Brisbane Cafes and Restaurants Solar: Daytime Loads, Refrigeration and Kitchens That Actually Pay

A Brisbane cafe opens before sunrise, fires up the espresso machine, cool room, fridges, ovens and air conditioning — and keeps them running until well after the last table is cleared. A restaurant does the same, with a lunch service, a dinner service, and a cold room that never switches off. That load shape is the whole story of solar for food service: unlike a home, where most electricity is used in the evening after the sun has set, a cafe or restaurant uses most of its power while the sun is shining.

That does not mean every cafe or restaurant should buy solar, and it certainly does not mean the biggest system on the quote is the best one. The business case is decided by the daytime load — how much power the fridges, kitchens and air conditioning draw between roughly 8am and 5pm, how the demand charge is calculated, and whether the roof, tenancy and switchboard can support the system proposed. This is general information about Queensland rules and common published approaches, not advice for any particular premises. Tariffs, connection approvals and tenancy arrangements differ between sites, so confirm your tariff, your connection approval and your lease before committing. No savings or payback figure here is a guarantee; every system must be assessed on its own roof, load and quote, and published guide figures are estimates, not your price.

1. Why a cafe or restaurant is a different solar customer

Your load lines up with the sun — that is the advantage. Most businesses use the bulk of their power between 8am and 5pm, exactly when solar produces most, according to Solar Dimension's Townsville commercial solar guide. Solahart's Gold Coast commercial solar guide (2026) makes the same point for cafes, restaurants, gyms and retail, which face high costs from air conditioning, refrigeration and lighting and often operate through the 9am to 5pm sunlight hours. A home's solar often exports most of its generation for a few cents per kilowatt-hour; a cafe's solar is usually used on site, as generated, displacing a full retail import price.

But a good load shape does not guarantee a good system. The advantage only holds if the system is sized to the daytime load. A system that is too small leaves most of the daytime load still being bought from the grid. A system that is too large exports most of its output at a low feed-in rate and takes far longer to justify its cost. And a system that ignores the demand charge — the part of a commercial bill set by the single highest half-hour of demand in the billing period — can leave the owner wondering why the bill barely moved. Sizing matters most, and it is the decision most quotes spend the least time explaining.

2. What actually uses the power: refrigeration, kitchens, air conditioning

Refrigeration is the base load that never stops. Fridges, freezers, display cabinets and cold rooms run twenty-four hours a day. In a cafe, refrigeration is often the single largest continuous load; in a restaurant with a walk-in cool room and freezer room, it can dominate the bill. Much of that load falls in daylight hours, when solar is generating — but refrigeration also runs all night, when solar generates nothing. Solar can offset the daytime share; it cannot run the cold room at 2am without a battery, and a battery sized to run a cold room all night is a very different investment from one sized to shave an evening peak.

Kitchens are a peak load, not a steady load. Ovens, fryers, grills, dishwashers, coffee machines and extraction fans draw heavily in bursts — breakfast, lunch, dinner. Those peaks matter twice: once for energy (kilowatt-hours consumed), and once for demand (the highest thirty minutes, which sets the demand charge). Solar generates smoothly through the middle of the day; a kitchen peaks sharply. If the lunch peak falls at 12:30pm, solar can cover much of it; if the dinner peak falls at 7pm in winter, solar has stopped. Ask any quote to show the load profile it was sized against — not just the annual kilowatt-hours, but when the power is used.

Air conditioning is the Brisbane multiplier. A cafe in January runs air conditioning for customers sitting still in a glass-fronted room facing the sun. Solahart's Gold Coast commercial guide (2026) lists air conditioning alongside refrigeration and lighting as a main cost driver for cafes and restaurants. Air conditioning load rises with the sun — convenient, because solar output rises with it — but the system must be sized for summer, when the load is highest. Lighting, signage, hot water and point-of-sale systems are individually small and collectively material, and mostly daytime loads, which is why Solar Dimension's Townsville guide says a well-designed system can offset 80–100% of daytime energy use. Treat that as a published guide claim, not a promise.

