Home energy rebates for the 2025 to 2026 financial year

There are a lot of rebates avaliuable for 2025 to 2026 across the country for batteries, solar, hot water, EV chargers and more, so I wanted to do a quick recap so we have everything in one spot.

With the Cheaper Home Batteries Program, everyone in the country can benefit from the new rebate and discount on batteries, but for many states, that's just one of various rebates and incentives available.

The Cheaper Home Batteries Program starts July 1st 2025, but runs all the way to 2030

Christmas in July is almost here for batteries. On July 1st, the Cheaper Home Batteries Program will launch nationally. It’s offering around a 30% upfront discount on the cost of eligible home batteries, roughly $372 per kilowatt-hour of usable battery capacity. That’s $3,720 off for a 10 kWh battery. Take note that this rebate will decrease each year, the estimated discount in dollars per year for each kWh estimated by the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water is:

Meaning if you buy a battery in 2030, you will get half the rebate per kWh that you could have received in 2025, but in saying that, one would hope that by 2030 battery prices have come down even further, as the market will be far more mature.

NSW changes its battery rebates before the July 1st Federal rebate date

In NSW, the federal battery rebate is arriving alongside a big change to the existing Peak Demand Reduction Scheme (PDRS). The up-front rebate from the PDRS, which was previously worth between $1,600 and $2,400, is now being scrapped entirely and replaced by the federal rebate.

The state will continue to run the second part of the scheme, which offers households up to $1,500 in cash back if they connect their battery to a Virtual Power Plant (VPP). This part of the program has been beefed up from the previous maximum of $500.

So in practice, the combined rebate in NSW will now look like:

• Around 30% off upfront through the federal scheme

• Plus up to $1,500 cash-back for VPP participation via the state program

While still good news, these changes have caught a few homeowners off guard, as homeowners and installers were counting on being able to combine the NSW rebate with the federal one for an even bigger discount. NSW’s own battery guide, released earlier this year, suggested that stackability was an option.

A petition has been launched calling for the NSW government to reinstate the upfront rebate. Some commenters say they’ve lost deposits or had to walk away from planned installations, and many are accusing the government of a last-minute backflip. While I think some rebates are better than none, the frustration is warranted.

Victoria turns up the heat on hot water heat pump rebates and solar is still available

In Victoria, the biggest change is for hot water. From 1 July, households installing an eligible Australian-made heat pump hot water system will receive a $1,400 rebate, that’s $400 more than the current $1,000 rebate for other systems.

In a recent post, Solar Vic claimed heat pumps have quietly become the most popular upgrade under the Solar Homes program. With savings of up to $330 a year on electricity bills, they’re often the most impactful energy efficiency move a household can make. That’s especially true if you’re still using an old electric storage or gas hot water system.

There’s also extra support available:

The Victorian Energy Upgrades (VEU) program will replace a gas or old electric hot water heater Solar Victoria panel rebate of up to $1,400 (stackable with federal solar rebate) including for landlords Other Victorian Energy Upgrades - discounted energy-efficient products and services are still available beyond just the hot water heat pumps

What about the rest of the country?

Other states and territories have a mixed bag of rebates and incentives, some are ahead of NSW and VIC, while others are lacking new programs at the moment. Here is a quick breakdown of the other parts of the country.

ACT

Federal battery rebate Home Energy Support: Up to $2,500 solar rebate + interest-free loan for concession card holders Sustainable Household Scheme: Interest-free loans ($2,000–$15,000) for batteries, hot water, EVs, chargers Hot water: Up to $1,250 off via ActewAGL, plus $250 credited to bills EVs: Stamp duty exemption, and rego discounts

South Australia

Federal battery rebate REPS rebate for heat pump hot water: ~$930 for non-gas homes, ~$270 if gas-connected Adelaide Council offers up to 20% solar rebates and extra incentives for removing gas appliances

Western Australia

Federal battery rebate State battery subsidy: $1,300 (Synergy) to $3,800 (Horizon Power) from July 1 Interest-free loans: Up to $10,000 for batteries and solar-battery combos

Tasmania

Federal battery rebate Zero-interest loans up to $10,000 for solar, batteries, heat pumps, induction stoves

Northern Territory

Federal battery rebate Solar subsidy among the highest nationally (~$2,200 off a 6.6 kW system in Darwin) EV support includes free rego, stamp duty exemption, and charger grants Home EV charger grants up to $1,000 still available for households

Queensland

Federal battery rebate No state battery rebate currently

If you think I missed a program, rebate, or incentive, let me know.

Make the most of the federal battery rebate for your home

Unsure if a battery is right for your home? I can help you run the numbers and see if a battery makes sense for your home, including the rebate savings.

How it works is we remotely connect to your energy provider over the net, they send us your energy consumption and solar export history for up to years in the past! We then use all that data to simulate how a battery would perform in your home, charging and discharging hundreds of times a year.

The end result is that we can figure out what battery size is right for your home and roughly how much its going to save you, based on your actual energy profile and current pricing. No more flying blind, taking the word of an installer who wants to sell you the largest battery they can fit in your home.

If you'd like a battery analysis, then reply to this email. It is a paid service, but if you're going to spend $7,000 or more, you should research what to buy and how much that battery is expected to save you.