ServiceM8 form
ServiceM8 quote template for solar and battery installers
This ServiceM8 Form captures what a solar and battery quote must show: panel, inverter and battery models, system size, the STC count and the discount it funds, a generation estimate with its limits, and a condition that the price depends on network approval. The Clean Energy Regulator requires much of this in writing before the sale.
Last checked 25 Sep 2026 against the sources listed at the end of this page.
Free form ยท AS/NZS 5139:2019 (batteries)
Solar and battery quote form for solar and battery installation
A signed system specification and disclosure PDF in the job diary that sits with the quote, covering the STC working, the generation estimate and the network approval condition.
The form: 35 questions
| Section | Question | Type | Req. | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Site | NMI | Text | Yes | From the customer's power bill. Battery STCs are limited to one battery per NMI. |
| Site | Distribution network | Choice Energex / Ergon Energy / Ausgrid / Endeavour Energy / Essential Energy / SA Power Networks / Other | Yes | |
| Site | Supply phases | Choice Single phase / Two phase / Three phase | Yes | |
| Site | Existing solar or battery on site | Choice None / Solar only, keeping / Solar only, replacing / Battery already installed | Yes | |
| Site | Has a battery already claimed STCs at this premises | Choice No / Yes / Unknown, customer to confirm | Yes | If yes, the new battery is not eligible for STCs. Price it without the battery discount. |
| Site | Average daily usage in kWh | Number | From the last 12 months of bills where the customer has them. | |
| Site | Roof type | Choice Metal / Tile / Flat with tilt frames / Other | Yes | |
| Site | Shading on array area | Choice None / Morning only / Afternoon only / Heavy | Yes | |
| Site | Photos of roof, meter box and switchboard | Photo | Yes | |
| System spec | Panel brand and model | Text | Yes | Must be on the CEC approved product list for STCs. |
| System spec | Number of panels | Number | Yes | |
| System spec | Panel rating in watts | Number | Yes | |
| System spec | System size in kW | Number | Yes | Panels multiplied by panel rating, divided by 1000. |
| System spec | Inverter brand, model and kW rating | Text | Yes | |
| System spec | Battery brand and model | Text | Must be on the CEC approved battery list and able to join a VPP for STCs. | |
| System spec | Battery nominal capacity in kWh | Number | 5 to 100 kWh for STC eligibility. | |
| System spec | Battery usable capacity in kWh | Number | STCs are worked out on usable capacity, capped at the first 50 kWh. | |
| STCs | Solar STCs | Number | Yes | From the CER small generation unit STC calculator for this postcode and install year. |
| STCs | Battery STCs | Number | Usable kWh times the STC factor for the install month, with the taper above 14 kWh. | |
| STCs | Price per STC used, dollars | Number | Yes | The price your registered agent will pay you. The clearing house cap is 40 dollars excluding GST. |
| STCs | STC discount shown on quote, dollars | Number | Yes | Total STCs times the price per STC. Shows as a negative line on the quote. |
| STCs | Customer assigns STCs to our registered agent | Choice Yes, discount applied / No, customer will create and sell their own | Yes | |
| Performance | Estimated first year generation in kWh | Number | Yes | |
| Performance | How the estimate was made | Text | Yes | Tool and assumptions: orientation, tilt, shading, losses. |
| Performance | Circumstances where the system may not perform as estimated | Text | Yes | Weather, shading growth, soiling, export limits, outages, usage pattern. Required disclosure. |
| Performance | Feed in tariff and export limit information given | Choice Yes, in writing / Not yet | Yes | |
| Performance | Expected payback period or savings given | Text | Yes | State it as an estimate and show the tariff you assumed. |
| Performance | Conflicts of interest disclosed | Choice None to disclose / Disclosed in writing | Yes | |
| Network approval | Network application status | Choice Not yet lodged / Lodged, awaiting outcome / Approved / Approved with export limit / Refused | Yes | |
| Network approval | Approved export limit in kW | Number | ||
| Network approval | Network application reference | Text | ||
| Network approval | If export is limited or refused | Choice Price stands, design unchanged / Redesign with customer agreement / Either party may cancel, deposit refunded | Yes | Prints as the approval condition on the quote. |
| People | SAA accredited designer name and number | Text | Yes | |
| People | SAA accredited installer name and number | Text | Yes | Battery installs need the battery endorsement. |
| Sign off | Salesperson signature | Signature | Yes |
Set it up in ServiceM8
- In ServiceM8 open Settings > Forms > Add Form and name it Solar and battery quote spec.
- Add the questions above in order. Choice means Multiple Choice, Multiple choice means Multiple Choice (Multi-answer). Tick Mandatory where required is true.
- Click Download Sample Template. Lay out the spec block, the STC working (count, price, total) and the generation estimate with its disclaimer paragraph, then add image_customer_signature and customer_signature_date so the customer signs the disclosures.
- Upload the template, give the form a badge name, and add the badge to each sales job from the Dispatch Board so the salesperson sees it on the phone.
- Create billable items for each system package and an STC discount item with a negative price, and put the approval condition text in your quote template's terms.
