Australia has the highest rooftop solar penetration in the world and the most competitive residential solar sales market to go with it. That combination has produced a specific problem: the proposal is often the only thing separating three quotes on the same roof, and the number that matters most on it, the savings figure, depends on variables that Australian installers routinely model badly. Feed-in tariffs have fallen far enough that export is no longer where the value is. Distribution network export limits cap what the system can send anyway. And the small-scale technology certificate rebate steps down every year.
A proposal tool that gets those three things right is worth more than one with a nicer render.
Direct answer. The best solar proposal software in Australia for most CEC-accredited installers is OpenSolar, which was built with the Australian market in mind and handles STC calculation, DNSP export limits, and state feed-in tariffs natively at no seat cost. SurgePV is the stronger choice when the same license also has to produce the design, string sizing, and single-line diagram for commercial work.
TL;DR
- The STC rebate is a deemed-generation calculation with an annual deemster period step-down. A proposal tool that hardcodes the multiplier will be wrong every January.
- Feed-in tariffs across most states now sit in the low single digits per kWh. Self-consumption, not export, is where the payback comes from.
- DNSP export limits, including zero-export and dynamic limits, cap system value. A proposal that ignores the limit overstates savings.
- Installation must be by a Clean Energy Council accredited installer for STC eligibility, and the design has to meet AS/NZS 5033 and AS/NZS 4777.2.
- Australian competition is fierce and margins are thin. Duplicate tooling between sales and design is a cost this market cannot absorb.
What Australia Actually Changes About Proposal Software
The STC calculation is not a flat rebate. Small-scale technology certificates are created based on deemed generation over a period that shortens each year until the Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme ends. The number of certificates depends on system capacity, the zone rating of the location, and the current deeming period. The certificate price itself floats. A proposal tool that treats the rebate as a fixed dollar-per-kilowatt figure produces a wrong customer price, and the error grows through the year.
Feed-in tariffs have collapsed. Across most of the National Electricity Market, retailer feed-in tariffs have fallen to low single-digit cents per kWh. The consequence for proposal modelling is fundamental: the value of an Australian residential system now comes overwhelmingly from displacing imported energy, not from exporting. A tool that models a large array with a generous export assumption produces a number that has not been true for years.
Export limits are real constraints. Distribution network service providers impose export limits that vary by network and by location, and some areas now apply zero-export or dynamic, flexible export arrangements. An 10 kW array behind a 5 kW export limit does not behave like a 10 kW array. The proposal has to model the limit.
Standards and accreditation. The installation must comply with AS/NZS 5033 for PV array installation and AS/NZS 4777.2 for inverter grid connection, and STC eligibility requires a Clean Energy Council accredited installer and CEC-listed equipment. Proposals that specify equipment not on the CEC approved list create a problem after the sale.
Australia had well over 4 million rooftop solar installations by 2025, according to the Clean Energy Regulator, which is the highest per-capita penetration of any major economy.
The 7 Platforms Ranked for the Australian Market
| Platform | Best for | STC calculation | Export limit modelling | Battery self-consumption | Price per seat per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenSolar | Most Australian residential installers | Native | Yes | Yes | $0 plus transaction fees |
| SurgePV | Design plus proposal, residential and C&I | Configurable | Yes | Yes | $1,299 to $1,899 USD |
| SunWiz / Solar Analytics tooling | Data-led sales and monitoring tie-in | Partial | Yes | Yes | Subscription |
| Aurora Solar | Larger commercial-facing teams | Configurable | Configurable | Yes | $1,908 to $3,108 USD |
| PVsyst | Commercial and utility yield studies | No | Yes, manually | Yes | ~$500 USD |
| Pylon | Value-tier residential | Partial | Partial | Yes | ~$1,000 USD |
| Spreadsheet plus PDF | Very low volume | Manual | Manual | Manual | Time |
OpenSolar
The default in Australian residential solar, and for good reason. It originated with strong Australian market awareness, handles STC calculation and CEC equipment listings natively, and models export limits. It is free at the seat and monetised through hardware and financing flows. For a residential installer in a thin-margin market, that is a strong fit. The crossover point where the transaction model costs more than a flat license is covered in OpenSolar pricing.
SurgePV
The consolidation option. One license covers the 3D roof model, 8,760-hour shading, string sizing against inverter windows, the single-line diagram, AutoCAD export, and a white-label interactive proposal. For an Australian installer doing commercial rooftop alongside residential, that removes the second tool and the duplicated modelling pass that commercial work otherwise forces.
SunWiz and Solar Analytics tooling
Australian-built, data-led, and strongest where the sales argument is grounded in real monitored performance rather than simulation. Worth evaluating if your differentiation is post-installation performance transparency.
Aurora Solar
Capable, expensive, and built around a US residential market whose economics no longer resemble Australia’s. Its LIDAR roof modelling is genuinely good. Whether that is worth the price gap in a market where the average residential system sells on price is the question. See Aurora Solar pricing and Aurora Solar alternatives.
PVsyst
Not a proposal tool. Included because Australian commercial and utility-scale projects with financing still require a PVsyst yield report. PVsyst price is roughly $500 per seat.
Pylon
Lower-cost residential proposal tooling. Thinner on Australian specifics than OpenSolar, which is hard to beat on price given OpenSolar is free.
Spreadsheet plus PDF
Still common among small installers. It stops scaling the moment you need to model self-consumption against an export limit with a battery, because that requires interval modelling.
Try the software behind this guide
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SurgePV gives you 3D roof modelling, 8,760-hour shading, string sizing to AS/NZS 4777.2 inverter windows, single-line diagrams, and a white-label interactive proposal.
