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The Advertiser
14 hours ago
- Business
- The Advertiser
Home solar battery contracts ripped up as promised government rebate ditched
Households in NSW promised federal and state government discounts on a new home solar battery have been told they are no longer eligible for both and will need to start from scratch. Australians with rooftop solar rushed to take advantage of the new federal "cheaper home batteries" discount - worth about $4000 on a typical 11.5kWh battery - in the wake of Labor's May election win. Many installers took orders and started fitting batteries on the basis the federal rebate could be claimed after July 1 on top of any state schemes. But the NSW government on June 10 announced it was scrapping its existing discount after only seven months. Instead, it decided to expand a program to encourage households to sell power stored in batteries back to the market through virtual power plants. This left installers with a lot difficult phone calls to make to battery customers who they'd promised would receive both the state Peak Demand Reduction Scheme (PDRS) discount and the federal rebate on new batteries. Some customers who had not yet had a battery fitted were offered refunds on their deposits, or new quotes with the NSW discount - sometimes worth thousands of dollars - removed. "There have been no circumstances where people can claim solar battery installation incentives under both the commonwealth and NSW schemes," a spokesman for the NSW energy department said. "We recommend that households and small businesses contact their installer to discuss any quote that claimed both incentives would apply." Installers would likely have to bear the cost of the state discount they expected where households had already paid for, and received, their battery. Solar Battery Group, which operates nationally and has been installing 40 batteries a day since the government's re-election on May 3, was one of those. "If the customer is adamant they don't want to change the size of battery or the specifications, then yes, we will wear it," chief executive James Hetherington said. "We've had a lot of people wanting finance that are very confused because those [NSW] laws changed." Mr Hetherington said each business made a choice about how to respond to the federal funding - but new policy "hand grenades" were coming thick and fast across the country. "They did warn all of us: 'Install at your own risk'," he said. "They made that quite clear and we all made our own individual decisions on what risks we were going to take based on our own margins, on our own business models." He said the industry was moving very fast. "It's never moved like this in its history with batteries. "It's had this, obviously, many times with solar and solar panels, but the battery industry is not used to this, so it's got a few growing pains in the next six months," Mr Hetherington said. A spokeswoman for Energy Minister Chris Bowen said the federal battery discount was always designed to be used in conjunction with state incentives. "We designed the cheaper home batteries program to be stackable with state incentives, and it is," she said. "NSW are now also offering a battery incentive, for joining virtual power plants, which is stackable with ours. "The design and balance of NSW incentives is a matter for them, but giving more people more support to get batteries and join [virtual power plants] is good news for the industry." But the industry at a wider level was nonetheless disappointed in the cancellation of the NSW battery installation discount. "The announcement of the new NSW scheme was not the outcome they had expected or wanted," Smart Energy Council acting chief executive Wayne Smith said. "Industry has been operating under a great deal of uncertainty as they awaited clarity around the NSW PDRS that's caused considerable pain for many," he said. "The cuts to the scheme will continue to cause pain." RESINC Solar and Batteries founder Leigh Storr did not offer customers both NSW and federal installation discounts. "I feel for any installers who've jumped the gun," he said. "What they've been selling on is hope." He said the cheaper home batteries discount was a large enough incentive on its own to encourage battery take up. "I'm in huge support of what Chris Bowen has done," Mr Storr said. The PDRS scheme in NSW, which delivered about 11,000 rebates in first six months of the program, will be scrapped after June 30. Instead households with batteries are eligible for up to $1500 to help more connect to virtual power plants, which take customers' excess energy stored in batteries and sell it on. "From 1 July the NSW Peak Demand Reduction Scheme (PDRS) incentives for installing a battery will be suspended, but the consumers will have access to higher incentives under the commonwealth cheaper home batteries program," an NSW energy department spokesman said. "Incentives under the NSW PDRS to connect batteries to virtual power plants (VPPs) will almost double, and can be stacked with the commonwealth program." Any new batteries