Load	When it runs	What solar can do	What solar cannot do
Refrigeration and cold rooms	24 hours a day	Offset the daytime share	Run the cold room overnight without a battery
Kitchen equipment	Sharp peaks at breakfast, lunch, dinner	Cover much of a midday peak	Not a 7pm dinner peak after sunset
Air conditioning	Daytime, heaviest in summer	Tracks solar output	Cover evening trading

3. System size: what cafes and restaurants actually install

The published ranges are consistent — and they are ranges, not quotes. Solahart's Gold Coast commercial guide (2026) says small to medium commercial systems are typically 30–100 kW. Solar Dimension's Townsville guide puts the range at 10 kW for a small shop up to 100 kW and beyond. Selectra's commercial solar guide (updated 4 December 2025) puts cafes and small offices typically at 10–30 kW. Energy Solution Centre's Queensland guide says a 30–99 kW small commercial system suits restaurants, with daily generation of 120–396 kWh. Read together: a small cafe may sit at 10–30 kW and a larger restaurant at 30–100 kW.

Size to the daytime load, not to the roof. A roof that can physically hold 50 kW of panels does not mean the business needs 50 kW. The right size covers the daytime load on a typical trading day without exporting most of its output at a low feed-in rate. That requires interval data — half-hourly consumption — not a single annual kilowatt-hour total. A quote that sizes a system from the annual bill alone is guessing. Ask for the sizing calculation in writing: assumed daytime load, self-consumption, and export share.

The 100 kW line matters for certificates. Solar Dimension's Townsville guide notes that small-scale technology certificates (STCs) apply up to 100 kW, and above that the system moves into a different incentive and approval regime — one reason the 30–99 kW band recurs in published guides for restaurants. From 1 October 2026 the Clean Energy Regulator expanded scheme eligibility from 100 kW to 1 MW, with STC applications expected in mid to late November 2026 (see section 9).

Roof space and roof condition decide what is physically possible. A cafe in a strip may share a roof with neighbours or sit under a landlord's roof; a standalone restaurant may have a large clear roof — or one crowded with air conditioning plant, exhausts and skylights. Before any sizing is final, the quote should confirm the usable roof area, orientation, shading, age and condition, and who owns it. Panels on a roof that needs replacing in three years are a cost, not a saving.

4. Demand charges: the part of the bill solar owners most often misunderstand

What a demand charge is. For South East Queensland businesses on Energex tariffs, the bill is not just usage plus a daily supply charge — it also includes a demand tariff, charged on the single highest thirty-minute peak in each billing period, according to Energy Solution Centre's Queensland commercial solar guide. That one half-hour sets a charge paid for the whole period. A cafe can cut its total energy use substantially with solar and still pay a high demand charge, if its highest half-hour happens when the sun is not shining — a 7pm dinner peak, or a morning when the ovens, coffee machine and air conditioning all start together before the panels are producing.

Why this matters more for food service than for an office. An office's peak is usually mid-afternoon, when solar is generating. A restaurant's peak may be at dinner, after sunset; a cafe's peak may be at 7am, when the ovens and coffee machines start before the sun is high. Solar reduces the demand charge only to the extent that it reduces the single highest half-hour — and if that half-hour falls outside solar hours, solar does nothing for that charge at all. This is the most common reason a cafe owner cannot reconcile a quote's promised savings with the actual bill.

What to ask about demand before you sign. Ask the quote to show the demand charge separately from the usage charge, and which half-hour sets it. Ask whether the proposed system reduces that half-hour, and by how much, on a typical trading day — and what happens on a cloudy day and during the dinner service. A single "bill saving" figure that does not separate energy from demand has not shown its working, and the demand component is the part most likely to disappoint.

Dated update, November 2026 — demand tariffs are staying. The Australian Energy Regulator's final decision of 30 October 2026 refused Energex's and Ergon Energy's requests to remove optional demand tariffs (from 1 July 2027) and flexible load tariffs (from 1 July 2028). Demand tariffs will remain part of the Queensland tariff landscape, so managing the peak stays a live part of system design. [VERIFY] the exact demand tariff and threshold for your premises with your retailer or on your bill — published guides describe the structure, not your tariff.

5. Refrigeration and the battery question

A battery can cover after-hours trading, cold rooms or peak demand charges — in principle. Solar Dimension's Townsville guide notes that a battery can cover after-hours trading, cold rooms or peak demand charges. Think of a battery for a cafe or restaurant as a tool aimed at a specific load — the cold room overnight, the dinner service after sunset, or the half-hour that sets the demand charge — not as a general "store the sun for tonight" device. A battery sized to a specific job can be assessed on its merits; one sized by rule of thumb cannot.