- Put the {document} field in your quote email and SMS templates so the customer views and signs online.
- Test it on a dummy job with a solar only quote and a solar plus battery quote before sales staff use it.
What the Clean Energy Regulator expects on paper
A solar or battery quote is not just a price. The Clean Energy Regulator says retailers must give the system owner written evidence, before selling and installing, of: a contract of sale or accepted quote that includes your obligation to connect the system to the grid where that applies, the accredited designer and installer, how the system will perform and the circumstances in which it may not, feed in tariffs and export limits, the expected payback period or savings, and any conflict of interest. You keep those records for at least 5 years, and the retailer's signed written statement for each system relies on them. Without that statement, the system is not eligible for STCs.
So the form below is built around those items. If an auditor or an unhappy customer asks what was promised, the answer is in one PDF in the job diary with the customer's signature on it.
The STC line, worked out properly
The STC discount is the line customers compare between quotes, so show the working: the number of certificates, the price per certificate you used, and the total. For solar panels, the certificate count depends on system size, postcode zone and installation year. The deeming period drops by one year every year until the scheme ends in 2030, and it is 5 years for systems installed in 2026. Use the CER's small generation unit STC calculator rather than a spreadsheet you built three years ago.
Batteries work differently. Under the Cheaper Home Batteries program, STCs depend on usable capacity and the install date. The factor is 6.8 STCs per kWh from May to December 2026, applied in full up to 14 kWh, at 60% from 14 to 28 kWh and at 15% from 28 to 50 kWh, with nothing claimable beyond 50 kWh. Only one battery per premises can ever claim, so the form asks whether a battery has already been claimed there. The CER lists that check among the retailer's responsibilities before a quote goes out.
For the dollar value, the open market price moves daily and the STC clearing house is capped at $40 excluding GST. Quote the price you will actually receive from your registered agent, and say that the discount assumes the customer assigns their STCs to that agent.
The generation estimate and the network approval condition
Put a plain disclaimer under the generation figure: it is an estimate from the stated method and assumptions, and actual output depends on weather, shading, panel soiling, export limits and how the household uses power. That wording covers the CER's requirement to state when the system may not perform as described.
The network condition protects your price. Distributors assess a system before it connects. SA Power Networks, for example, says it must assess the impact of solar, battery storage or EV chargers on the local network before they are installed or upgraded, and that an installer completes the application. Make the quote conditional on approval, and say what happens if the network approves a lower export limit: the price stands, the design changes with the customer's agreement, or either party can withdraw. Record the approval status and any export limit in the form so the office can see it before booking the install.
What this form will not do
- ServiceM8 Forms do not calculate, so the STC count, discount and system size are entered by hand from the CER calculator.
- The STC factor for batteries changes during the year and the deeming period drops each January. Update the notes when they change.
- The form records the network application status. It does not lodge the application or read the result from the network portal.
- The disclosures come from CER guidance for retailers claiming STCs. State consumer law, the New Energy Tech Consumer Code (if you are a signatory) and your contract terms may ask for more.
- The spec PDF and the quote PDF are separate documents. Send both, and have the customer sign the one with the disclosures.
Sources
- Before selling and installing, solar retailers must give the system owner written evidence including a contract of sale or accepted quote with the obligation to connect the system to the grid (if applicable), accredited designer and installer details, system performance and circumstances in which it may not perform, feed in tariffs and export limits, expected payback period or savings, and any conflicts of interest; records must be kept for at least 5 years. Clean Energy Regulator, checked 25 Sep 2026.
- A retailer must complete a signed written statement for each solar PV or battery system, and the system is not eligible for STCs without it; retailers must also check that a battery has not already been claimed at the premises before providing a quote. Clean Energy Regulator, checked 25 Sep 2026.
- The STC deeming period decreases by one year each year until the scheme ends in 2030; it is 5 years for 2026 installations. Clean Energy Regulator, checked 25 Sep 2026.
- The solar battery STC factor is 6.8 per kWh of usable capacity for May to December 2026, applied at 100% up to 14 kWh, 60% above 14 and up to 28 kWh, and 15% above 28 and up to 50 kWh. Clean Energy Regulator, checked 25 Sep 2026.
- To be eligible for STCs a battery must be new, 5 to 100 kWh nominal capacity, on the CEC approved battery list, compliant with AS/NZS 5139:2019, capable of joining a virtual power plant if grid connected, and installed by an SAA accredited installer with battery endorsement; STCs are claimed on the first 50 kWh of usable capacity and only one battery per premises is eligible. Clean Energy Regulator, checked 25 Sep 2026.
- STC open market prices vary daily; the STC clearing house price is capped at $40 excluding GST. Clean Energy Regulator, checked 25 Sep 2026.
- System owners who assign their right to create STCs to a registered agent may receive an upfront discount on the cost of the system. Clean Energy Regulator, checked 25 Sep 2026.
- SA Power Networks assesses the network impact of solar panels, battery storage or EV chargers before they are installed or upgraded, and an installer or electrical consultant must complete the application forms. SA Power Networks, checked 25 Sep 2026.