cannot be turned on before July 1 in order to be eligible for the federal discount under the $2.3 billion cheaper home batteries program. Households in NSW promised federal and state government discounts on a new home solar battery have been told they are no longer eligible for both and will need to start from scratch. Australians with rooftop solar rushed to take advantage of the new federal "cheaper home batteries" discount - worth about $4000 on a typical 11.5kWh battery - in the wake of Labor's May election win. Many installers took orders and started fitting batteries on the basis the federal rebate could be claimed after July 1 on top of any state schemes. But the NSW government on June 10 announced it was scrapping its existing discount after only seven months. Instead, it decided to expand a program to encourage households to sell power stored in batteries back to the market through virtual power plants. This left installers with a lot difficult phone calls to make to battery customers who they'd promised would receive both the state Peak Demand Reduction Scheme (PDRS) discount and the federal rebate on new batteries. Some customers who had not yet had a battery fitted were offered refunds on their deposits, or new quotes with the NSW discount - sometimes worth thousands of dollars - removed. "There have been no circumstances where people can claim solar battery installation incentives under both the commonwealth and NSW schemes," a spokesman for the NSW energy department said. "We recommend that households and small businesses contact their installer to discuss any quote that claimed both incentives would apply." Installers would likely have to bear the cost of the state discount they expected where households had already paid for, and received, their battery. Solar Battery Group, which operates nationally and has been installing 40 batteries a day since the government's re-election on May 3, was one of those. "If the customer is adamant they don't want to change the size of battery or the specifications, then yes, we will wear it," chief executive James Hetherington said. "We've had a lot of people wanting finance that are very confused because those [NSW] laws changed." Mr Hetherington said each business made a choice about how to respond to the federal funding - but new policy "hand grenades" were coming thick and fast across the country. "They did warn all of us: 'Install at your own risk'," he said. "They made that quite clear and we all made our own individual decisions on what risks we were going to take based on our own margins, on our own business models." He said the industry was moving very fast. "It's never moved like this in its history with batteries. "It's had this, obviously, many times with solar and solar panels, but the battery industry is not used to this, so it's got a few growing pains in the next six months," Mr Hetherington said. A spokeswoman for Energy Minister Chris Bowen said the federal battery discount was always designed to be used in conjunction with state incentives. "We designed the cheaper home batteries program to be stackable with state incentives, and it is," she said. "NSW are now also offering a battery incentive, for joining virtual power plants, which is stackable with ours. "The design and balance of NSW incentives is a matter for them, but giving more people more support to get batteries and join [virtual power plants] is good news for the industry." But the industry at a wider level was nonetheless disappointed in the cancellation of the NSW battery installation discount. "The announcement of the new NSW scheme was not the outcome they had expected or wanted," Smart Energy Council acting chief executive Wayne Smith said. "Industry has been operating under a great deal of uncertainty as they awaited clarity around the NSW PDRS that's caused considerable pain for many," he said. "The cuts to the scheme will continue to cause pain." RESINC Solar and Batteries founder Leigh Storr did not offer customers both NSW and federal installation discounts. "I feel for any installers who've jumped the gun," he said. "What they've been selling on is hope." He said the cheaper home batteries discount was a large enough incentive on its own to encourage battery take up. "I'm in huge support of what Chris Bowen has done," Mr Storr said. The PDRS scheme in NSW, which delivered about 11,000 rebates in first six months of the program, will be scrapped after June 30. Instead households with batteries are eligible for up to $1500 to help more connect to virtual power plants, which take customers' excess energy stored in batteries and sell it on. "From 1 July the NSW Peak Demand Reduction Scheme (PDRS) incentives for installing a battery will be suspended, but the consumers will have access to higher incentives under the commonwealth cheaper home batteries program," an NSW energy department spokesman said. "Incentives under the NSW PDRS to connect batteries to virtual power plants (VPPs) will almost double, and can be stacked with the commonwealth program." Any new batteries cannot be turned on before July 1 in order to