Queensland
Queensland energy rebates 2026: who gets what and how to apply
There are two different things called a Queensland energy rebate. One is a credit on your electricity bill: the Queensland Electricity Rebate of almost $400 a year for pensioners, seniors and other concession card holders, plus gas, medical and emergency concessions. The other is a discount on an upgrade such as solar or a battery, which in Queensland comes from federal schemes rather than the state. This page covers both, with the 2026 amounts and how to claim each.
1. Rebates that come off your electricity bill
These are Queensland Government concessions for households. They are not connected to any upgrade, product or installer: they are a credit applied to your energy account, or a payment made to you, if you hold an eligible card. Most are applied by your retailer once you register your card, and the Queensland rebate is unusual in that Seniors Card holders qualify for the main rebate rather than a smaller one.
| Rebate | Amount per year | Who it is for | How to apply |
|---|---|---|---|
| Queensland Electricity Rebate | $399.47 (2026 to 2027) $386.34 in 2025 to 2026 | Holders of a Pensioner Concession Card, Queensland Seniors Card, Health Care Card (including Low Income Health Care Card), DVA Gold Card with an eligible pension, or an asylum seeker ImmiCard, for the home they live in | Register your card with your electricity retailer; applied to each quarterly bill from then on |
| Reticulated Natural Gas Rebate | About $92 to $95 $92.12 in 2025 to 2026, indexed annually | Pensioner Concession Card, Queensland Seniors Card or DVA Gold Card holders with a mains gas account at home | Register your card with your gas retailer |
| Medical Cooling and Heating Electricity Concession | About $522 $522.09 in 2025 to 2026, indexed annually | Concession card holders with a chronic medical condition aggravated by temperature, such as multiple sclerosis or severe burns | Apply to Smart Service Queensland with a medical form; paid to your bank account, reviewed every two years |
| Electricity Life Support Concession | Set per machine | Households running an oxygen concentrator or kidney dialysis machine at home | Apply to Smart Service Queensland with medical certification |
| Home Energy Emergency Assistance Scheme (HEEAS) | Up to $720, once every two years | Households in a short-term financial crisis unable to pay a current electricity or gas bill | Apply through your energy retailer |
| $1,000 Cost of Living electricity rebate | Ended | Was applied to every Queensland household bill in 2024 to 2025 | No longer available; nothing to claim |
Amounts shown are the Queensland Government figures published for 2026 and are indexed each July. Confirm current amounts and eligibility with Smart Service Queensland on 13 74 68 or at https://www.qld.gov.au/community/cost-of-living-support/concessions/energy-concessions before relying on them.
The rules people get wrong
- Seniors Card holders get the full rebate. Unlike NSW, where self-funded retirees receive a smaller separate rebate, a Queensland Seniors Card qualifies for the same Electricity Rebate as a Pensioner Concession Card.
- The account has to be in your name at the home you live in. A rebate cannot be claimed on an investment property, a holiday house or an account held by an adult child, and only one rebate applies per household.
- It is not automatic the first time. Holding the card does nothing until your retailer has it on file. Once registered it continues each quarter, but a new card or a new retailer means registering again.
- Embedded network customers apply differently. If you pay a retirement village, residential park or building manager for electricity rather than a retailer, apply through Smart Service Queensland, not the operator.
- The $1,000 is over. The 2024 to 2025 Cost of Living rebate was a one-off and has not been repeated. Pages and adverts still promising it are out of date.
- The federal credit has ended too. The Australian Government’s energy bill relief credits ran through 2025; as at this review no new federal credit has been announced for 2026.
They are Queensland Government concessions. Apply through your energy retailer, or through Smart Service Queensland on 13 74 68 or at https://www.qld.gov.au/. This page is here so you know what exists and what you may be missing.
2. Rebates that come off the price of an upgrade
The second kind is entirely different. Instead of crediting your bill, these reduce the price of solar panels, a home battery and similar equipment. Queensland is unusual here as well: it does not run an energy-efficiency certificate scheme like the NSW ESS, Victorian VEU or SA REPS, so there is no state discount on hot water, lighting, air conditioning or pool pumps. What Queensland homes and businesses have is the two federal schemes, which apply in every postcode from Brisbane and the Gold Coast to Cairns and Mount Isa, plus a landlord solar rebate and some network programs.
There is no concession card requirement for any of these. Eligibility depends on the property, the equipment and the installer, and the discount is usually applied on the installer’s invoice rather than claimed afterwards.
Programs
Upgrade schemes that may apply in Queensland
Cheaper Home Batteries Program (federal)
Around 30% off an eligible home or small-business battery paired with solar, about $2,500 on a 10 kWh battery at mid-2026 certificate prices, tiered above 14 kWh and stepping down 1 January 2027. Detail on the QLD solar battery rebate page.
