ServiceM8 form
ServiceM8 solar and battery commissioning checklist form
This ServiceM8 Form records what an accredited installer measures when commissioning a grid connected PV or battery system: string open circuit voltage and current, insulation resistance, polarity, inverter settings and the installer's Solar Accreditation Australia number. It is built against AS/NZS 5033 and AS/NZS 4777, and against the Clean Energy Regulator's rules for claiming small-scale technology certificates.
Last checked 25 Sep 2026 against the sources listed at the end of this page.
Free form ยท AS/NZS 5033 and AS/NZS 4777
Solar and battery commissioning checklist form for solar
A signed commissioning PDF in the job diary with string readings, inverter settings, installer accreditation and photos, for the customer file and warranty claims.
The form: 28 questions
| Section | Question | Type | Req. | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Site | System type | Choice Grid connect PV only / Grid connect PV with battery / Battery retrofit to existing PV | Yes | |
| Site | Network distributor | Text | Yes | Sets whose connection approval and reference number apply. This differs by distributor and state. |
| Site | Distributor connection reference or approval number | Text | Enter once the distributor has issued it. Some distributors approve before install, others notify after. | |
| Site | Photo of switchboard before work | Photo | Yes | |
| Array | Number of strings | Number | Yes | |
| Array | String 1 open circuit voltage (Voc), volts | Number | Yes | Compare against the module datasheet Voc for the string length and site temperature. Copy this row for each extra string. |
| Array | String 1 short circuit current (Isc), amps | Number | Yes | Compare against the module datasheet Isc. |
| Array | String 1 polarity check | Choice Correct / Incorrect, corrected before connection | Yes | |
| Array | Insulation resistance of array wiring (megohms) | Number | Yes | Record against the value the array datasheet or AS/NZS 5033 sets for the array's voltage and conductor length. |
| Array | Earthing and equipotential bonding installed | Choice Yes / Not required for this array type | Yes | |
| Array | DC isolators fitted and labelled | Choice Yes, array and inverter isolators both labelled / Only one fitted, note why | Yes | |
| Array | Photo of array isolators and labelling | Photo | Yes | |
| Inverter | Inverter brand and model | Text | Yes | |
| Inverter | Inverter rated output (kW) | Number | Yes | |
| Inverter | Export limit set on inverter | Text | Record the figure and unit as agreed with the network distributor, for example 5kW or 0kW export. | |
| Inverter | Voltage and frequency trip settings | Choice Left at regional default / Changed, see notes | Yes | Record any change from the default AS/NZS 4777 region setting and why. |
| Inverter | Earth fault and insulation monitoring passed on startup | Choice Yes / No, see notes | Yes | |
| Inverter | Photo of inverter display showing settings | Photo | Yes | |
| Battery | Battery fitted | Choice Yes / No | Yes | |
| Battery | Battery chemistry and usable capacity (kWh) | Text | ||
| Battery | Backup or blackout protection circuit fitted | Choice Yes / No / Not offered on this system | ||
| Battery | Photo of battery nameplate | Photo | ||
| Sign off | Panels on the Clean Energy Council approved products list | Choice Confirmed / Not checked | Yes | |
| Sign off | Inverter on the Clean Energy Council approved products list | Choice Confirmed / Not checked | Yes | |
| Sign off | Installer name and SAA accreditation number | Text | Yes | Not the old CEC number: STCs for systems installed from 30 May 2024 need the SAA number. |
| Sign off | Date commissioned | Date | Yes | |
| Sign off | Customer handed system user guide and this commissioning sheet | Choice Yes | Yes | |
| Sign off | Installer signature | Signature | Yes |
Set it up in ServiceM8
- In ServiceM8 open Settings > Forms > Add Form and name it Solar and battery commissioning.
- Add each question above in order. Choice means Multiple Choice, tick Mandatory where required is true.
- Copy the string questions for arrays with more than one string. ServiceM8 Forms do not repeat a block on their own.
- Click Download Sample Template to get the Word file with every Template Field Code, lay it out as a commissioning sheet with your logo, and upload it as the form template.
- Write letters and numbers only into question wording. ServiceM8 warns special characters can break the generated PDF, so write megohms and kilowatts as words.
- Set the form as compulsory on your solar install Job Template so it cannot be skipped on a live job.