be eligible for the federal discount under the $2.3 billion cheaper home batteries program. Households in NSW promised federal and state government discounts on a new home solar battery have been told they are no longer eligible for both and will need to start from scratch. Australians with rooftop solar rushed to take advantage of the new federal "cheaper home batteries" discount - worth about $4000 on a typical 11.5kWh battery - in the wake of Labor's May election win. Many installers took orders and started fitting batteries on the basis the federal rebate could be claimed after July 1 on top of any state schemes. But the NSW government on June 10 announced it was scrapping its existing discount after only seven months. Instead, it decided to expand a program to encourage households to sell power stored in batteries back to the market through virtual power plants. This left installers with a lot difficult phone calls to make to battery customers who they'd promised would receive both the state Peak Demand Reduction Scheme (PDRS) discount and the federal rebate on new batteries. Some customers who had not yet had a battery fitted were offered refunds on their deposits, or new quotes with the NSW discount - sometimes worth thousands of dollars - removed. "There have been no circumstances where people can claim solar battery installation incentives under both the commonwealth and NSW schemes," a spokesman for the NSW energy department said. "We recommend that households and small businesses contact their installer to discuss any quote that claimed both incentives would apply." Installers would likely have to bear the cost of the state discount they expected where households had already paid for, and received, their battery. Solar Battery Group, which operates nationally and has been installing 40 batteries a day since the government's re-election on May 3, was one of those. "If the customer is adamant they don't want to change the size of battery or the specifications, then yes, we will wear it," chief executive James Hetherington said. "We've had a lot of people wanting finance that are very confused because those [NSW] laws changed." Mr Hetherington said each business made a choice about how to respond to the federal funding - but new policy "hand grenades" were coming thick and fast across the country. "They did warn all of us: 'Install at your own risk'," he said. "They made that quite clear and we all made our own individual decisions on what risks we were going to take based on our own margins, on our own business models." He said the industry was moving very fast. "It's never moved like this in its history with batteries. "It's had this, obviously, many times with solar and solar panels, but the battery industry is not used to this, so it's got a few growing pains in the next six months," Mr Hetherington said. A spokeswoman for Energy Minister Chris Bowen said the federal battery discount was always designed to be used in conjunction with state incentives. "We designed the cheaper home batteries program to be stackable with state incentives, and it is," she said. "NSW are now also offering a battery incentive, for joining virtual power plants, which is stackable with ours. "The design and balance of NSW incentives is a matter for them, but giving more people more support to get batteries and join [virtual power plants] is good news for the industry." But the industry at a wider level was nonetheless disappointed in the cancellation of the NSW battery installation discount. "The announcement of the new NSW scheme was not the outcome they had expected or wanted," Smart Energy Council acting chief executive Wayne Smith said. "Industry has been operating under a great deal of uncertainty as they awaited clarity around the NSW PDRS that's caused considerable pain for many," he said. "The cuts to the scheme will continue to cause pain." RESINC Solar and Batteries founder Leigh Storr did not offer customers both NSW and federal installation discounts. "I feel for any installers who've jumped the gun," he said. "What they've been selling on is hope." He said the cheaper home batteries discount was a large enough incentive on its own to encourage battery take up. "I'm in huge support of what Chris Bowen has done," Mr Storr said. The PDRS scheme in NSW, which delivered about 11,000 rebates in first six months of the program, will be scrapped after June 30. Instead households with batteries are eligible for up to $1500 to help more connect to virtual power plants, which take customers' excess energy stored in batteries and sell it on. "From 1 July the NSW Peak Demand Reduction Scheme (PDRS) incentives for installing a battery will be suspended, but the consumers will have access to higher incentives under the commonwealth cheaper home batteries program," an NSW energy department spokesman said. "Incentives under the NSW PDRS to connect batteries to virtual power plants (VPPs) will almost double, and can be stacked with the commonwealth program." Any new batteries cannot be turned on before July 1 in order to be eligible for the federal discount under the $2.3 billion cheaper home batteries program. Households in NSW promised federal and state government discounts on a new home solar battery have been told they are no longer eligible for both and will need to start from scratch. Australians with rooftop solar rushed to take advantage of the new federal "cheaper home batteries" discount - worth about $4000 on a typical 11.5kWh battery - in the wake of Labor's May election win. Many installers took orders and started fitting batteries on the basis the federal rebate could be claimed after July 1 on top of any state schemes. But the NSW government on June 10 announced it was scrapping its existing discount after only seven months. Instead, it decided to expand a program to encourage households to sell power stored in batteries back to the market through virtual power plants. This left installers with a lot difficult phone calls to make to battery customers who they'd promised would receive both the state Peak Demand Reduction Scheme (PDRS) discount and the federal rebate on new batteries. Some customers who had not yet had a battery fitted were offered refunds on their deposits, or new quotes with the NSW discount - sometimes worth thousands of dollars - removed. "There have been no circumstances where people can claim solar battery installation incentives under both the commonwealth and NSW schemes," a spokesman for the NSW energy department said. "We recommend that households and small businesses contact their installer to discuss any quote that claimed both incentives would apply." Installers would likely have to bear the cost of the state discount they expected where households had already paid for, and received, their battery. Solar Battery Group, which operates nationally and has been installing 40 batteries a day since the government's re-election on May 3, was one of those. "If the customer is adamant they don't want to change the size of battery or the specifications, then yes, we will wear it," chief executive James Hetherington said. "We've had a lot of people wanting finance that are very confused because those [NSW] laws changed." Mr Hetherington said each business made a choice about how to respond to the federal funding - but new policy "hand grenades" were coming thick and fast across the country. "They did warn all of us: 'Install at your own risk'," he said. "They made that quite clear and we all made our own individual decisions on what risks we were going to take based on our own margins, on our own business models." He said the industry was moving very fast. "It's never moved like this in its history with batteries. "It's had this, obviously, many times with solar and solar panels, but the battery industry is not used to this, so it's got a few growing pains in the next six months," Mr Hetherington said. A spokeswoman for Energy Minister Chris Bowen said the federal battery discount was always designed to be used in conjunction with state incentives. "We designed the cheaper home batteries program to be stackable with state incentives, and it is," she said. "NSW are now also offering a battery incentive, for joining virtual power plants, which is stackable with ours. "The design and balance of NSW incentives is a matter for them, but giving more people more support to get batteries and join [virtual power plants] is good news for the industry." But the industry at a wider level was nonetheless disappointed in the cancellation of the NSW battery installation discount. "The announcement of the new NSW scheme was not the outcome they had expected or wanted," Smart Energy Council acting chief executive Wayne Smith said. "Industry has been operating under a great deal of uncertainty as they awaited clarity around the NSW PDRS that's caused considerable pain for many," he said. "The cuts to the scheme will continue to cause pain." RESINC Solar and Batteries founder Leigh Storr did not offer customers both NSW and federal installation discounts. "I feel for any installers who've jumped the gun," he said. "What they've been selling on is hope." He said the cheaper home batteries discount was a large enough incentive on its own to encourage battery take up. "I'm in huge support of what Chris Bowen has done," Mr Storr said. The PDRS scheme in NSW, which delivered about 11,000 rebates in first six months of the program, will be scrapped after June 30. Instead households with batteries are eligible for up to $1500 to help more connect to virtual power plants, which take customers' excess energy stored in batteries and sell it on. "From 1 July the NSW Peak Demand Reduction Scheme (PDRS) incentives for installing a battery will be suspended, but the consumers will have access to higher incentives under the commonwealth cheaper home batteries program," an NSW energy department spokesman said. "Incentives under the NSW PDRS to connect batteries to virtual power plants (VPPs) will almost double, and can be stacked with the commonwealth program." Any new batteries cannot be turned on before July 1 in order to be eligible for the federal discount under the $2.3 billion cheaper home batteries program.
