Delivering Projects: Barriers and Coordination Challenges to Residential PV and Heat Pump Integration in South Australia

With the trend towards low-carbon houses, the integration of rooftop solar PV and electric heat pumps is becoming a practical pathway to reducing domestic energy consumption; however, challenges in coordination, installation, and commissioning remain. Therefore, this research will examine the role of industry delivery barriers, stakeholder coordination, budget constraints, and commissioning responsibilities in South Australia and will develop an industry-informed implementation framework for residential solar PV and heat-pump integration. A qualitative desktop-based multiple-case-study approach will be adopted. Selected residential case studies involving the implementation of solar PV and heat-pump systems will be discussed, and project-delivery issues related to system layouts, service coordination, installation sequencing, cost, handover, and commissioning will be addressed. Secondary data sources, including published case studies, academic literature, technical standards, industry guidance, manufacturer documentation, policy reports, and publicly available project records, will be used for the analysis. Industry challenges in terms of system layout, service coordination, installation sequencing, cost control, handover, and commissioning will be addressed during the research process, and the findings will be synthesised into a practical framework for better residential PV and heat-pump project delivery. The research is innovative because it examines the co-integration of rooftop PV and heat pumps as a construction delivery and stakeholder-coordination problem rather than a purely technical, economic, or policy-adoption problem. The research findings could help homeowners, designers, contractors, engineers, installers, and policymakers achieve better installations, minimise delivery risks, better define roles and responsibilities, and support effective low-carbon residential energy upgrades.