Solar battery rebate
Solar battery rebate 2026: how much you get and how to claim it
30-second answer: The solar battery rebate in Australia is the federal Cheaper Home Batteries discount: around 30% off an eligible home battery, taken straight off the installer’s invoice in every state and territory, with no income test and no application form. At mid-2026 certificate prices it is worth about $2,500 on a 10 kWh battery and $3,400 on a 13.5 kWh battery, and the rate next steps down on 1 January 2027. NSW, WA, SA and the ACT add state layers on top. Check your postcode to see what may apply at your address.
Check your battery rebates
Postcode and a few details. We email you which federal, state and council incentives may apply at your address, then call to confirm. About 30 seconds, no cost, no obligation.
Energy Rebate Check is an independent enquiry service, not a government website. We never sell your details on.
The federal program launched on 1 July 2025 and runs to the end of 2030. It changed on 1 May 2026: the rate stepped down and became tiered by battery size, so the first 14 kWh earns the full rate and larger batteries earn less per kWh. The next step-down is 1 January 2027 and the discount is set by the date the battery is installed, not the date you sign. This page explains the federal rebate; the state pages linked below cover what each state adds.
How much is the solar battery rebate?
The discount is calculated on the battery’s usable capacity. Since 1 May 2026 the rate is 6.8 STCs per usable kWh, applied at 100% on the first 14 kWh, 60% from 14 to 28 kWh and 15% from 28 to 50 kWh, with nothing above 50 kWh. At a certificate price of around $37 that is about $250 per usable kWh in the first band. The table shows what that means for common battery sizes.
| Usable capacity | How the tiers apply | Indicative federal discount | Typical install price before discount |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 kWh | All in the full-rate band | about $1,250 | around $6,000 to $7,500 |
| 10 kWh | All in the full-rate band | about $2,500 | around $9,000 to $11,000 |
| 13.5 kWh | All in the full-rate band | about $3,400 | around $12,000 to $14,000 |
| 20 kWh | 14 kWh at full rate, 6 kWh at 60% | about $4,400 | around $16,000 to $19,000 |
| 30 kWh | 14 at full rate, 14 at 60%, 2 at 15% | about $5,700 | around $22,000 to $27,000 |
Illustrative, using mid-2026 certificate prices of roughly $250 per usable kWh in the first band, about $150 per kWh from 14 to 28 kWh and about $37 per kWh from 28 to 50 kWh. Install prices are indicative national ranges and vary with brand, backup wiring and switchboard work. Your installer confirms the actual discount for your battery and install date.
Why it is called a solar battery rebate
The battery must be connected to rooftop solar, new or existing, to qualify. That is the only sense in which it is a “solar” rebate: the panels themselves are covered by the separate, long-running solar STC discount, and a home installing both at once receives both discounts on the one invoice. A battery without solar is not eligible, and a battery bought to charge from the grid alone does not qualify either. The battery must be on the Clean Energy Regulator’s approved list, VPP-capable (it does not have to join a VPP), between 5 kWh and 100 kWh nominal capacity, and installed by an accredited installer at a home, small business or community site.
How the rebate is claimed
You do not apply. The discount is delivered as STCs your installer usually claims for you and applies as a discount on the invoice; the rules also allow a post-installation rebate or claiming the certificates yourself. Since 1 May 2026 the rate is 6.8 STCs per usable kWh and is tiered: the full rate on the first 14 kWh, 60% of the rate from 14 to 28 kWh, 15% from 28 to 50 kWh and nothing above that. At current certificate prices that is about $250 per usable kWh in the first band, so a 10 kWh battery attracts roughly $2,500 and a 13.5 kWh battery roughly $3,400. The next step-down is 1 January 2027, and the rate then reduces every six months until the program closes at the end of 2030. There is no income test, and the battery can be added to solar you already have. Ask any installer to show the STC line on the quote, and ask what happens to the price if the install slips past a step-down date; the Clean Energy Regulator has warned retailers that quotes must be honoured or clearly re-dated.
What your state adds on top
The federal discount is the same everywhere. What differs is whether your state pays anything extra, and four do. Each state page below has the current amounts, worked examples for that state and the eligibility rules.
| State | What the state adds | Status |
|---|---|---|
| NSW | PDRS VPP connection incentive, roughly $40 per usable kWh in mid-2026 offers (about $500 on 13.5 kWh) | Open, stacks |
| VIC | None on the battery; Solar Victoria panel rebate up to $1,400 if adding solar | Federal only |
| QLD | None; Battery Booster closed May 2024; retailer VPP credits vary | Federal only |
| SA | REPS VPP incentive, priority households only while general funding is exhausted; City of Adelaide council top-up in 5000 and 5006 | Limited, stacks |
| WA | WA Residential Battery Scheme, up to $1,300 Synergy or $3,800 Horizon Power, plus a no-interest loan | Open, stacks |
| TAS | None; Energy Saver Loan closed September 2025 | Federal only |
| ACT | Sustainable Household Scheme zero-interest loan (finance, not a rebate) | Loan, stacks |
| NT | Home and Business Battery Scheme funding allocated | Federal only |
State layers are indicative and change often; SA’s REPS VPP incentive is currently priority-households only and the WA scheme runs until its 100,000 allocation is used. Closed schemes and what replaced them are on the battery rebate changes page.
