Solar and battery support, without the guesswork.

Solar panels and batteries have separate support mechanisms. Ask the installer to identify the scheme for each part of the system and the exact equipment being supplied. A product, property or installation condition can change eligibility.

ACT and NSW offers are not interchangeable. Begin with the installation address, then check the relevant state or territory program alongside federal support. A home in Queanbeyan or elsewhere in NSW uses NSW programs, even when its retailer or installer also serves Canberra. As checked on 16 October 2026, the main routes are:

The federal battery discount needs solar: the battery must be installed with existing or new solar, and a battery without solar does not qualify. Ask the installer to itemise the solar and battery parts of a combined quote, because each part has its own support and conditions.

Under the federal schedule checked on 16 October 2026, the STC factor is 6.8 for installations from 1 May to 31 December 2026 and 5.7 for January to June 2027. Later periods have their own factors. The installation date determines the applicable period.

For installations from 1 May 2026, the factor applies at 100% to the first 14 kWh of usable capacity, 60% above 14 to 28 kWh, and 15% above 28 to 50 kWh. The program can support eligible systems from 5 kWh up to 100 kWh nominal capacity, but certificates cover only the first 50 kWh of usable capacity. Nominal capacity is the overall storage rating; usable capacity is what you can draw from it.

A worked example in certificates

Illustrative calculation only. For an installation between 1 May and 31 December 2026, the factor is 6.8. Certificates are rounded down to whole numbers.

The second 10 kWh adds about 51 certificates, compared with 68 for the first 10 kWh. If the same 10 kWh battery were installed between January and June 2027, the 5.7 factor would give 57 certificates. That is why the installation date and the size both belong in the quote.

The dollar value also depends on certificate value and the amount passed through by the provider. It is not a fixed dollar discount per kWh or an exact 30% off every quote. To turn certificates into dollars, multiply by the certificate value used and subtract any certificate or administration deduction, then ask the installer to confirm that figure. Our battery discount estimator includes the taper and the installation period.

Ask for usable capacity, nominal capacity, output power, backup equipment and the complete installed price. Have each discount identified separately, with the assumed installation date and conditions.

Do not deduct federal support again from a price already advertised after that support. A loan is a separate financing arrangement. Ask what you must pay upfront and what later payments or credits depend on.

Illustrative example only. Suppose an eligible battery with solar has an installed quote of $10,000 before incentives and a confirmed federal discount of $2,500. The remaining purchase cost is $7,500. If another supplier already quotes $7,500 after that discount, start at $7,500: subtracting it again would make the battery look $2,500 cheaper than it is.

What to ask every installer

• Does this exact battery, inverter and solar setup meet the approved-equipment and accreditation rules, and does the installer hold the appropriate Solar Accreditation Australia accreditation?
• Which discounts are already included, and what is each one in dollars?
• What installation date does the price assume, and who carries any change in cost if installation moves into a later period?
• What must I pay at installation, and which payments or credits arrive later?
• Is any government incentive shown separately from a retailer joining bonus?

Federal battery support can be claimed only once for an eligible premises or electricity connection. If you are adding to an existing battery, ask whether the existing system has already received support.

Compare at least two suitable capacities using your own imports, spare solar, later use and backup goals. A larger rebate does not demonstrate that a larger battery is the better purchase.

Use the battery size calculator, then compare installed quotes. For backup, ask which circuits will operate, the available output and whether solar can recharge the battery during an outage.

Because of the taper, a larger system can receive more total support while receiving less support for each extra kWh. Compare two suitable sizes using the extra price and the extra annual saving. For illustration, another $4,000 of capacity that saves another $200 a year would take 20 years to recover its additional cost, before interest and future changes. Ask what household use would produce that extra saving.

Give the installer a year of bills or interval data and your solar information where you have them, and ask which electricity plan and prices sit behind any savings estimate. SunSPOT (opens in a new tab) offers a free solar and battery estimate, but the government guide notes that it does not currently model VPP benefits or grid charging.

ACT homes

For solar, Home Energy Support pays eligible concession homeowners up to 50% of eligible supply and installation costs, capped at $2,500. The published guidelines specify a 5.5 to 8 kW solar system linked to a 5 or 6 kW inverter, so ask the supplier to confirm the exact system meets the program rules. Get approval before accepting the quote. On the rebate-only route you pay for the installation first and claim the reimbursement afterwards.

For a battery, there is no extra ACT household grant on top of the federal discount, and Home Energy Support rebates do not cover the battery itself. Eligible new Sustainable Household Scheme applicants can borrow $2,000 to $20,000 at 3% over up to 10 years, and that finance can combine with federal battery support. Earlier participants, and households that applied or were approved before 1 July 2026, keep a $15,000 lifetime cap. Standard scheme loans exclude rooftop solar; eligible Home Energy Support households have a separate zero-interest pathway of up to $10,000.

NSW homes

Eligible property owners and landlords can apply for Home Energy Saver loans of up to $15,000 at zero interest over up to 10 years, with combined annual taxable household income up to $210,000. Battery finance requires usable capacity greater than 5 kWh. The separate discount of up to $4,000 had not opened when checked on 16 October 2026. If you want both on the same purchase, check the advice to wait and apply for the discount first: taking the loan first prevents that future discount being used for the same purchase.

NSW’s VPP incentive can combine with eligible federal battery support. Batteries of more than 2 kWh and up to 50 kWh may qualify, and the payment uses capacity made available to the grid up to 28 kWh. It can be claimed once per electricity connection, and payments may arrive upfront, in instalments or as bill credits. Joining a VPP is optional for the federal discount, and some VPPs require a retailer change.

Separate the money by date

Illustrative example only. Suppose a battery’s remaining cost is $7,500 after a confirmed federal discount, and an approved $6,000 zero-interest loan covers part of it. That leaves a $1,500 cash contribution. Spread evenly over 120 months, the principal alone is $50 a month, assuming no fees. Use the lender’s actual schedule for your budget.

Our ACT solar rebate article, ACT and NSW battery support article and VPP explainer cover the separate decisions. Use those with the official program conditions before signing.

Ask the provider to confirm eligibility, the exact discount and the consequences of a delayed installation in writing. Do not rely on an older calculator result to lock in a future rebate.

For finance, our Sustainable Household Scheme article shows what repayments can look like, and our NSW rebates article covers the Home Energy Saver application order.