Solar Energy Rebates
There are various rebates or incentives available from the Federal and State Governments for solar power, hot water upgrades and batteries. Trying to work out what you are eligible for can be really confusing, but we take the confusion out of it for you. You can learn more about the rebates below.
Federal Rebates
Based on the Federal Governments Renewable Energy Target there are 2 incentive programs for solar power, they are split according to the size of the installation. Everyone is eligible, even if you are upgrading the size of your solar system.
- Small Scale Renewable Energy Scheme (STC’s) http://www.cleanenergyregulator.gov.au/RET/About-the-Renewable-Energy-Target/How-the-scheme-works/Small-scale-Renewable-Energy-Scheme
- Are available on Solar Power and efficient hot water systems
- Solar Power
- For systems under 100kw in size, both residential and commercial
- Offered as a point of sale discount
- Value varies based on the size of the system (calculated on the total panel size) and also the value of the STC
- Tradable commodity much the same as a share, therefore prices can change quickly
- At Solar Integrity we will lock your price in when you pay a deposit
- Prices have been stable since mid 2018, however prices in the past have been known to fluctuate drastically throughout the year
- The number of certificates is reducing on Jan 1 for the next 13 years
- Your postcode also determines what “Zone” you fall under. There are 5 zones in Australia
- Efficient Hot Water Systems
- Based on the system that you are installing
- Offered as a point of sale discount
- Tradable commodity much the same as a share, therefore prices can change quickly
- At Solar Integrity we will lock you price in when you pay a deposit
- Prices have been stable since mid 2018, however prices in the past have been known to fluctuate drastically throughout the year
- Your postcode also determines what “Zone” you fall under. There are 5 zones in Australia
- Large Scale Renewable Energy Target (LGC’s) - http://www.cleanenergyregulator.gov.au/RET/About-the-Renewable-Energy-Target/How-the-scheme-works/Large-scale-Renewable-Energy-Target
- For systems over 100kw in size
- Paid periodically to you the customer by the aggregator
- Based on the generation of your system for the last deeming period
- Energy monitoring is a must for this scenario
NSW Rebates
The Federal STC/LGC incentive still applies for solar power and hot water.
Currently there are no additional incentives available in NSW. The NSW Government are currently trialling interest free loans for the installation of solar and battery or battery upgrade to existing solar. They are hoping to roll this out across the state in 2021. This scheme was a 2019 election promise. https://energysaver.nsw.gov.au/households/solar-and-battery-power/solar-battery-loan-offer
Victorian Rebates
In 2018 the Victorian Government announced their Solar Homes Program. This program will run for 10 years, with caps on numbers each year in each rebate stream. They have rebates available for solar power, efficient hot water replacements and battery installations. And in an Australian first they opened up solar power rebates to the rental market. There is of course specific eligibility criteria for each and in most cases you can only access 1 of the rebate streams, with the exception being if you were to install something on your principle place of residence you could still access the landlord tenant solar power rebate. https://www.solar.vic.gov.au/
- The Federal STC/LGC incentive still applies for solar power and hot water
- Solar Power - https://www.solar.vic.gov.au/solar-panel-rebate
- Current Jan-Jun 2020 value is up to $1888, this will drop to $1850 July-Dec 2020. There will be other periodic drops in value for the rebate throughout the course of the program.
- Interest free loan for the same amount payable monthly by direct debit over 4 years
- Interest free loan may or may not be available to tenants and landlords
- Criteria
- owner-occupier of the property
- the owners have a combined household taxable income of less than $180,000 per year (based on last year’s Australian Tax Office Notice of Assessment)
- it is an existing property, valued at under $3 million
- they do not have an existing solar PV system, or your existing solar system was installed before 1 November 2009
- Pre-approval for rebate and loan is require before installation can take place
- Hot water replacement https://www.solar.vic.gov.au/solar-hot-water-rebate
- Criteria:
- owner-occupier of the property
- all owners have a combined household taxable income of less than $180,000 per annum (based on their Australian Tax Office Notice of Assessment for the last two years)
- it is an existing property, valued at under $3 million
- the hot water system to be replaced is at least three years old from the date of purchase
- they have not received a solar PV rebate or a battery rebate under the Solar Homes program
- the property is not a new build
- the solar (or heat pump) hot water system is on the Solar Homes program approved products list
- properties that are connected to reticulated natural gas, without solar PV greater than 2.5kW, can only install gas-booster solar hot water systems
- There is a pre-approval process, however there are also provisions if the replacement is urgent
- Criteria:
- Battery rebate - https://www.solar.vic.gov.au/solar-battery-rebate#eligibility-criteria
- Current Jan-Jun 2020 value is up to $4838, this will drop to $4174 July-Dec 2020. There will be other periodic drops in value for the rebate throughout the course of the program.
- Criteria:
the property is within a designated postcode and already has solar PV panels with a capacity equal to or greater than 5kW
pre-approval is obtained from your Distributed Network Service Provider (DNSP) to safety connect a battery to the grid
the energy storage solution is listed on Solar Victoria’s Approved Battery List and the property does not have an existing energy storage system
they are the owner-occupier of the property where the system is to be installed
the combined household taxable income of all owners is less than $180,000 a year (based on your Australian Tax Office Notice of Assessment)
it is an existing property, valued at under $3 million based on the current council rates notice
the property address has not previously taken part in the Solar Homes Program
the owner/s agrees to receive information from their Distribution Network Service Provider about taking part in battery trials to maximise the value households get from them
owner/s agree to receive a free safety inspection and/or audit under the Solar Victoria Audit Program, if selected.
Pre-approval for rebate is required before installation can take place