5 days ago
The solar battery rebate has arrived: here's what you need to know
The federal government's solar battery rebate opened on July 1, and, in a land of plentiful sun, many Australians are asking if it's worth adding to their energy system.
The solar battery rebate offers 30 per cent off the cost of installing batteries from July 1, 2025, with the discount decreasing annually until the end of the program in 2030.
The rebate is part of the federal government's $2.3 billion Cheaper Home Batteries Program, encouraging households and small businesses to install solar batteries.
ACT installer SolarHub's chief executive Benn Masters said solar batteries had become a more worthwhile investment, with the systems now paying for themselves in five to six years rather than 10 to 12.
His team had been run off their feet in the lead-up to the start of the rebate program, with some local businesses already booking installations into October 2025.
Feed-in tariffs for solar have dropped substantially due to increased supply during the day, but the cost of energy in the evenings continues to rise.
"A battery changes [the loss of feed-in tariffs] dramatically," Mr Masters said.
"It allows you to charge the battery during the day and then discharge it at nighttime when you're paying those really high-peak rates, which can be upwards of 40, 50 cents a kilowatt-hour.
"So rather than getting 6 cents a kilowatt-hour for your solar, you're getting 50 cents a kilowatt-hour."
A kilowatt-hour measures the amount of electricity produced by solar panels.
To be eligible for the program, a battery storage system must be in the range of 5 to 100 kilowatt-hours in nominal capacity. The nominal capacity is the maximum amount of energy a battery can store at full charge.
Electric vehicles are not eligible battery systems for the program, and the chosen battery system and the inverter must be listed on the Clean Energy Council-approved product list.
The cash payout for the rebate depends on the battery's capacity, with calculations available on the program's website.
To be eligible for the rebate, battery systems must be installed on or after June 1.
Some Canberra businesses have raised concerns about an increase in "cowboy" businesses entering the solar market, selling batteries at low cost and disappearing once the rebate wraps up.
However, a Clean Energy Regulator spokesperson said the agency, which was administering the rebate program, would be monitoring the market to ensure all products and installers met the minimum safety and quality standards.
The federal government's solar battery rebate opened on July 1, and, in a land of plentiful sun, many Australians are asking if it's worth adding to their energy system.
The solar battery rebate offers 30 per cent off the cost of installing batteries from July 1, 2025, with the discount decreasing annually until the end of the program in 2030.
The rebate is part of the federal government's $2.3 billion Cheaper Home Batteries Program, encouraging households and small businesses to install solar batteries.
ACT installer SolarHub's chief executive Benn Masters said solar batteries had become a more worthwhile investment, with the systems now paying for themselves in five to six years rather than 10 to 12.
His team had been run off their feet in the lead-up to the start of the rebate program, with some local businesses already booking installations into October 2025.
Feed-in tariffs for solar have dropped substantially due to increased supply during the day, but the cost of energy in the evenings continues to rise.
"A battery changes [the loss of feed-in tariffs] dramatically," Mr Masters said.
"It allows you to charge the battery during the day and then discharge it at nighttime when you're paying those really high-peak rates, which can be upwards of 40, 50 cents a kilowatt-hour.
"So rather than getting 6 cents a kilowatt-hour for your solar, you're getting 50 cents a kilowatt-hour."
A kilowatt-hour measures the amount of electricity produced by solar panels.
To be eligible for the program, a battery storage system must be in the range of 5 to 100 kilowatt-hours in nominal capacity. The nominal capacity is the maximum amount of energy a battery can store at full charge.
Electric vehicles are not eligible battery systems for the program, and the chosen battery system and the inverter must be listed on the Clean Energy Council-approved product list.
The cash payout for the rebate depends on the battery's capacity, with calculations available on the program's website.
To be eligible for the rebate, battery systems must be installed on or after June 1.
Some Canberra businesses have raised concerns about an increase in "cowboy" businesses entering the solar market, selling batteries at low cost and disappearing once the rebate wraps up.
However, a Clean Energy Regulator spokesperson said the agency, which was administering the rebate program, would be monitoring the market to ensure all products and installers met the minimum safety and quality standards.
