In short
- A childcare centre is one of the better small sites for solar: it runs 7am to 6pm on weekdays, under the sun, for about 50 weeks a year.
- Most centres need 20kW to 30kW, not more. Weekend exports earn very little, so the roof is rarely the limit.
- If you lease the building, settle who owns the system before anyone quotes.
Yes, solar is usually worth it for a childcare centre in Australia, with a payback of roughly two to three years on a 20kW to 30kW system in 2026. The centre's hours line up with daylight almost exactly, so a well-sized system is used on site rather than exported. The two things that decide the result are sizing to the weekday load and sorting out the lease.
| Quick facts | Solar for a childcare centre |
|---|---|
| Typical system | 20kW to 30kW for a 60 to 120 place centre |
| Share of solar used on site | about 70–80% on a well-sized system |
| Part of the bill solar can cut | weekday daytime energy, which is most of the bill |
| Part it can't cut | weekends, closure weeks and the fixed daily charge |
| What to send | one recent bill; we get the interval data from it |
What does a childcare centre's power use look like?
A centre's load is unusually tidy. Doors open around 6:30 or 7am and close at 6 or 6:30pm, Monday to Friday. In between, the air conditioning runs in every room, the kitchen cooks lunch, the laundry turns over, hot water runs for handwashing and nappy change, and the lighting is on all day. Outside those hours there is only a fridge, a freezer, some standby and the security lighting.
That shape is close to ideal for solar, because the panels make most of their power between 9am and 3pm, when the rooms are full and the air conditioning is working hardest. The weak spots are the weekends and the one or two closure weeks over Christmas, when nearly everything the panels make goes to the grid for a small credit.
What size system does a childcare centre need?
Size to the weekday load, not the roof. The interval data from your bill shows the centre's draw in each half hour, and the system is sized so its midday output sits just under that. Most centres land between 20kW and 30kW. A 60-place centre with one air-conditioning system per room is usually at the lower end; a 120-place centre with a commercial kitchen and laundry at the upper end.
Going larger adds panels that make power on the weekend and in the quiet afternoon, when the centre can't use it. Our 20kW solar system guide and 30kW solar system guide show what each size makes and the roof it needs.
How much will solar save a childcare centre?
Here is a worked example with made-up figures. These are example figures, not our prices or a real centre.
A Brisbane centre puts in a 30kW system, which makes about 43,500 kWh a year at 1,450 kWh per kW.
- The centre uses about 70% of the solar itself across the 50 weeks it is open. The rest, mostly weekends, goes to the grid.
- At $0.28 for each kWh it no longer buys and $0.05 for exports: 30,450 kWh × $0.28 = $8,526, plus 13,050 kWh × $0.05 = $653. Yearly saving $9,180.
- Against the 30kW range on commercial solar cost of $21,000 to $29,000 after the STC discount, that pays back in about 2.3 to 3.2 years.
A smaller centre with a 20kW system makes about 29,000 kWh a year. Using 75% itself: 21,750 kWh × $0.28 = $6,090, plus 7,250 kWh × $0.05 = $363, a saving of about $6,450 a year. Divide the quoted price after STCs by that figure for the payback.
What if the centre leases its building?
Most childcare centres do, and it is the question to settle first. The panels fix to a roof the operator doesn't own, and they will outlast the lease.
- Operator buys the system. The operator takes the saving and needs the landlord's written consent, plus an agreement on what happens to the panels at the end of the lease.
- Landlord buys the system. The landlord owns an asset that makes the building easier to let and can recover the cost through the rent or an outgoings line. The operator still gets a lower power bill.
- Either way, put it in writing before the quote stage, so the installer prices the right structure and the proposal names the right owner.
A proposal from us states the assumptions in full, so a landlord and an operator can read the same document and see what each side gets.
What does each state offer a childcare centre?
The federal STC discount applies everywhere and comes off the invoice. For a 20kW to 30kW system it is a large part of the price. The states add little for solar itself.
| State | What matters for a childcare centre |
|---|---|
| NSW | No rebate on solar panels. The Peak Demand Reduction Scheme discounts batteries from 20 kWh, which is larger than most centres need. |
| VIC | Victorian Energy Upgrades gives an upfront discount on business solar systems between 30kW and 200kW. A 30kW centre qualifies; a 20kW one doesn't. the current minimum size on the Solar Victoria page. |
| QLD | No state rebate for commercial solar. Feed-in credits in the south-east are set by retailers, so check the contract before counting on weekend exports. |
| SA | No state government rebate. Some councils, such as the City of Adelaide, run their own. Export value is weak, so size to what the centre uses. |
| WA | No state rebate for business solar. The buyback scheme covers not-for-profit and educational customers only at 5kW or below, so a centre's exports earn nothing from it. Size to the weekday load. |
| ACT | No solar rebate. The Sustainable Business Program co-funds energy efficiency upgrades up to $10,000. Solar isn't a listed item. |
We haven't checked Tasmania or the Northern Territory yet. Full detail and dates are on commercial solar rebates.
What should a childcare centre send for a proposal?
Just one recent bill, every page. Using the meter number on it, the team gets your interval data, which shows what the centre draws in every half hour of the year, including the weekends and the closure weeks. That is what the system gets sized to. There is nothing to request from your retailer.
Questions to ask an installer
- What share of the solar do you expect the centre to use, and does that allow for weekends and closure weeks?
- Is the system sized to our weekday load or to the roof?
- What does it save at our real rate per kWh, not a typical one?
- Who owns the system under our lease, and has the landlord agreed in writing?
- Is the inverter and switchboard work scheduled outside opening hours, and how is the site kept safe while children are present?
Send a bill and an accredited installer prepares a costed proposal sized to how the centre uses power. It's free, with no obligation. Already have a quote? Compare it line by line with our checklist.