The cold room overnight is the hardest battery job in food service. A walk-in cool room and freezer room draw power all night, and the load is not small. Covering it from a battery means storing enough energy during the day to run refrigeration through the night, after the daytime load has already used most of the solar output. In many cafes there is simply not enough surplus daytime generation to charge a battery large enough for the overnight refrigeration load — and a battery charged from the grid overnight is not a solar saving at all. Ask any battery proposal to show the overnight refrigeration load, the surplus solar available, and the hours it can sustain that load. If those three numbers are not in the proposal, the battery has been guessed, not sized.

Peak shaving is usually the better battery job. A smaller battery discharged briefly to cut the single highest half-hour can reduce the demand charge without running the cold room all night — a narrower, cheaper job with a visible bill saving.

Dated update, November 2026 — the federal battery discount. The federal Cheaper Home Batteries Program began on 1 July 2025 and offers a discount on batteries — published guide figures put it at around 30%, up to about $2,720 on a 10 kWh battery for installations in May to December 2026. Two cautions: the program is a home-battery program, and whether a battery in a commercial food-service premises qualifies depends on the installation's circumstances — [VERIFY] eligibility for your premises before relying on any discount in a quote. Published guides also note the STC factor falls from 6.8 to 5.7 and solar deeming from 5 to 4 years from 1 January 2027 — check your quote for the discount actually applied.

6. What solar costs for a cafe or restaurant — published ranges, not promises

Installer-published cost ranges. TMEC's Sunshine Coast commercial solar guide (updated 17 July 2026) gives indicative installed costs of $12,000–$15,000 for 10 kW, $25,000–$35,000 for 30 kW, and $75,000–$90,000 for 100 kW, with payback of 3–6 years as a guide estimate only. Selectra's commercial solar guide (updated 4 December 2025) puts a Queensland 30 kW system at $29,000–$40,000 as a published estimate. Those two 30 kW ranges overlap but are not identical; costs vary with roof access, switchboard work, inverter and panel choice, and connection complexity — so a quote far outside the range without explaining why deserves a question.

Payback is a guide estimate, never a promise. TMEC's 3–6 year payback figure is expressly a guide estimate only. Payback depends on the daytime self-consumption share, the demand charge outcome, the tariff, the roof, and the actual installed cost — all of which vary by premises. A quote that guarantees a payback period, or presents a single payback figure without showing its assumptions — self-consumption, export rate, demand saving, tariff — is making a claim it cannot support.

System size	Published indicative installed cost	Typical fit (published guides)	What to check
10 kW	$12,000–$15,000 (TMEC, updated 17 Jul 2026)	Small cafe	Is 10 kW enough for the daytime load?
30 kW	$25,000–$35,000 (TMEC); $29,000–$40,000 in Queensland (Selectra, updated 4 Dec 2025)	Cafe, restaurant	Does the roof hold 30 kW, and does the daytime load use it?
30–99 kW	Within the small-scale scheme (STCs up to 100 kW)	Larger restaurant, big cool room	Connection approval, switchboard capacity, demand charge
100 kW	$75,000–$90,000 (TMEC)	Large venue	Above 100 kW the incentive and approval regime changes — see section 9

7. The tenancy problem: who owns the roof, who pays, who benefits

Most cafes and restaurants do not own their building. They lease it — often for five or ten years, often with options, often in a strip or centre where the roof is shared or controlled by the landlord. That creates the split incentive behind many failed food-service solar deals: the tenant pays the electricity bill and would benefit from solar, but the landlord owns the roof and would own the panels at the end of the lease. A tenant who pays for a system on a landlord's roof, with three years left on the lease, has bought an asset they may not keep.

Sort the lease before the quote. Before any system is designed, confirm in writing: who owns the roof, whether the lease permits solar, how long is left on the lease (including options), who owns, maintains and insures the system at the end of the lease, and what happens if the landlord sells or redevelops the building. If the lease is silent on solar, get the landlord's position in writing — a verbal "should be fine" is not a position. The same applies if the landlord will contribute or extend the lease in exchange for the system.

