Solar rebates in the ACT: what can I get?

Mark the federal discount already included in the quote. Then check whether your home qualifies for the ACT rebate, using your concession card and rates notice. Get the approval steps and payment dates before accepting the system.

Which solar support can I get in the ACT?

The federal Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme supports eligible rooftop solar through small-scale technology certificates, or STCs. Many purchasers assign the right to those certificates to an agent in return for an upfront discount. Ask whether the price you have been given already includes that discount.

Home Energy Support has a separate rooftop-solar category for eligible ACT concession homeowners. It pays up to 50% of eligible supply and installation costs, capped at $2,500. Its second category covers other eligible home upgrades and has a separate $2,500 cap. The maximum across both categories is $5,000.

Who qualifies for the ACT solar rebate?

You need to own and occupy an eligible existing ACT home, attend the required workshop and hold an accepted Pensioner Concession Card, Department of Veterans’ Affairs Gold Card or Services Australia Health Care Card. A Commonwealth Seniors Health Card does not qualify. The guidelines also apply land-value tests and specific property categories. Have your card and rates notice ready when you check eligibility.

Use the unimproved land value on the rates notice. The guidelines set a $750,000 threshold for the specified house and standalone unit categories, or $300,000 for unit-titled multi-storey apartments, in an eligible year from 2022. Some unit-titled properties use their unit-entitlement share. The home’s sale price is a different figure.

Equipment rules matter too. The published Home Energy Support guidelines specify a solar system of 5.5 to 8 kW linked to a 5 or 6 kW inverter, depending on system size. Ask the supplier to confirm that the exact proposed system meets the program rules. Federal eligibility alone does not establish eligibility for this ACT rebate.

For Queanbeyan or another NSW address, use NSW support rules. The location of the home determines the upgrade program, even when its retailer serves both sides of the border.

Can I get an ACT loan for solar?

Rooftop solar is excluded from standard Sustainable Household Scheme loans. Eligible Home Energy Support participants have a separate zero-interest loan pathway of up to $10,000. It still involves program and lender approval. A loan covers a cost you repay; the rebate reduces the eligible cost.

What will I need to pay upfront?

Get Home Energy Support approval before accepting the quote. On the rebate-only route, you pay for the installation and then claim reimbursement. If paying first would be difficult, discuss the rebate-and-loan route before committing. Check the application steps (opens in a new tab).

Illustrative example only. Suppose the solar invoice is $5,500 after its confirmed federal certificate discount, and the program has approved a $2,500 ACT rebate. Assume that the whole allowance is available and there are no other costs or discounts. The eventual cost is $3,000. On the rebate-only route, you pay $5,500 before the reimbursement. These figures are not a market quote or a rebate offer.

If the quote already includes the certificate discount, ask the program and supplier which remaining costs are eligible for the ACT rebate. Put the invoice, confirmed reimbursement and payment dates on one page. Subtract each benefit once, so you can see both the eventual cost and the money you need first.

How do I compare solar quotes properly?

• Ask for the panel and inverter model numbers, system size and complete installation scope.
• Separate the price before discounts, the STC discount, any approved ACT reimbursement and the final cost.
• Ask what roof, meter, electrical or connection work costs extra.
• Compare the estimated generation and bill savings using your household’s usage and electricity plan.
• Keep the deposit, payment dates and reimbursement timing visible.

Use the ACT solar guidance and calculator (opens in a new tab) to explore suitability, then ask an installer to assess the roof and complete job. Request the expected generation by season and compare it with when your household uses electricity. The estimate should help you question the quote, rather than stand in for a site assessment.

Does my electricity plan still fit after adding solar?

Review both the import price and the export credit. Solar used directly in the home reduces purchases, while exported surplus can earn a credit. The household result depends on how much goes each way, so a higher feed-in rate alone does not settle the comparison.

For your home, check how the estimate treats winter use as well as sunny periods. Ask how much electricity the household would still buy and how much surplus it would export on the plan used in the estimate. Once the system is operating, compare the measured import and export pattern with those assumptions.

Is the solar discount the same as the battery rebate?

They support different equipment. An eligible battery installed with existing or new solar can receive federal battery support, with its own capacity, installation and equipment rules. Ask for the solar and battery components to be itemised when comparing a combined quote. Check federal battery eligibility (opens in a new tab).

Related advice: How do I use more of the solar I already have? · Battery rebates in the ACT and NSW: what can I get?

Talk to us about solar and your electricity plan

Explore our solar information (opens in a new tab) and electricity plan guidance (opens in a new tab). An installer should assess the roof, system and complete job. If your electricity account is with us, ask us about the meter and plan arrangements. If you’re with another retailer, confirm its connection and metering process; we can explain our plan options if you are considering ActewAGL.

Ask us about solar for your home (opens in a new tab)