NSW energy rebates: what help can I get?

For a replacement, check the support and application order before paying a deposit. Some discounts go into the installer’s quote; others need a separate application. Keep anything that has not opened or has not been approved outside the budget for work you need now.

Choose your starting point: help paying a bill, an appliance that needs replacing now, or an upgrade you can plan. For a home in Queanbeyan, Yass or elsewhere in NSW, use the NSW routes below. An ACT retailer or a Canberra installer does not change the property’s eligibility.

Which NSW energy bill rebate should I check?

Start with the name on the account and the card or benefit you receive. The Low Income Household and Gas rebates accept eligible Pensioner Concession Cards, Health Care Cards, Low Income Health Care Cards and Veteran Gold Cards. Other rebates have their own tests.

The table shows the published annual amounts for 2026–27. A retail customer buys directly from an energy retailer. In an embedded network, a building or site operator may sell you the energy. That changes some amounts and application routes. Ask the provider named on your bill if you are unsure.

The headline amounts do not all add together. If you receive the Low Income Household Rebate, the Family Energy Rebate falls to $20 for retail customers or $22 for embedded-network customers. You cannot receive both the Seniors Energy Rebate and the Low Income Household Rebate.

If you use bottled LPG for basic household needs, check the separate claim route and qualifying invoice. The Gas Rebate page specifies bottled LPG more than 45 kg or 88 litres. Check the bottled-LPG eligibility and application steps (opens in a new tab).

For the 2026–27 Family Energy Rebate, finalise your 2025–26 Family Tax Benefit entitlement first. Applications close on 15 June 2027. Seniors and embedded-network Low Income applications close on 30 June 2027. The Gas Rebate page also lists 30 June 2027 for embedded-network and bottled-LPG applications.

Find the provider named on your bill, then get your card or benefit details together. Retail customers usually apply for the Low Income Household Rebate and Gas Rebate through their retailer. Use the program pages for the separate embedded-network, bottled-LPG, Family and Seniors routes. If you are unsure who supplies you, ask the bill issuer before completing an application.

For medically assessed needs, check the Medical Energy Rebate (opens in a new tab) or Life Support Rebate (opens in a new tab) requirements and the medical evidence needed.

Has the federal energy bill rebate ended?

Yes. The Australian Government’s Energy Bill Relief Fund ended on 31 December 2025, and NSW’s National Energy Bill Relief page confirms that the program has closed. The NSW rebates above have their own eligibility rules and application routes. Check those rather than including another federal payment in your budget. Check the closed program’s status (opens in a new tab).

What if I cannot pay my energy bill?

Energy Accounts Payment Assistance, or EAPA, can help with an unpaid electricity or natural-gas bill during short-term hardship or a crisis. The account must be open and in your name. Assistance depends on an assessment. Embedded-network access depends on the provider participating.

If the unpaid bill is from us, contact us about Staying Connected payment support (opens in a new tab) while you arrange an EAPA assessment. If another provider sends the bill, ask its payment-support team. Tell the team the amount due and when payment is needed, so you can discuss arrangements while the assessment proceeds.

Can I get a heat-pump hot-water discount in NSW?

Participating Energy Savings Scheme installers can apply an upfront discount to an eligible hot-water upgrade. NSW publishes examples of up to $640 for replacing electric hot water with a heat pump, or up to $330 for replacing gas hot water. These are indicative amounts, and the actual discount and installed price depend on the job. Complete the required nomination paperwork before installation.

There is also a larger heat-pump discount offer for homeowners in selected postcodes. Installation must be completed by 30 June 2027, and funding may run out earlier. For this offer, complete the nomination before making any payment or starting installation. An advertised annual bill saving is a different figure from the installation discount.

Before paying a deposit, enter your home’s postcode in the larger hot-water offer (opens in a new tab) and ask the participating installer to confirm the nomination steps. If your home is outside that offer, check the standard hot-water incentive (opens in a new tab). Get a price showing the confirmed discount and all electrical and installation work.

Is there help to replace an air conditioner?

