Rebates & incentives
Solar and battery rebates in Victoria, 2026
Three programs matter to most Victorian homes, and they work differently from one another. This page explains what each one is, who can claim it, and just as importantly who can’t.
Overview
Which rebates apply to you
One is a state rebate with strict eligibility. One is a federal discount applied at the point of sale. One is a certificate scheme for heating, cooling and hot water. They have different rules, different administrators and different amounts, and one does not imply another.
Last verified 22 September 2026. Program rules change. We check this page against the official sources before each site update and show the date so you know how current it is.
Solar panels
Up to $1,400
Solar Victoria — Solar Homes
For eligible Victorian owner-occupiers, plus an optional interest-free loan of up to $1,400 repaid over four years.
Batteries
Federal
Cheaper Home Batteries Program
No income test, but solar is required. The Victorian battery loan has closed. The amount depends on your system and is confirmed in your quote.
Heating & cooling
VEU
Victorian Energy Upgrades
A discount on approved high-efficiency systems. Not a fixed amount or a set percentage — it depends on the product and the certificate value at the time.
Solar Victoria — Solar Homes rebate
Up to $1,400 toward a rooftop solar PV system, plus an optional interest-free loan of up to $1,400 repaid monthly over four years.
Solar Victoria sets these rules, and all of them have to be met:
- The property is in Victoria.
- You own and live in an existing home, or you own a home under construction.
- Combined household taxable income is under $150,000 a year — this dropped from $210,000 on 1 July 2026.
- The property is valued under $3 million.
- No solar PV has been installed at the address in the last 10 years.
- The address has not had a Solar Homes solar or battery rebate before.
- The system is installed by an authorised retailer using approved products.
Rebates are released in batches rather than being continuously available, so timing matters. There is no published closing date. Eligibility is assessed by Solar Victoria, not by us.
NRGPAL has been on Solar Victoria’s authorised retailer register since 2023, so a system installed by us meets that criterion.
The federal battery discount
The Cheaper Home Batteries Program discounts the price of an eligible home battery through small-scale technology certificates. Your installer claims it and it comes off your price — you don’t apply separately, and there is no income test.
- The battery is installed with a solar PV system of no more than 100 kW — new or existing. A battery on its own doesn’t qualify.
- Usable capacity of at least 5 kWh, up to 100 kWh nominal. Certificates are calculated on the first 50 kWh of usable capacity.
- If it is grid-connected, the battery must be capable of joining a virtual power plant. You don’t have to join one.
- One battery system per property.
How much it is worth, honestly. The program changed on 1 May 2026. Certificates are now tiered by battery size, and the Clean Energy Regulator has said the aim is to keep the discount at around 30% across sizes. Support is weighted heavily toward the first 14 kWh of usable capacity, tapers between 14 and 28 kWh, and is small beyond that. The certificate rate also steps down every six months now, rather than annually.
What that means in practice: doubling your battery size does not double your discount. It doesn’t come close. Size the battery to how much electricity you actually use in the evening and overnight — that is the number that decides whether a battery pays for itself.
We confirm the exact certificate value in your written quote, because it depends on your installed system and the certificate price on the day.
Victorian Energy Upgrades
A Victorian Government program that creates certificates when you replace an old appliance with an approved high-efficiency one. The certificates are converted into a discount on the job.
Why there is no headline number here. The discount isn’t a fixed amount. It is calculated from the approved product, the activity, the current certificate factor and the provider’s valuation of those certificates. Any business quoting you a flat VEU figure before looking at your property is guessing.
Your VEU discount is confirmed in writing before you agree to anything, and you are given the program’s consumer factsheet, as the program requires.
How we work with it. NRGPAL is a scheme participant — we carry out upgrades on behalf of accredited providers. We do not create certificates ourselves. The accredited provider for your job is named in your paperwork.
What changed
What closed, and what else is available
Solar Victoria’s interest-free battery loan is closed. It stopped taking applications in 2025 and has not been replaced at state level. If you are told otherwise by anyone, that is out of date. Battery support now runs through the federal program above.
Batteries are not covered by VEU. This gets confused often enough that it is worth stating plainly.
Also available to Victorian households:
Up to $1,400
Solar for Rentals
Per property, maximum two properties per financial year, with a signed agreement between owner and tenant.
Up to $1,000
Solar hot water
Or $1,400 for an Australian-made system, replacing a system at least three years old.
Up to $2,800
Solar for Apartments
Per household, running to 30 June 2027.
From estimate to quote
How amounts are confirmed
Indicative estimate
We estimate what you may qualify for from the details you give us.
Eligibility assessed
The program administrator or accredited provider decides, not NRGPAL.
Confirmed in writing
The final amount appears in your written quote before anything is agreed.
Amounts shown here are indicative and subject to eligibility, program requirements, product availability and approval by the relevant provider or administrator. Programs and amounts can change without notice. Full detail is in our Rebate Disclosures. Verified 22 September 2026.
Battery savings calculator
See what a battery could save you
Three quick questions: a suggested battery size for your home, what the federal battery discount could be worth on it, and an estimate of your bill savings. Indicative, not a quote.
Can I get the solar rebate and the battery discount together?
Yes. They are different programs from different levels of government and they stack. The solar rebate has an income test; the battery discount doesn’t.
I already have solar. Can I still get a battery discount?
Yes — an existing solar system satisfies the requirement, as long as it is no more than 100 kW. Whether your particular inverter can pair with a battery is a separate question, and one we check before quoting.
Does my income affect the battery discount?
No. There is no income test on the federal battery program. The $150,000 cap applies to the Victorian solar rebate only.
I had solar installed eight years ago. Can I get the solar rebate for an upgrade?
No. The address needs to have had no solar PV installed in the last 10 years. You may still be eligible for the battery discount.
How long does the rebate take?
Eligibility is approved before installation, and you have 120 days to install once approved — 270 days for a new build. Installing before approval means no rebate at all.
Eligibility check
Check your eligibility
Two minutes, a few short questions, no obligation. Our team will tell you which programs your property is eligible for and what to do next — including if the answer is none of them.