The federal government's solar battery rebate opened on July 1, and, in a land of plentiful sun, many Australians are asking if it's worth adding to their energy system.
The solar battery rebate offers 30 per cent off the cost of installing batteries from July 1, 2025, with the discount decreasing annually until the end of the program in 2030.
The rebate is part of the federal government's $2.3 billion Cheaper Home Batteries Program, encouraging households and small businesses to install solar batteries.
ACT installer SolarHub's chief executive Benn Masters said solar batteries had become a more worthwhile investment, with the systems now paying for themselves in five to six years rather than 10 to 12.
His team had been run off their feet in the lead-up to the start of the rebate program, with some local businesses already booking installations into October 2025.
Feed-in tariffs for solar have dropped substantially due to increased supply during the day, but the cost of energy in the evenings continues to rise.
"A battery changes [the loss of feed-in tariffs] dramatically," Mr Masters said.
"It allows you to charge the battery during the day and then discharge it at nighttime when you're paying those really high-peak rates, which can be upwards of 40, 50 cents a kilowatt-hour.
"So rather than getting 6 cents a kilowatt-hour for your solar, you're getting 50 cents a kilowatt-hour."
A kilowatt-hour measures the amount of electricity produced by solar panels.
To be eligible for the program, a battery storage system must be in the range of 5 to 100 kilowatt-hours in nominal capacity. The nominal capacity is the maximum amount of energy a battery can store at full charge.
Electric vehicles are not eligible battery systems for the program, and the chosen battery system and the inverter must be listed on the Clean Energy Council-approved product list.
The cash payout for the rebate depends on the battery's capacity, with calculations available on the program's website.
To be eligible for the rebate, battery systems must be installed on or after June 1.
Some Canberra businesses have raised concerns about an increase in "cowboy" businesses entering the solar market, selling batteries at low cost and disappearing once the rebate wraps up.
However, a Clean Energy Regulator spokesperson said the agency, which was administering the rebate program, would be monitoring the market to ensure all products and installers met the minimum safety and quality standards.
The federal government's solar battery rebate opened on July 1, and, in a land of plentiful sun, many Australians are asking if it's worth adding to their energy system.
The solar battery rebate offers 30 per cent off the cost of installing batteries from July 1, 2025, with the discount decreasing annually until the end of the program in 2030.
The rebate is part of the federal government's $2.3 billion Cheaper Home Batteries Program, encouraging households and small businesses to install solar batteries.
ACT installer SolarHub's chief executive Benn Masters said solar batteries had become a more worthwhile investment, with the systems now paying for themselves in five to six years rather than 10 to 12.
His team had been run off their feet in the lead-up to the start of the rebate program, with some local businesses already booking installations into October 2025.
Feed-in tariffs for solar have dropped substantially due to increased supply during the day, but the cost of energy in the evenings continues to rise.
"A battery changes [the loss of feed-in tariffs] dramatically," Mr Masters said.
"It allows you to charge the battery during the day and then discharge it at nighttime when you're paying those really high-peak rates, which can be upwards of 40, 50 cents a kilowatt-hour.
"So rather than getting 6 cents a kilowatt-hour for your solar, you're getting 50 cents a kilowatt-hour."
A kilowatt-hour measures the amount of electricity produced by solar panels.
To be eligible for the program, a battery storage system must be in the range of 5 to 100 kilowatt-hours in nominal capacity. The nominal capacity is the maximum amount of energy a battery can store at full charge.
Electric vehicles are not eligible battery systems for the program, and the chosen battery system and the inverter must be listed on the Clean Energy Council-approved product list.
The cash payout for the rebate depends on the battery's capacity, with calculations available on the program's website.
To be eligible for the rebate, battery systems must be installed on or after June 1.
Some Canberra businesses have raised concerns about an increase in "cowboy" businesses entering the solar market, selling batteries at low cost and disappearing once the rebate wraps up.
However, a Clean Energy Regulator spokesperson said the agency, which was administering the rebate program, would be monitoring the market to ensure all products and installers met the minimum safety and quality standards.