The Advertiser
14-05-2025
- Business
- The Advertiser
The home solar battery rebate is coming soon. Here's what you need to know
Bruno Kaser just missed out on the federal government's home battery subsidy, but he's looking forward to seeing the first electricity bill since he had one installed. From July 1 households will be eligible for up to 30 per cent off the installed cost of a home battery under a Labor election commitment. Mr Kaser had old rooftop solar panels replaced just before the April 6 announcement and bought a battery at the same time. But the 72-year-old, who is semi retired and lives in North Warrandyte north east of Melbourne, was philosophical about missing out on the subsidy. "I think it's silly not to use solar when you can," he said. "My main reason was it's just better for the environment. "And the battery was because quite often the grid drops out here. So hopefully I have a bit of battery as a backup." According to the Clean Energy Regulator, there are 4.1 million small-scale solar installations across the country, making Australia the world's leader in rooftop solar. Mr Kaser's installer, Solar Battery Group, has been putting in 40 batteries a day since the government's re-election on May 3. "Since Labor won the election a week ago, we've already seen a 40 per cent increase in our web traffic," the company's chief executive, James Hetherington, said. "We've seen a 60 per cent increase in sales just in the last five business days." The discount is not means tested and will apply to any new home battery, but can only be used once, according to the Smart Energy Council. As long as people don't switch on a new battery before the beginning of July, they will still be eligible for the rebate, but installers will likely charge the full rate up front and provide cash back when it formally kicks in. The government expects it to drive a surge in home battery installations, taking the roughly 186,000 units now installed across Australia to one million by 2030. The program is administered by the Clean Energy Regulator under the Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme and does not require any changes to legislation. For customers, it functions as a discount at the point of sale, with expected savings of $4000 on a typical 11.5kWh battery. That means the installer claims the money direct from the government and the household automatically receives the discount. The $2.3 billion cheaper home batteries program will reduce the cost of a typical installed battery by about 30 per cent. According to government modelling, a household with existing rooftop solar could save up to $1100 on their power bill each year, while a household putting in new solar combined with a battery system could save up to $2300 annually. Around 77 batteries were available to consumers in Australia, according to a Smart Energy Council report from 2024. The 5-6kWh battery would suit the needs of about 90 per cent of households and prices started at $5000 for these. "The cheaper home battery program will usher in one of the biggest changes in the energy sector since the introduction of solar," council chief executive John Grimes said. Some small businesses and community facilities will also be able to access the government subsidy. James Hetherington from Solar Battery Group recommended households check their installer was signed up to the New Energy Tech Consumer Code (NET Code). This is voluntary industry code of conduct designed to protect consumers. "There are government codes out there that protect the consumer from aggressive selling tactics, overselling and under-delivering," he said. Solar Citizens, which has been lobbying for a home battery subsidy scheme since 2022, said people should also shop around using a service like Solar Quotes. "We direct people to an organisation called Solar Quotes who provide three reputable quotes for you," chief executive Heidi Lee Douglas said. She also said anyone interested in getting a home battery should act soon. "I'm going to move quite quickly, just in case the NSW government withdraw their rebate," Ms Lee Douglas said. "We really want to show the government that we want people to adopt this and take advantage of it." The advocacy group now wanted the government to extend the subsidy to apartment buildings. "We've done a lot of research on electrifying apartments and apartments can act as great solar sponges in city landscapes," Ms Douglas said. The federal home battery discount is "stackable", which means it can be claimed in addition to any assistance offered under state-based schemes. Although it's not yet clear if - or how - these loans, grants and subsidies will change as the federal rebate is rolled out. Existing programs include: Bruno Kaser just missed out on the federal government's home battery subsidy, but he's looking forward to seeing the first electricity bill since he had one installed. From July 1 households will be eligible for up to 30 per cent off the installed cost of a home battery under a Labor election commitment. Mr Kaser had old rooftop solar panels replaced just before the April 6 announcement and bought a battery at the same time. But the 72-year-old, who is semi retired and lives in North Warrandyte north east of Melbourne, was philosophical about missing out on the subsidy. "I think it's silly not to use solar when you can," he said. "My main reason was it's just better for the environment. "And the battery was because quite often the grid drops out here. So