Battery rebates by state
Battery rebates by state 2026: every federal, state and council incentive
30-second answer: Every Australian home battery attracts the federal Cheaper Home Batteries discount of around 30%, and four states and territories add a layer of their own. This page is the index: which incentives exist in each state, what they are worth, what has closed, and where to read the detail for your state. Check your postcode to see what may apply at your address.
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The federal discount applies in every postcode and is worth about $250 per usable kWh on the first 14 kWh at mid-2026 certificate prices. NSW and WA pay a state incentive on top, SA pays one for priority households, the ACT offers a zero-interest loan, and Victoria, Queensland, Tasmania and the NT rely on the federal discount alone after their own schemes closed. The federal rate next steps down on 1 January 2027.
Battery rebates by state
Use this table to find your state, then open the state page for the current amounts, worked examples and eligibility rules.
| State | What is available in 2026 | Status |
|---|---|---|
| NSW | PDRS VPP connection incentive, roughly $40 per usable kWh in mid-2026 offers (about $500 on 13.5 kWh) | Open, stacks |
| VIC | None on the battery; Solar Victoria panel rebate up to $1,400 if adding solar | Federal only |
| QLD | None; Battery Booster closed May 2024; retailer VPP credits vary | Federal only |
| SA | REPS VPP incentive, priority households only while general funding is exhausted; City of Adelaide council top-up in 5000 and 5006 | Limited, stacks |
| WA | WA Residential Battery Scheme, up to $1,300 Synergy or $3,800 Horizon Power, plus a no-interest loan | Open, stacks |
| TAS | None; Energy Saver Loan closed September 2025 | Federal only |
| ACT | Sustainable Household Scheme zero-interest loan (finance, not a rebate) | Loan, stacks |
| NT | Home and Business Battery Scheme funding allocated | Federal only |
Indicative only. State layers change often; the amounts and conditions on each state page were last checked on 2 September 2026.
The federal layer everyone gets
The federal Cheaper Home Batteries Program is delivered as STCs your installer usually claims for you and applies as a discount on the invoice; the rules also allow a post-installation rebate or claiming the certificates yourself. Since 1 May 2026 the rate is 6.8 STCs per usable kWh and is tiered: the full rate on the first 14 kWh, 60% of the rate from 14 to 28 kWh, 15% from 28 to 50 kWh and nothing above that. At current certificate prices that is about $250 per usable kWh in the first band, so a 10 kWh battery attracts roughly $2,500 and a 13.5 kWh battery roughly $3,400. The next step-down is 1 January 2027, and the rate then reduces every six months until the program closes at the end of 2030. There is no income test, and the battery can be added to solar you already have. For the head-to-head on how much the rebate is worth by battery size, see solar battery rebate 2026; for the program mechanics see the federal battery rebate page.
What the state layers look like
NSW: paid for joining a VPP
NSW retired its upfront battery rebate in 2025 and now pays a one-off Peak Demand Reduction Scheme incentive for connecting the battery to an approved Virtual Power Plant. Provider offers in mid-2026 were about $40 per usable kWh, calculated on up to 28 kWh, so a typical home battery attracts $400 to $550. From 1 July 2026 it covers batteries above 2 kWh to 50 kWh and no longer needs solar on the NSW side. Detail on the NSW solar battery rebate page.
WA: a fixed state rebate plus a loan
The WA Residential Battery Scheme pays $130 per usable kWh up to $1,300 for Synergy customers and $380 per kWh up to $3,800 for Horizon Power customers, capped at 10 kWh, through an approved vendor, with a no-interest loan of up to $10,000 for households under $210,000 income. It stacks with the federal discount. Detail on the WA solar battery rebate page.
SA: REPS VPP incentive and a council top-up
SA’s Retailer Energy Productivity Scheme pays for joining a VPP, but general funding ran out in May 2026 and providers are currently accepting priority households only, with general funding expected to return in early 2027. Inside the City of Adelaide (postcodes 5000 and 5006) the council pays 50% of out-of-pocket cost up to about $1,000. Detail on the SA solar battery rebate and City of Adelaide battery rebate pages.
ACT: a zero-interest loan
The Sustainable Household Scheme offers zero-interest loans for batteries and other upgrades rather than a cash rebate, and can be used alongside the federal discount. Detail on the ACT battery rebate page.
VIC, QLD, TAS and NT: federal only
Victoria’s Solar Victoria battery loan, Queensland’s Battery Booster, Tasmania’s Energy Saver Loan and the NT’s Home and Business Battery Scheme have all closed or been fully allocated. In each case the federal discount that arrived in July 2025 is larger than the scheme it followed for most homes. State detail and worked examples on the Victoria, Queensland, Tasmania and NT pages; the full list of closed schemes is on battery rebate changes.
Choosing a battery size
The tiering since 1 May 2026 rewards right-sizing. The first 14 kWh earns the full federal rate and covers the evening peak for most households; the WA rebate stops growing at 10 kWh and the NSW incentive at 28 kWh. Use the battery rebate calculator for an indicative figure on your own size, and ask any installer to show the STC discount as a separate line on the quote.
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Official sources
Figures on this page were checked against these official pages on 2 September 2026. Scheme rules change; confirm the current settings before you sign anything.
- Australian Government (DCCEEW): Cheaper Home Batteries Program
- Clean Energy Regulator: battery eligibility and STCs
- Clean Energy Regulator: battery rebate changes from 1 May 2026
- NSW Government: install a battery and join a VPP (PDRS)
- WA Government: WA Residential Battery Scheme
Related pages
FAQ
Battery rebate questions
The federal discount is about $250 per usable kWh on the first 14 kWh at mid-2026 certificate prices, roughly $2,500 on a 10 kWh battery and $3,400 on 13.5 kWh, with lower rates above 14 kWh. NSW adds a VPP incentive of a few hundred dollars, WA adds $1,300 or $3,800 depending on network, and SA and the City of Adelaide add layers for eligible households.
Western Australia, where the state rebate of up to $1,300 (Synergy) or $3,800 (Horizon Power) stacks with the federal discount and a no-interest loan is available. Adelaide homes in the City of Adelaide area and NSW homes joining a VPP also receive more than the federal discount alone.
Yes, where a state layer exists. The NSW VPP incentive, WA Residential Battery Scheme, SA REPS incentive, City of Adelaide top-up and ACT loan are all designed to sit alongside the federal discount on the same installation. What you cannot do is combine the federal discount with a retired state scheme such as NSW’s BESS1.
Not federally. The Cheaper Home Batteries discount requires the battery to be paired with new or existing solar. The NSW VPP incentive dropped its solar requirement on 1 July 2026, but on its own it is a few hundred dollars rather than the 30% federal discount.
NSW’s BESS1 upfront rebate and Empowering Homes loan, Victoria’s Solar Victoria battery loan, Queensland’s Battery Booster, SA’s Home Battery Scheme, Tasmania’s Energy Saver Loan and the NT’s Home and Business Battery Scheme. In every case the federal discount now applies instead, and NSW and SA have newer VPP-linked incentives.
Only for the state layers that pay for it: NSW’s PDRS incentive, WA’s scheme and SA’s REPS incentive all require joining an approved Virtual Power Plant. The federal discount only requires the battery to be VPP-capable.
The federal rate steps down on 1 January 2027 and every six months after that until the program closes at the end of 2030. The WA scheme runs until its 100,000 allocation is used, expected around 2027. The NSW incentive has no published closing date.
No. We’re an independent information and enquiry service and are not a government website. We don’t guarantee rebate approval.
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