The principle
One rule sits under everything on the bench: every technical figure is traceable, and nothing is fabricated. A fault code, a formula, a standards reference, a rebate factor: each comes from a named, checkable source and is rewritten for the trade. Where a review date is recorded, we show it; missing review metadata stays visible in the internal source queue until it is verified. Where the record doesn't exist, we leave it blank and say why. A blank is a finding; an invented number is a liability.
Fault libraries
The fault-code libraries are compiled from each brand's published inverter and battery documentation and field references, then rewritten so the cause and next action read fast on a roof. Consolidated code ranges are grouped but every individual number stays searchable. Where a remedy has completed audience review, Wattbench separates safe checks for a system owner from the installer remedy for a licensed worker and links the supporting manufacturer source. A generic fix is never silently relabelled as owner-safe. Wattbench is independent and not affiliated with, or endorsed by, any manufacturer. Codes that involve DC/AC isolation, wiring or opening a unit are flagged as licensed electrical work. We describe the diagnostic, not a shortcut around safe isolation and AS/NZS procedure.
Calculators
Every calculator runs entirely in your browser and shows the formula it uses alongside its assumptions. Nothing is sent to Wattbench unless a signed-in user deliberately saves a result. Figures are anchored to the relevant standard where one applies: AS/NZS 3008.1 for voltage drop and cable selection, AS/NZS 5033 for array limits, AS/NZS 4777.2 for grid behaviour. The results are estimates for guidance, not a quote or a compliance certificate: a final design belongs to a licensed designer working to the current edition of the standard. Where a tool deliberately covers only part of a problem, sizing a conductor for voltage drop but not current-carrying capacity, say, it states that limit plainly rather than implying more than it checks.
Standards
The standards reference sets out what each standard governs: its scope and where it applies. We do not reproduce the copyrighted standard text or its tables. Standards are revised periodically; always work to the current published edition and have a licensed professional confirm compliance.
Rebates and policy
Rebate and STC mechanics change on published schedules. We treat these as maintained, dated data with a visible "last reviewed", never as hard-coded prose, and the STC calculator takes the market certificate price as an input rather than baking in a figure. We never publish a specific rebate dollar amount without a current Clean Energy Regulator or DCCEEW source. Re-verify before quoting one to a customer.
Independence
Wattbench answers to the trade, not to lead-buyers. There is no paid placement: no manufacturer pays to change a ranking, a fix, or what a calculator returns, and anything ever sponsored will be labelled as such. We do not sell homeowner new-system leads. The commercial model is trade-side and data-side, never a compromise of what the bench tells you.
Review and corrections
Content with a recorded review date displays it and is revised when the underlying manufacturer documentation or an AS/NZS standard changes. Missing review metadata is tracked as an editorial gap, not filled with an assumed date. If you find an error, a mis-stated code, a formula that doesn't match the standard, or a stale figure, tell us and we'll correct it. Getting it right for the person on the roof is the whole point.