The landlord's side of the deal. A landlord who allows solar can gain a more lettable premises, a tenant who stays longer, and a building with a documented asset. The negotiation works best when both sides can see the numbers — bill saving, cost, lease term, and what happens at the end.

8. Connection approval, switchboard and three-phase power

A commercial system needs a connection approval — do not skip it. A 30 kW or larger system on an Energex network in South East Queensland needs a connection application and approval before it is installed, and the approval may set an export limit or require specific protection settings. A quote that promises installation next week without mentioning the connection application has either already applied (ask for the approval) or has not applied (ask why not). Installing without approval can leave a system that cannot be connected, or must be reconfigured at the owner's cost.

The switchboard is often the hidden cost. A cafe's switchboard may be old, single-phase, or already close to capacity with the kitchen load. A solar system adds an inverter, protection and metering, and a larger system may need a board upgrade or a three-phase supply. Ask the quote to state the switchboard work explicitly — what is included, what is excluded, and what it costs if the board needs upgrading. A quote that says "switchboard work if required" without a price has not quoted the switchboard work.

Three-phase matters for larger systems. Most cafes and restaurants above a small size are on three-phase supply; ask how the system is balanced across the phases and whether the inverter is single-phase or three-phase. [VERIFY] the export limit and phase requirements for your premises with Energex (South East Queensland) or Ergon Energy (regional Queensland).

9. Dated updates, November 2026 — what changed and what it means for you

Small-scale scheme expanded to 1 MW from 1 October 2026. The Clean Energy Regulator expanded Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme eligibility for mid-scale solar from 100 kW to 1 MW from 1 October 2026, with STC applications expected in mid to late November 2026. For a single cafe or restaurant that change is unlikely to matter — a 10–30 kW system is far below 100 kW.

Federal battery discount — batteries only. The federal Cheaper Home Batteries Program began on 1 July 2025 and applies to batteries, not to solar panels — see section 5 for the discount figures and the eligibility caution.

AER final decision, 30 October 2026 — demand and flexible load tariffs stay. The Australian Energy Regulator's final decision of 30 October 2026 refused Energex's and Ergon Energy's requests to remove optional demand tariffs (from 1 July 2027) and flexible load tariffs (from 1 July 2028). Demand tariffs will remain part of the Queensland tariff landscape, so managing the peak stays a live part of system design (see section 4).

Feed-in tariffs are low — check your own bill. In regional Queensland, the regulated feed-in tariff from Ergon Energy is 6.006c/kWh from 1 July 2026, set by the Queensland Competition Authority. In South East Queensland, feed-in tariffs are set by retailers, and published guides typically put the median around 2c/kWh — a published guide example, not your tariff. Either way, electricity used on site displaces a full retail import price while exported electricity earns only a few cents — so size the system to the daytime load first and treat export income as a bonus. Check your retailer's current feed-in offer.

10. What to check before you sign: the quote checklist

A complete quote answers these questions in writing. If a quote does not, ask — and if the answer does not come in writing, treat the quote as incomplete.

• Daytime load and sizing: What is the assumed daytime load, from interval data or a load profile? What share of generation is self-consumed, and what share exported?

• Demand charge: What is the current demand charge, which half-hour sets it, and how much does the system reduce it? Is the demand saving shown separately from the energy saving?

• Roof and structure: What is the usable roof area, orientation and shading? Who owns the roof? What is its age and condition, and who pays if it needs repair under the panels?

• Tenancy: Does the lease permit solar? How long is left on the lease? Who owns, maintains and insures the system at the end of the lease?

• Switchboard and phases: What switchboard work is included and excluded? Is the system single-phase or three-phase, and how is it balanced?

• Connection approval: Has the Energex or Ergon Energy application been lodged, and what export limit or conditions apply? [VERIFY] the approval status before installation.

• Battery (if proposed): What specific load is it sized for — overnight refrigeration, dinner service, or peak shaving? What is the overnight load, the surplus solar available, and the hours it can sustain that load? Does the federal battery discount actually apply to this installation?

• Warranties and exclusions: What are the panel, inverter and workmanship warranties, and who honours them if the installer leaves the industry? What is excluded from the headline price — switchboard, roof, metering, connection fees?