- Run it once on a completed install to check every reading and photo lands correctly on the PDF before your installers use it.
Why the commissioning record has to name the installer
Since 29 February 2024 the Clean Energy Regulator has recognised Solar Accreditation Australia (SAA), not the Clean Energy Council, as the body that accredits installers and designers under the Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme. The transition finished on 29 May 2024, and any small-scale technology certificate created for a system installed from 30 May 2024 has to show the installer's SAA accreditation number, not a CEC one. If your form or template still asks for a "CEC number", it is asking for the wrong field.
The panels and inverter also have to be on the Clean Energy Council's list of approved products for the system to be eligible for STCs. The commissioning form should record the make and model of each so the office can check that list before the paperwork goes in, not after an installer has already left site.
What the form has to capture on the day
A grid connect PV or battery commissioning form is built around AS/NZS 5033, the installation and safety standard for photovoltaic arrays, and AS/NZS 4777, the standard covering how inverter energy systems connect to the grid. The form below groups the readings a commissioning test produces: per string open circuit voltage and short circuit current, insulation resistance of the array wiring, polarity at the combiner or isolator, and the inverter's export limit and voltage trip settings as programmed on the day. Record the measured value against the string, array or inverter datasheet rather than a fixed pass number, because the correct figure depends on the modules and inverter chosen for that job, not a single number that applies to every system.
Battery systems add their own block: battery chemistry, usable capacity, the backup or blackout protection circuit if fitted, and confirmation the battery meets the relevant installation standard for its chemistry and location. Photograph the switchboard, the array isolators, the inverter display showing its settings, and the battery nameplate, because these are the images an inspector or a warranty claim asks for first.
Turning the form into the paperwork the customer and the network keep
Completed in ServiceM8, this form becomes a PDF in the job diary: the commissioning sheet the installer signs and the customer gets a copy of. It sits alongside, not instead of, the certificate of electrical compliance the licensed electrician has to lodge in your state, and the connection paperwork the local network distributor requires before or after the system is switched on, which differs by distributor and is not something this form can standardise nationally. Keep the distributor's own reference number in the form so it is on file with everything else from the install.
What this form will not do
- ServiceM8 Forms do not calculate. The installer records each reading and compares it to the datasheet or standard themselves; the form does not flag a fail on its own.
- Network distributor connection processes and reference numbers differ by state and by distributor, and this form only has a place to record them, not a rule for what each distributor requires.
- The form does not check the Clean Energy Council approved products list for you. It records that the installer confirmed it, which is an honesty field, not a live lookup.
- AS/NZS 5033 and AS/NZS 4777 are sold by Standards Australia and are not reproduced here. Check your own current copy for the specific test procedures and limits that apply to a given array and inverter.
- This form covers commissioning. It does not replace the licensed electrician's certificate of electrical compliance required in your state.
Sources
- On 29 February 2024 the Clean Energy Regulator approved Solar Accreditation Australia (SAA) as the new installer and designer accreditation scheme operator under the Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme, replacing the Clean Energy Council in that role; the transition finished on 29 May 2024, and installers must use their SAA accreditation number for STCs claimed for systems installed from 30 May 2024. Clean Energy Council, checked 25 Sep 2026.
- To be eligible for small-scale technology certificates, a rooftop solar system must be installed by a Solar Accreditation Australia accredited installer, and its panels and inverter must be listed on the Clean Energy Council list of approved products. Clean Energy Regulator, checked 25 Sep 2026.
- The Clean Energy Regulator's Solar Panel Validation Initiative helps confirm that panels are validated and meet Australian standards, and are eligible for STCs. Clean Energy Regulator, checked 25 Sep 2026.
- ServiceM8 Forms question types are Text, Text (Multi-line), Number, Date, Multiple Choice, Multiple Choice (Multi-answer), Signature and Photo, a question can be made compulsory, and completed forms are converted to a PDF and saved to the job diary. ServiceM8 Help Center, checked 25 Sep 2026.
- ServiceM8's Download Sample Template gives a Word file with every Template Field Code for a Form, which can be laid out with a logo before being uploaded as the form's own PDF template; special characters in question wording can break the generated PDF. ServiceM8 Help Center, checked 25 Sep 2026.