Solar Approval Differences: Ausgrid vs Endeavour Energy Export Limits and Paperwork

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Is solar approval different with Ausgrid and Endeavour Energy? The rulebook is the same, because both networks work under the Service and Installation Rules of NSW, which require written approval from your distributor before a solar system is connected. What differs is the process around it: each network runs its own connection application, assesses its own local capacity, and sets its own export limit for your property. So the paperwork looks similar, but the answer you get depends on which side of the boundary you live.

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1. The shared rulebook

Both networks apply the Service and Installation Rules of NSW, which treat rooftop solar as small scale parallel generation connected through an inverter. The standard framework covers systems up to 10kW per phase, requires the system to stay isolated until the right metering is in place, and requires the distributor's written approval before connection. We explain the rulebook itself in our guide to what the Service and Installation Rules of NSW are.

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2. Where the two networks differ

Ausgrid and Endeavour Energy each run their own application portal, their own assessment queue and their own view of local network capacity. The same 8kW system can be approved for full export in one suburb and export limited a few streets away, simply because the local transformer and voltage conditions differ. The networks also differ in their broader safety rulebooks, which we compare in Ausgrid ESR vs Endeavour Energy ESR. Before you plan a system size, it pays to check your network area in seconds with our postcode checker.

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3. Export limits, explained simply

An export limit caps how much power your installation can push back into the grid, and it is set by your distributor as part of approval. Modern inverters manage it automatically: if export creeps above the set limit, the inverter winds its output back within 15 seconds, and if a hard limit is breached the system disconnects within 5 seconds. A zero export setting can even be proposed to speed up approval in congested areas. Our post on AS 4777.2 and inverter settings covers why inverters behave this way.

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4. The paperwork checklist

Expect your installer to lodge a connection application with a single line diagram of the system, the inverter make and model with its Certificate of Suitability, voltage rise calculations for larger single phase systems, and a declaration of any battery storage. A compliant meter must be in place before the system is energised, which usually means a smart meter upgrade arranged through your retailer. The installation itself must meet the wiring rules and the solar standards we unpack in AS 5033 explained without the jargon and the CEC guidelines for grid connected solar.

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5. When the connection itself needs upgrading

Solar approval often exposes a weak link on the supply side: an old switchboard with no room for solar protection, undersized consumer mains, or a single phase supply that limits how much you can install. Those fixes are Level 2 ASP work, from a switchboard upgrade to a power supply upgrade or a full single phase to three phase upgrade, and doing them before you apply can lift the export limit your property is offered.

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Why it's Level 2 ASP work

The application, metering and any supply upgrades all touch the connection between your home and the network, which only an accredited Level 2 ASP can work on. Your solar installer handles the panels and inverter, and the Level 2 team makes sure the connection behind them is approved, metered and capable.

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How High Demand Electrical helps

We prepare Sydney homes for solar on both networks: we confirm which distributor you are on, handle switchboard and supply upgrades that approval depends on, coordinate metering, and complete the Level 2 connection work so your installer's application goes through without surprises. If an export limit is holding your system back, we can advise whether a supply upgrade would change the equation.

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