Worked example: 13.5 kWh battery, with and without a state layer
| Location | Federal discount | State layer | Indicative combined support |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brisbane, Melbourne, Hobart, Darwin | about $3,400 | none | about $3,400 |
| Sydney or regional NSW | about $3,400 | about $500 to $550 (VPP incentive at ~$40/kWh) | about $3,900 to $3,950 |
| Perth (Synergy) | about $3,400 | $1,300 (capped at 10 kWh) | about $4,700 |
| Regional WA (Horizon Power) | about $3,400 | $3,800 (capped at 10 kWh) | about $7,200 |
| Adelaide, City of Adelaide postcodes | about $3,400 | council top-up up to about $1,000, plus REPS for priority households | about $4,400 or more |
Illustrative, using mid-2026 certificate prices and published state rates. A 13.5 kWh battery commonly lists at $12,000 to $14,000 installed before any discount.
When the solar battery rebate ends
The program is funded to 2030 but the rate falls on 1 January 2027 and every six months after that, and larger batteries have already lost most of their per-kWh support above 14 kWh. Install lead times of four to eight weeks are normal in the capitals and longer regionally, so a contract signed by early November is the realistic way to be commissioned at the current rate. The 10 to 14 kWh range sits entirely in the full-rate band and covers the evening peak for most households, which is why it is where the rebate is strongest.
For a figure on your own battery size use the battery rebate calculator; for the program mechanics and the 1 May 2026 changes in detail see the federal battery rebate page; for the state-by-state index see battery rebates by state.
How Energy Rebate Check works
Check your postcode
Enter your postcode and property type to see the programs and upgrades that may apply in your area.
Submit a quick enquiry
Send your details for an eligibility review. It takes under a minute and there's no obligation.
We review what may suit you
Your enquiry is reviewed by the business behind this site (ABN 40 659 398 320), against current scheme pathways.
We're in touch about next steps
If it looks worth pursuing, we explain the possible next steps for your property.
Energy Rebate Check is an independent enquiry service. We review your details and help you understand the options. We don’t approve rebates, and eligibility is always confirmed under current scheme rules.
Official sources
Figures on this page were checked against these official pages on 2 September 2026. Scheme rules change; confirm the current settings before you sign anything.
- Australian Government (DCCEEW): Cheaper Home Batteries Program
- Clean Energy Regulator: battery eligibility and STCs
- Clean Energy Regulator: battery rebate changes from 1 May 2026
- energy.gov.au: Cheaper Home Batteries Program
Related pages
FAQ
Solar battery rebate questions
About $250 per usable kWh on the first 14 kWh at mid-2026 certificate prices, so roughly $2,500 on a 10 kWh battery and $3,400 on a 13.5 kWh battery. Capacity from 14 to 28 kWh earns 60% of that rate and 28 to 50 kWh earns 15%. The exact figure depends on the STC price and your install date, and NSW, WA, SA and the ACT may add a state layer.
Yes. The federal Cheaper Home Batteries Program is open in every state and territory and is funded to the end of 2030. The rate stepped down and became tiered on 1 May 2026 and steps down again on 1 January 2027, so it is still available but worth slightly less each half-year.
Yes. The battery must be paired with new or existing rooftop solar. If you already have panels you can add a battery; if you are installing both, the panels attract their own STC discount as well.
You do not apply. An accredited installer creates the STCs and takes the discount off your invoice; the rules also allow claiming the certificates yourself or a post-installation rebate. Check that the STC discount is a separate line on the quote.
No. The federal discount has no income or property-value test. Some state layers do, for example the WA no-interest loan and the Solar Victoria panel rebate, but the federal battery discount itself is available to any eligible household, small business or community organisation.
Western Australia (the WA Residential Battery Scheme) and NSW (the PDRS VPP incentive) pay on top of the federal discount for eligible homes. SA’s REPS VPP incentive is limited to priority households while general funding is exhausted, and the City of Adelaide runs a council top-up in two postcodes. The ACT offers a zero-interest loan. Victoria, Queensland, Tasmania and the NT rely on the federal discount alone.
Yes. Adding a battery to solar you already have is the most common case. The battery must be on the approved list and installed by an accredited installer, and your inverter may need to be replaced or supplemented if it is not battery-ready.
The first 14 kWh earns the full rate, so a 10 to 14 kWh battery captures almost all the available support and covers the evening peak for most homes. Bigger batteries still qualify but each kWh above 14 earns a smaller subsidy and each kWh above 28 earns very little.
Yes. Small businesses and community organisations can claim the federal discount on batteries up to 100 kWh, with STCs on the first 50 kWh, under the same solar-pairing and accredited-installer rules.
No. We’re an independent information and enquiry service and are not a government website. We don’t guarantee rebate approval.
Check what you may be eligible for
Enter your postcode above to get your battery rebate summary by email, or use the full rebate checker for every upgrade type.
Check my battery rebates Full rebate checker