Federal solar incentive (STCs)
Upfront discount on eligible rooftop solar up to 100 kW for Queensland homes and businesses, worth roughly $1,600 to $2,200 on a 6.6 kW system in 2026 and stepping down each January to 2030.
Supercharged Solar for Renters (state)
A Queensland Government rebate towards rooftop solar on eligible rental properties, applied for by the landlord, with conditions on rent. It covers panels, not batteries.
Energex and Ergon network programs
The distributors run demand-management incentives from time to time, such as rewards for air conditioners that can be remotely managed on peak days and Virtual Power Plant programs for batteries. Availability varies by area and changes without notice.
Programs and amounts change regularly and depend on your circumstances. Details are indicative and should be verified against current scheme rules.
Upgrades
Upgrades commonly supported in Queensland
Hot water, lighting, refrigeration and pool pump discounts that exist under the NSW, Victorian and SA certificate schemes do not currently apply in Queensland. The checker shows what may apply at your postcode.
For business
Business energy upgrades in Queensland
With no state certificate scheme, Queensland businesses rely on the two federal discounts and on tariff and demand management.
Commercial solar
Systems up to 100 kW use the same STC discount as homes; larger systems earn large-scale certificates instead. See commercial solar rebates.
Commercial batteries
The federal battery discount covers business batteries up to 100 kWh with STCs on the first 50 kWh, and Energex demand tariffs make peak shaving worth modelling.
Other upgrades
Lighting, refrigeration and hot water upgrades in Queensland are unsubsidised at state level; the business case rests on running-cost savings. See commercial rebates for the states where certificates apply.
What affects eligibility
- Which concession card you hold, and whose name the energy account is in
- Whether the property is your principal place of residence
- Whether you buy electricity from a retailer or through an embedded network
- For upgrades: the property, existing solar, and the installer’s accreditation
- Current scheme rules, indexation and funding
FAQ
Queensland energy rebate questions
You need to be the electricity account holder (or the partner of the account holder) at your principal place of residence in Queensland and hold a Pensioner Concession Card, a Queensland Seniors Card, a Health Care Card (including the Low Income Health Care Card), a Department of Veterans’ Affairs Gold Card with an eligible pension, or an asylum seeker ImmiCard. The account must be for the home you live in.
The Queensland Government figure for 2026 to 2027 is $399.47 a year including GST, up from $386.34 the year before. It is applied as a credit on each quarterly electricity bill once your concession is registered with your retailer. Gas, medical cooling and life support concessions are separate and can be received as well.
Contact your electricity retailer with your concession card details and ask them to apply the Electricity Rebate, or apply through the retailer’s online account. Once registered it is applied automatically each quarter and you do not need to reapply each year, though you must tell the retailer if your card changes. Embedded network customers, such as residents of retirement villages and residential parks, apply through Smart Service Queensland instead.
No. The $1,000 Cost of Living electricity rebate was a one-off 2024 to 2025 budget measure, applied automatically to every household bill, and it has ended. The ongoing rebate in 2026 is the concession-based Electricity Rebate of almost $400 a year for eligible card holders.
Yes. Queensland Seniors Card holders are eligible for the Electricity Rebate and the Reticulated Natural Gas Rebate, which sets Queensland apart from states where self-funded retirees get a smaller separate rebate. The Seniors Card is generally available from age 65, or 60 to 64 with an eligible concession card, for people working fewer than 35 hours a week.
The Australian Government’s energy bill relief credits were applied to electricity accounts through 2025 and the last of them ended in December 2025. As at this review no new federal credit has been announced, so the Queensland concessions above are the ongoing bill support. Check https://www.energy.gov.au/ for any change.
Queensland has no state solar or battery rebate for owner-occupiers in 2026; the Battery Booster program closed in May 2024. The federal solar STC discount and the federal Cheaper Home Batteries discount (around 30% off a battery) both apply in every Queensland postcode, and landlords may access the Supercharged Solar for Renters rebate on rental properties.
HEEAS is a one-off Queensland Government payment of up to $720 for households in a short-term financial crisis who cannot pay a current electricity or gas bill, available once every two years. You apply through your energy retailer, who assesses the application under the scheme rules.
Queensland does not run an energy-efficiency certificate scheme like NSW, Victoria or SA, so there is no state discount on commercial lighting or hot water. Small businesses can use the federal solar STC discount and the Cheaper Home Batteries discount on batteries up to 100 kWh, and some Energex and Ergon programs offer incentives for demand-managed equipment.
No. We’re an independent information and enquiry service and are not a government website. We don’t administer any of the concessions on this page and cannot apply for them on your behalf.
See what upgrade support applies at your address
The bill concessions above are claimed through your retailer or Smart Service Queensland. For the solar and battery discounts, enter your postcode and we review what may apply.
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