11. How This Works for Both Sides

The cafe or restaurant owner wins when the system is sized to the daytime load, the demand charge is addressed rather than ignored, the tenancy is sorted in writing, and the quote is checked independently before signing. The reward is lower daytime energy costs — not a system that looked good in a sales presentation and disappointed on the first bill.

The landlord wins when a tenant's solar investment is documented, approved and properly installed. A premises with solar, a clear lease position and a documented system is more lettable than one with an undocumented array on a disputed roof. Most food-service solar disputes land on the landlord or property manager long after the installer has left, and a file that answers the questions — roof ownership, lease position, approval, metering — closes them quickly.

The installer wins when the job is judged on a complete design — load profile, demand charge, roof, switchboard, connection approval and tenancy — rather than on the lowest panel price. A correctly sized, properly approved cafe system generates referrals from neighbouring businesses; an oversized, under-approved one generates complaints.

12. What EServices4U would check independently

• Solar and battery feasibility assessment — from $299 — where the load is complex, a battery is proposed, or the system is large, assessing daytime load, demand charge, sizing, battery job and roof before a quote is accepted.

• Residential solar quote review — from $149 — for smaller cafe or home-based food business quotes that fit a residential-scale review.

• Home Owner's Engineer services — from $599 — where that scope fits, including independent oversight of design and installation.

• Commercial Infrastructure Assessment / RPEQ & RPEV SLD Sign-Off — from $495 — where the engagement is commercial-scale, for example a 30–100 kW restaurant system or a multi-site operator.

Scope and qualifications for each engineering engagement are confirmed before work starts. EServices4U does not sell installations and does not receive installer commissions, so the review is independent of the tenderers. Based in Queensland, serving Australia-wide.

Frequently asked questions

Is solar worth it for a Brisbane cafe or restaurant?

It can be — cafes and restaurants use most of their power during the day, when solar generates. Published guides say a well-designed system can offset 80–100% of daytime energy use; cafes typically install 10–30 kW and larger restaurants 30–100 kW. Whether it is worth it for your premises depends on your daytime load, demand charge, roof, tenancy and quote. No figure here is a guarantee — get the quote reviewed against your own load data.

Will solar cut my demand charge?

Only if it reduces your single highest half-hour of demand in the billing period. If your peak falls at dinner after sunset, or at 7am before the panels are producing, solar may do nothing for the demand charge even while it cuts your energy use. Ask the quote to show the demand charge separately and identify which half-hour sets it — the Australian Energy Regulator's final decision of 30 October 2026 kept optional demand tariffs in place.

Can solar run my cold room overnight?

Not on its own — solar generates only in daylight. A battery can cover after-hours trading, cold rooms or peak demand charges, according to published guides, but a battery sized to run a walk-in cool room all night needs enough surplus daytime solar to charge it, and in many cafes there is not enough surplus. Ask any battery proposal to show the overnight load, the surplus solar available, and the hours it can sustain that load — and [VERIFY] whether the federal battery discount applies to your commercial installation.

How much does solar cost for a restaurant in Queensland?

TMEC's Sunshine Coast guide (updated 17 July 2026) gives indicative costs of $12,000–$15,000 for 10 kW, $25,000–$35,000 for 30 kW, and $75,000–$90,000 for 100 kW; Selectra's guide (updated 4 December 2025) puts a Queensland 30 kW system at $29,000–$40,000. These are published estimates, not your price — switchboard work, roof work, metering and connection fees may be additional. TMEC's 3–6 year payback is a guide estimate only, never a promise.

Get an independent check before you sign

• Start with a free 15-minute consultation to talk through your tender, system, building, or project and find out which fixed-fee review fits, if any. Call/WhatsApp 0480 001 498 or email growthpartner@eservices4u.com.au. No obligation, and it does not include a written report.

• Solar and battery feasibility assessment — from $299. See packages and pricing.

• Residential solar quote review — from $149.

• Home Owner's Engineer services — from $599. Learn more about the Owner's Engineer service.

• Commercial Infrastructure Assessment / RPEQ & RPEV SLD Sign-Off — from $495.

• Learn more about EServices4U and the team, or request a quote.

Based in Queensland, serving Australia-wide. EServices4U provides independent engineering advice; it does not sell solar installations and does not receive installer commissions.