hopefully I have a bit of battery as a backup." According to the Clean Energy Regulator, there are 4.1 million small-scale solar installations across the country, making Australia the world's leader in rooftop solar. Mr Kaser's installer, Solar Battery Group, has been putting in 40 batteries a day since the government's re-election on May 3. "Since Labor won the election a week ago, we've already seen a 40 per cent increase in our web traffic," the company's chief executive, James Hetherington, said. "We've seen a 60 per cent increase in sales just in the last five business days." The discount is not means tested and will apply to any new home battery, but can only be used once, according to the Smart Energy Council. As long as people don't switch on a new battery before the beginning of July, they will still be eligible for the rebate, but installers will likely charge the full rate up front and provide cash back when it formally kicks in. The government expects it to drive a surge in home battery installations, taking the roughly 186,000 units now installed across Australia to one million by 2030. The program is administered by the Clean Energy Regulator under the Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme and does not require any changes to legislation. For customers, it functions as a discount at the point of sale, with expected savings of $4000 on a typical 11.5kWh battery. That means the installer claims the money direct from the government and the household automatically receives the discount. The $2.3 billion cheaper home batteries program will reduce the cost of a typical installed battery by about 30 per cent. According to government modelling, a household with existing rooftop solar could save up to $1100 on their power bill each year, while a household putting in new solar combined with a battery system could save up to $2300 annually. Around 77 batteries were available to consumers in Australia, according to a Smart Energy Council report from 2024. The 5-6kWh battery would suit the needs of about 90 per cent of households and prices started at $5000 for these. "The cheaper home battery program will usher in one of the biggest changes in the energy sector since the introduction of solar," council chief executive John Grimes said. Some small businesses and community facilities will also be able to access the government subsidy. James Hetherington from Solar Battery Group recommended households check their installer was signed up to the New Energy Tech Consumer Code (NET Code). This is voluntary industry code of conduct designed to protect consumers. "There are government codes out there that protect the consumer from aggressive selling tactics, overselling and under-delivering," he said. Solar Citizens, which has been lobbying for a home battery subsidy scheme since 2022, said people should also shop around using a service like Solar Quotes. "We direct people to an organisation called Solar Quotes who provide three reputable quotes for you," chief executive Heidi Lee Douglas said. She also said anyone interested in getting a home battery should act soon. "I'm going to move quite quickly, just in case the NSW government withdraw their rebate," Ms Lee Douglas said. "We really want to show the government that we want people to adopt this and take advantage of it." The advocacy group now wanted the government to extend the subsidy to apartment buildings. "We've done a lot of research on electrifying apartments and apartments can act as great solar sponges in city landscapes," Ms Douglas said. The federal home battery discount is "stackable", which means it can be claimed in addition to any assistance offered under state-based schemes. Although it's not yet clear if - or how - these loans, grants and subsidies will change as the federal rebate is rolled out. Existing programs include: Bruno Kaser just missed out on the federal government's home battery subsidy, but he's looking forward to seeing the first electricity bill since he had one installed. From July 1 households will be eligible for up to 30 per cent off the installed cost of a home battery under a Labor election commitment. Mr Kaser had old rooftop solar panels replaced just before the April 6 announcement and bought a battery at the same time. But the 72-year-old, who is semi retired and lives in North Warrandyte north east of Melbourne, was philosophical about missing out on the subsidy. "I think it's silly not to use solar when you can," he said. "My main reason was it's just better for the environment. "And the battery was because quite often the grid drops out here. So hopefully I have a bit of battery as a backup." According to the Clean Energy Regulator, there are 4.1 million small-scale solar installations across the country, making Australia the world's leader in rooftop solar. Mr Kaser's installer, Solar Battery Group, has been putting in 40 batteries a day since the government's re-election on May 3. "Since Labor won the election a week ago, we've already seen a 40 per cent increase in our web traffic," the company's chief executive, James Hetherington, said. "We've seen a 60 per cent increase in sales just in the last five business days." The discount is not means tested and will apply to any new home battery, but can only be used once, according to the Smart Energy Council. As long as people don't switch on a new battery before the beginning of July, they will still be eligible for the rebate, but installers will likely charge the