Eligible air-conditioning upgrades can also attract an upfront discount. Government examples include up to $550 for a new 6 kW system or $560 when replacing an old air conditioner with a 6 kW split system. The amount varies. Compare the installed prices and ask what extra work is included. Check the air-conditioning incentive (opens in a new tab).

Can I get the NSW $4,000 upgrade discount now?

No. The separate Home Energy Saver discount has not opened as at 13 October 2026. NSW lists the planned discount for eligible homeowners and renters with combined household income up to $80,000 or an eligible concession card.

The application order matters. If you may qualify for both a discount and a loan on the same purchase, current guidance recommends waiting for the discount to open and applying for it first. Applying for the loan first prevents that future discount being used for the same purchase.

If your hot water has failed, ask for a replacement budget using support confirmed today. If the upgrade can wait, read Home Energy Saver’s current status and application-order advice (opens in a new tab) before choosing the loan route. Ask what waiting would mean for the installation date; a future discount cannot solve an invoice due now.

How does the NSW $15,000 zero-interest loan work?

Home Energy Saver loan applications are open. Eligible NSW property owners and landlords with combined annual taxable household income up to $210,000 can apply for up to $15,000 at zero interest over up to 10 years. Australian citizenship or permanent residency and the finance provider’s assessment also apply.

Covered upgrades include solar, batteries, efficient hot water, reverse-cycle air conditioning, insulation and eligible electric vehicle chargers. The product and supplier must meet program rules. Apply eligible incentives first when establishing the remaining cost. Preparatory building work is excluded from program finance, so have that work priced separately.

Write down the upfront contribution, each repayment and the total repaid. Compare those payments with what you can afford, using the lender’s schedule. Any expected reduction in energy bills belongs beside that budget, with its assumptions visible. Use the loan application steps (opens in a new tab) to establish eligibility and the approved amount.

What if I rent or live in an apartment?

Renters can check bill rebates against their own account and eligibility. They cannot take a Home Energy Saver loan themselves, although their landlord may qualify. The planned renter discount has not opened.

A shared apartment-building battery has a separate NSW incentive for buildings with at least four units. Start with the owners corporation and a participating installer. Permanent changes to an individual strata property may also need owners corporation approval. Check the apartment-building battery pathway (opens in a new tab).

Can I get help with solar or a battery as well?

Eligible solar and batteries can receive federal certificate-based support. A battery needs existing or new solar to qualify for the Cheaper Home Batteries Program. Ask the installer to show which discounts are already included in the quote. Subtracting the same discount again gives you the wrong purchase cost.

NSW has a separate incentive for eligible battery owners joining a participating virtual power plant, or VPP. It lets a provider coordinate batteries to supply stored energy to the grid. The provider checks eligibility, payment and contract conditions. Check NSW’s VPP guidance (opens in a new tab).

What should I check when my circumstances change?

After moving, changing the account holder or renewing a concession card, confirm the details used for the rebate. For an unexpected bill, compare the account summary and credits as well as electricity or gas use. Ask about the named rebate you expected, rather than assuming that every increase has the same cause.

For an unpaid bill, contact the payment-support team while checking the rebate. For a failed hot-water system, get the model, full installed price and nomination requirements before booking. The right next step depends on which expense you need to resolve.

What can I do today?

• For a bill: check the name on the account, gather your card or benefit details and use the relevant application route.
• For hot water or air conditioning: check the incentive before booking, then ask for a quote showing the discount and all installation costs.
• For finance: confirm the remaining cost and application order. Keep future discounts outside today’s budget.

Related advice: Has energy bill relief ended? What help is available in the ACT and NSW? · Battery rebates in the ACT and NSW: what can I get?

Get help with a NSW bill

Our concessions and rebates pages (opens in a new tab) and Staying Connected information (opens in a new tab) explain the account help available through us. If another retailer sends your bill, it is the right place to ask about a missing account credit or payment arrangement. Use the government routes above for the schemes with separate applications.

Call 13 14 93 to ask us about a rebate on your ActewAGL account. Have the bill, supply address and card or benefit details ready. For difficulty paying our bill, call 1300 138 574. If another retailer sends your bill, ask its team about the credit or payment arrangement and use the official NSW routes above for separate applications.

Check NSW energy rebates (opens in a new tab)