Solar panels and home batteries in Hawthorn 3122

Hawthorn has heritage streets, older slate and tile roofs, and more flats than houses. We’ll assess your roof, your electricity use and any existing system before recommending what to install.

Book a free assessment Call 03 9935 6355

Compact black solar array on a bright terracotta tile roof — Solar installed by SEN

Home batteries and an inverter beside a weatherboard house — Battery installed by SEN

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What is different about homes in Hawthorn

Three things about Hawthorn shape a solar or battery plan: heritage streets, older roofs, and how many homes are flats.

A large part of Hawthorn is in a Heritage Overlay

Most homes do not need a planning permit to put solar panels on the roof. A Heritage Overlay can change that. It is a planning control that protects the look of older streets, and it covers a large part of Hawthorn, mainly the north-west and the middle. In a Heritage Overlay, a permit can be needed when two things are true: the panels would be visible from a street (other than a lane) or a public park, and the council’s heritage schedule, its list of protected places, applies solar controls to your property.

Boroondara Council’s guide for heritage homes says the rear roof, out of view from the street, is the preferred place for panels. On 31 August 2026 the council voted to propose changing its heritage solar rules. Today’s rules apply until any change takes effect. We can’t tell you from here if your home needs a permit, so check your address on VicPlan, the state’s free planning map, or ask the council.

Older roofs are slate, terracotta tile or iron

North of Riversdale Road, much of Hawthorn was built in the Victorian era, and many of those houses still stand on small blocks. Their roofs are often slate or corrugated iron. Later brick bungalows have terracotta tiles. The roof material changes how panels are fixed down, and chimneys and small roof faces limit where panels fit.

Small blocks matter for batteries too. A battery can’t go in a living area or a ceiling space, and it has to sit clear of doors and windows. That can leave only a few places to choose from.

Most homes are flats, and nearly half are rented

At the 2021 Census, about 6 in 10 homes in Hawthorn were flats or apartments, and only about 1 in 4 was a separate house. Nearly half of all homes were rented. So the first question here is often who gets to decide.

If you own a house, or a townhouse with its own roof, the choice is yours. If you own a flat, in most cases you need your owners corporation, the body that manages the building’s shared property, to approve solar before anything goes on the roof. If you rent, the decision sits with the owner of the property.

Solar panels on a grey corrugated iron roof with a brick chimney and tall trees behind — Solar panels on a corrugated iron roof

Solar panels on a dark corrugated steel roof with a suburb beyond

Solar and battery options for Hawthorn homes

Installing solar panels

A new solar installation starts with your roof and when you use electricity. We assess the space, sun and shade, and what the roof is made of. On older Hawthorn houses that is often slate or corrugated iron. If your Hawthorn home is in a Heritage Overlay, we also look at which roof faces can be seen from the street, because that can affect where panels go.

Installing solar and a battery together

Solar panels generate electricity during daylight. A battery can store some of it for later. We’ll look at your daytime and evening use, and at where a battery is allowed to sit on your block, before designing the equipment to work together.

Adding a battery to existing solar

You may be able to keep your panels and add storage. We’ll check your inverter, the box that turns solar power into power your home can use, and the electrical setup. We’ll also ask what you want the battery to power before recommending a way forward.

What shapes the installation at your Hawthorn address

Your electricity bills show how much power you use, and the times you use it help us judge how much solar you could use directly or store for later. Your bill also names the network company that owns the poles and wires in your street. That company sets how much power your home can send back to the grid.

On the roof we check usable space, sun and shade, and what the roof is made of. In Hawthorn it also helps to know if your address is in a Heritage Overlay and which parts of the roof can be seen from the street, because Boroondara Council’s guide prefers panels on the rear roof. For a battery, we look for a spot that meets the installation rules, which can be the hard part on a small block.

For an existing solar system, we check the panels and inverter before proposing a battery. If blackout backup matters to you, we ask which circuits you would want powered. Backup needs suitable equipment and electrical work; a battery alone does not establish what will run during an outage.

Book a free assessment

SEN installer beside completed battery equipment

Your home. Our own team.

The SEN person who assesses your home also designs the system. Our in-house team installs it. Our office is in Tullamarine.