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What an Australian Proposal Has to Contain
- System specification with CEC-listed modules and inverter, capacity in kW DC and kW AC.
- Generation estimate for the specific location and orientation, with the data source named.
- STC calculation showing the certificate count, the deeming period used, and the assumed certificate price, so the customer can see how the discount was derived.
- Self-consumption modelling against the household’s actual usage profile, ideally from interval data rather than an assumed shape.
- Export limit stated, with the DNSP named and the limit modelled in the savings figure.
- Feed-in tariff with the retailer and rate named, not a market average.
- Battery modelling, if included, separating self-consumption benefit from any tariff arbitrage.
- Compliance statement covering AS/NZS 5033 and AS/NZS 4777.2 and CEC accreditation.
- Assumptions for electricity price escalation and panel degradation.
Item 4 is the one that separates good Australian proposals from bad ones. Two households with identical roofs and identical systems can have payback periods years apart based purely on when they use electricity. A proposal built on an assumed daily load shape rather than the customer’s own interval data is guessing at the most important input.
Pricing in Australian Dollars
| Stack | USD per year | Approx. AUD at 1.52 | Covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| OpenSolar | $0 plus fees | Transaction-linked | Proposal and design for residential |
| Pylon | ~$1,000 | ~A$1,520 | Proposal |
| SurgePV | $1,299 to $1,899 | ~A$1,974 to A$2,886 | Proposal plus full design and SLD |
| Aurora | $1,908 to $3,108 | ~A$2,900 to A$4,724 | Proposal plus design |
| Add PVsyst for commercial | +$500 | +~A$760 | Yield report only |
Exchange rate is illustrative. Check the current rate and ask about AUD invoicing.
What Most Australian Installers Get Wrong
They still sell on export.
The habit is left over from the era of generous feed-in tariffs, and it produces oversized systems justified by export revenue that no longer exists at meaningful rates. The current logic runs the other way: size the array to the load profile, and if the customer wants more, the case for the extra capacity has to be made on future load growth, an electric vehicle, or a battery, not on export income. Installers who make that argument honestly are increasingly winning against ones who do not, because the customer who bought on an export assumption three years ago is now telling their neighbours the payback did not happen.
The second mistake is ignoring the export limit until the DNSP application. If the network limits export to 5 kW and the proposal modelled unrestricted export from a 13 kW array, the savings figure was fiction, and the customer finds out after signing.
When Proposal Software Is Not the Constraint
If your problem is commercial enquiries you cannot quote quickly because nobody can produce a compliant layout, a string design, and a single-line diagram in a reasonable time, a proposal tool does not solve it.
That is engineering capacity, and it is what our solar rooftop detailed engineering design and solar 3D pre-design services cover, with sales-stage 3D and shading models turned around in 48 hours. For ground-mount and larger commercial, solar ground mount design and structural calculations under AS/NZS 1170.2 wind loading are separate deliverables again. See the sample design pack for the output format.
Conclusion
- Model the export limit, not the array size. An oversized system behind a network export cap does not deliver the savings the uncapped model shows.
- Get the customer’s interval data before modelling self-consumption. In a market where export is worth little, self-consumption is the entire payback argument, and an assumed load shape is a guess.
- Check the STC deeming period every year. A hardcoded multiplier produces a wrong customer price the moment the deeming period steps down.
In this country series: solar software in Australia, best solar design software in Australia, shading analysis software in Australia, Pvcase review. Tool deep dives: Pvsyst review, Helioscope review.
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Disclosure and accuracy note
Commercial relationship. Heaven Designs and SurgePV are part of the same group. Treat our recommendation of SurgePV as a vendor making its own case, not an independent verdict. We have tried to describe every other product fairly, and to say plainly where a competitor is the better choice.
Pricing. All prices are indicative, compiled from public sources when this page was written. They vary by tier, region, contract term and exchange rate, and change without notice. Several vendors quote rather than publish, and some price in currencies other than the US dollar, so a converted figure moves with the exchange rate. Confirm current pricing with the vendor before you decide anything.
Trademarks and corrections. All product names and trademarks belong to their respective owners, and are used here for identification and comparison only. Their use does not imply affiliation with or endorsement by those companies. If anything here is out of date or wrong, tell us and we will correct it.
FAQ
What is the best solar proposal software in Australia? OpenSolar for most residential installers, because it handles STC calculation, CEC equipment listings, and export limits natively at no seat cost. SurgePV when the same license also has to produce the design, string sizing, and single-line diagram for commercial work.
Does solar proposal software calculate STCs automatically? The Australian-aware tools do, including the zone rating and current deeming period. Tools built for other markets treat it as a generic incentive field, which means the number is only as good as what you type in.
How do proposal tools handle DNSP export limits? The better ones let you set an export cap and model the savings figure against it. Confirm this during evaluation by running a large array against a 5 kW export limit and checking the savings number actually falls.
Is Aurora Solar worth it in Australia? Only for larger commercial-facing teams. Its strengths are tuned to a US residential market with very different economics, and Australian residential margins make the price hard to justify against a free alternative that handles local rules better.
How much does solar proposal software cost in Australia? From A$0 with OpenSolar’s transaction model to roughly A$4,700 per user per year at Aurora’s higher tiers. Most Australian installers land well under A$3,000. Cross-platform math is in our solar design software pricing breakdown.
Do I need a Clean Energy Council accredited installer for the proposal to be valid? STC eligibility requires CEC-accredited installation and CEC-listed equipment. The proposal itself is not gated, but a proposal specifying non-listed equipment creates a rebate problem after the sale.
What about the design software decision separately? Covered in our companion ranking, best solar design software in Australia.
