Have questions about battery systems or want personalised advice for your home?
Contact Us →Have questions about battery systems or want personalised advice for your home?
Contact Us →Hillsdale has a mix of 62% apartments and 38% houses/townhouses. Battery value depends entirely on your situation.
ABS Census 2021
Hillsdale has a mix of property types. If you're in an apartment (62% of residents), battery installation requires strata approval.
If you're in a house or townhouse (38%), standard solar + battery options apply.
If you're in the 38% of Hillsdale in a freestanding house or townhouse, here's how a battery could work for you:
Where your daily energy comes from with a battery (hover for details)
Battery shifts your usage to cheap off-peak rates
Your ~45.8 kWh daily usage is mostly covered by battery discharge, avoiding expensive peak rates (3-9pm).
Monthly averages based on typical usage patterns. Daily costs use typical retail rates (peak ~45c, off-peak ~15c). Actual savings depend on your energy plan.
Our calculator uses your actual usage, tariff, and local rates to show realistic ROI. No guesswork, no inflated numbers.
Calculate my battery ROIIf you're in the 62% of Hillsdale in an apartment, battery installation is more complicated. Here's what you need to know:
Many Hillsdale apartment buildings use embedded networks—a private electricity arrangement where:
Check your bill: If it's from your body corporate or companies like WINconnect or Active Utilities (not Origin, AGL, EnergyAustralia), you're likely in an embedded network and can't choose your own retailer.
Here's what you need to know
You'll need approval from your owners corporation or strata committee. This typically involves a formal application and may require a vote at a general meeting.
Most apartment batteries go in the laundry, on a balcony (if structurally suitable), or in a storage cage. Living areas, bedrooms, and kitchens are not permitted.
Australian standards require 600mm clearance from doors, windows, and appliances. In smaller apartments, this can limit options to the laundry.
Apartments may need non-combustible backing material (cement sheet or brick) if installing near shared walls. Your installer will assess requirements.
For Hillsdale apartment buildings
Many high-rise residents find shared building systems more practical than individual battery installations. Solar panels on the common rooftop power common areas and can be distributed to individual units.
Interested in exploring shared building solutions for your strata?
Talk to our teamBattery storage works much better for freestanding homes. Share BatteryIQ with friends or family who might benefit.
Cheaper Home Batteries Program (Jan-Apr 2026):
NSW offers a VPP incentive worth $40-55 per kWh of battery capacity, which nearly doubled from 1 July 2025 and stacks with the federal rebate.
Note: Apartment residents may face additional challenges claiming rebates due to installation requirements. House owners typically have the simplest path to claiming.
It depends on your property type. For the 38% of Hillsdale residents in houses or townhouses, batteries can be an excellent investment with 5-8 year payback. For the 62% in apartments, it's more complicated—you'll need to check if you're in an embedded network and get body corporate approval.
A typical 13.5kWh battery can save $1,000-$1,500/year through time-of-use arbitrage (charging at off-peak rates, using during peak). With the federal rebate (~$4,536), payback is typically 5-7 years. Add solar and savings increase further. Ausgrid serves this area with competitive rates.
It's possible but challenging. First, check if you're in an embedded network (look at your bill—if it's from the body corporate or WINconnect/Active Utilities, you likely are). You'll also need body corporate approval and suitable installation space. Many apartment residents find shared building solutions more practical.
An embedded network is where your building has one grid connection and the body corporate or a third party on-sells electricity to you. Over 500,000 Australian households are in one. This limits your ability to choose retailers with good time-of-use rates that make battery arbitrage worthwhile.
The federal Cheaper Home Batteries Program offers ~$336/kWh (approx $4,536 for a 13.5kWh battery) through April 2026. NSW has additional rebates for eligible households. House owners have the simplest path to claiming.
Not necessarily. Consider: (1) Advocating for shared building solar/battery at your next AGM, (2) If you're NOT in an embedded network and have body corporate support, individual installation may work, (3) Some newer apartments have battery-ready infrastructure. Contact us about strata options if you're interested.
Whether you're in a house or apartment, these guides can help you understand your options.
How the Cheaper Home Batteries Program works and how to claim up to $16,800.
Body corporate approval, embedded networks, and shared building solutions.
Tesla Powerwall 3, BYD, Sungrow, Enphase compared. Updated costs and payback periods.
Find the best tariffs and feed-in rates for battery owners in Hillsdale.
We're upfront about battery limitations for apartments because we believe in giving you accurate information, not false promises. For house owners, we help you maximize your ROI over the life of your battery.
Content reviewed by Battery IQ Energy Analysts | Data sources: AEMO, Bureau of Meteorology, DCCEEW, ABS Census 2021
Last updated: January 2026