve the app messaging so the confusion doesn’t happen again</li></ul>Emails with vague descriptions do not give me that leverage. The app does.<figure id="figure-5donfzxbkmjw13zt8"><img id="5donfzxbkmjw13zt8" src="https://cdn.durable.co/blocks/eKDWnTYqRJPQ7CthGHKOLELhBeiLqKmYdXWoset3qo9QFQNxKRc7RgWVO05xPqTi.png" alt="" title="" class="object-cover bg-gray-100 rounded-2xl md:rounded-3xl lg:rounded-4xl" style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; object-position: center center;" data-corners="default" data-aspect="16:9" data-caption="" data-positionx="undefined" data-positiony="undefined" data-fullwidth="false" data-mce-src="https://cdn.durable.co/blocks/eKDWnTYqRJPQ7CthGHKOLELhBeiLqKmYdXWoset3qo9QFQNxKRc7RgWVO05xPqTi.png" data-mce-style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; object-position: center center;"></figure>If you want to reason about or control behaviour at the interval level yourself, that is exactly what <a data-mce-href="https://powston.com.au/blog/staying-in-my-lane--how-you-get-help--and-when-you-don-t" href="https://powston.com.au/blog/staying-in-my-lane--how-you-get-help--and-when-you-don-t">Hacker Mode</a> is for. If you just want the system to work well and improve over time, detailed problem reports are how that happens.They are not busywork. They are how the product gets better for everyone.PS: We personally read every problem report. Replies may feel “GPT-like” or a little nerdy. That’s to help translate code fixes and explain complex 5-minute decisions clearly, and we tend to think in intervals and edge cases. A human still reviews every report, and they directly feed into behaviour changes or better in-app explanations. Eventually, we want to expose the support model in the app, but for now we filter the responses to ensure they are accurate.

Why good problem reports matter (and how they help you)

Powston

Powston is an Australian energy technology company transforming how households and businesses use and profit from renewable energy. Our AI-driven platform and plug-and-play controller connect batteries, solar, and smart devices directly to the 5-minute wholesale energy market. This lets customers cut their electricity bills, optimise consumption, and even earn revenue—without relying on traditional retailers or Virtual Power Plants.
With integrations across leading brands like Sungrow, SAJ, iStore, Powston empowers users with real-time energy monitoring, cost optimisation, and automation tools for appliances, EVs, and backup planning.
Headquartered in Brisbane, Powston is committed to building a more sustainable future by enabling everyday Australians to reduce environmental impact while achieving financial independence from power bills

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