An inverter and two home batteries along the side passage of a brick house

Typical solar and battery projects in Hawthorn

These are examples of what three common kinds of Hawthorn home usually call for. They are not jobs we have done, and the details at your address will differ.

A Victorian house in a heritage street

Picture a timber or brick house north of Riversdale Road with a slate or iron roof, a chimney and a small block. The first step is to check the address on VicPlan for a Heritage Overlay. If there is one, the layout usually starts with the rear roof, out of view from the street, which is the place Boroondara Council’s guide prefers for panels.

The battery is often the harder part. A side or rear wall, clear of doors and windows, is the usual place to look. A timber wall can need a fire-resistant backing behind the battery.
A newer house south of Riversdale Road

More of the homes south of Riversdale Road are newer, and less of that area is in a Heritage Overlay. It is still worth checking your address. With fewer limits on where panels can go, the plan is shaped more by roof space, shade from neighbouring buildings and how the household uses electricity. A garage often gives a battery more room.
A flat in an older block with a shared roof

For the owner of one flat, the first step is the owners corporation. In most cases it has to approve solar, and a shared roof is usually planned for the whole building. A battery can’t go in the living areas of a flat, so it would need a spot on shared property that the owners corporation agrees to. If your building is ready to look at solar, tell us about it and we’ll say if it is work we can take on.

From assessment to a written plan

A call about your home. Tell us what you have now and what you want solar or a battery to do. If you know your Hawthorn home is in a Heritage Overlay, say so on the call.
A proposal you can read through. We put the proposed system and price in writing, so you can see what is included.
A site visit before a firm price. If you want to continue, we check the installation details at your property and put any changes in writing.

A single home battery stack with its inverter on a brown brick wall — Battery installed by SEN

Questions about solar and batteries in Hawthorn

Do you install solar and batteries in Hawthorn?

Yes. Our office is in Tullamarine, and Hawthorn 3122 is in the area we service. We have completed work in Hawthorn. The person who assesses your home also designs the system, and our in-house team installs it. Hawthorn East, postcode 3123, is a separate suburb next door.

Do I need a council permit for solar panels in Hawthorn?

Most homes do not need a planning permit for rooftop solar. The thing to check in Hawthorn is a Heritage Overlay. In one, a permit can be needed when the panels would be visible from a street (other than a lane) or a public park, and the council’s heritage schedule, its list of protected places, applies solar controls to your property. That was the rule in October 2026. Boroondara Council voted on 31 August 2026 to propose changing its heritage solar rules, and today’s rules apply until any change takes effect.

We can’t tell you from here if your home needs a permit. Look up your address on VicPlan or ask Boroondara Council. If your home turns out to be heritage listed or in a Heritage Overlay, tell us and we’ll review it before we quote.

I own a flat in Hawthorn. Can I get solar or a battery?

In most cases you need your owners corporation to approve solar first. That matters in Hawthorn, where about 6 in 10 homes were flats or apartments at the 2021 Census. The roof is usually shared, so it tends to be a decision for the whole building. A battery can’t go in the living areas of a flat, so it would need a place on shared property that the owners corporation agrees to.

If your building is ready to look at it, tell us about it and we’ll say if it is work we can take on.

Which electricity network is my Hawthorn home on?

Your electricity bill tells you. Look for the distributor, which is the company that owns the poles and wires in your street. It is a different company from the retailer that sends the bill. The distributor sets the rules for connecting solar and a battery at your address, including how much power you can send back to the grid. We don’t assume which network a Hawthorn street is on, so have a recent bill handy when we talk.

Solar and batteries near Hawthorn

Hawthorn has Kew to its north and Hawthorn East, a separate suburb with its own postcode, to its east. Both share Boroondara Council with Hawthorn. Across the Yarra are Richmond to the west and Abbotsford to the north-west, and Malvern is to the south. We have a page for each of those three suburbs.

Planning overlays differ from one address to the next, so check your own address on VicPlan wherever you live.

Areas we service

Start with your Hawthorn address

Tell us if you own a house, a townhouse or a flat, and if you’re planning a new system or adding to the one you have. If you’ve checked your address on VicPlan or with Boroondara Council, tell us what you found. We’ll use your free assessment to work through the options for your Hawthorn home and explain what happens next.