full rate up front and provide cash back when it formally kicks in. The government expects it to drive a surge in home battery installations, taking the roughly 186,000 units now installed across Australia to one million by 2030. The program is administered by the Clean Energy Regulator under the Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme and does not require any changes to legislation. For customers, it functions as a discount at the point of sale, with expected savings of $4000 on a typical 11.5kWh battery. That means the installer claims the money direct from the government and the household automatically receives the discount. The $2.3 billion cheaper home batteries program will reduce the cost of a typical installed battery by about 30 per cent. According to government modelling, a household with existing rooftop solar could save up to $1100 on their power bill each year, while a household putting in new solar combined with a battery system could save up to $2300 annually. Around 77 batteries were available to consumers in Australia, according to a Smart Energy Council report from 2024. The 5-6kWh battery would suit the needs of about 90 per cent of households and prices started at $5000 for these. "The cheaper home battery program will usher in one of the biggest changes in the energy sector since the introduction of solar," council chief executive John Grimes said. Some small businesses and community facilities will also be able to access the government subsidy. James Hetherington from Solar Battery Group recommended households check their installer was signed up to the New Energy Tech Consumer Code (NET Code). This is voluntary industry code of conduct designed to protect consumers. "There are government codes out there that protect the consumer from aggressive selling tactics, overselling and under-delivering," he said. Solar Citizens, which has been lobbying for a home battery subsidy scheme since 2022, said people should also shop around using a service like Solar Quotes. "We direct people to an organisation called Solar Quotes who provide three reputable quotes for you," chief executive Heidi Lee Douglas said. She also said anyone interested in getting a home battery should act soon. "I'm going to move quite quickly, just in case the NSW government withdraw their rebate," Ms Lee Douglas said. "We really want to show the government that we want people to adopt this and take advantage of it." The advocacy group now wanted the government to extend the subsidy to apartment buildings. "We've done a lot of research on electrifying apartments and apartments can act as great solar sponges in city landscapes," Ms Douglas said. The federal home battery discount is "stackable", which means it can be claimed in addition to any assistance offered under state-based schemes. Although it's not yet clear if - or how - these loans, grants and subsidies will change as the federal rebate is rolled out. Existing programs include: Bruno Kaser just missed out on the federal government's home battery subsidy, but he's looking forward to seeing the first electricity bill since he had one installed. From July 1 households will be eligible for up to 30 per cent off the installed cost of a home battery under a Labor election commitment. Mr Kaser had old rooftop solar panels replaced just before the April 6 announcement and bought a battery at the same time. But the 72-year-old, who is semi retired and lives in North Warrandyte north east of Melbourne, was philosophical about missing out on the subsidy. "I think it's silly not to use solar when you can," he said. "My main reason was it's just better for the environment. "And the battery was because quite often the grid drops out here. So hopefully I have a bit of battery as a backup." According to the Clean Energy Regulator, there are 4.1 million small-scale solar installations across the country, making Australia the world's leader in rooftop solar. Mr Kaser's installer, Solar Battery Group, has been putting in 40 batteries a day since the government's re-election on May 3. "Since Labor won the election a week ago, we've already seen a 40 per cent increase in our web traffic," the company's chief executive, James Hetherington, said. "We've seen a 60 per cent increase in sales just in the last five business days." The discount is not means tested and will apply to any new home battery, but can only be used once, according to the Smart Energy Council. As long as people don't switch on a new battery before the beginning of July, they will still be eligible for the rebate, but installers will likely charge the full rate up front and provide cash back when it formally kicks in. The government expects it to drive a surge in home battery installations, taking the roughly 186,000 units now installed across Australia to one million by 2030. The program is administered by the Clean Energy Regulator under the Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme and does not require any changes to legislation. For customers, it functions as a discount at the point of sale, with expected savings of $4000 on a typical 11.5kWh battery. That means the installer claims the money direct from the government and the household automatically receives the discount. The $2.3 billion cheaper home batteries program will reduce the cost of a typical installed battery by about 30 per cent. According to government modelling, a household with existing rooftop solar could save up to $1100 on their power bill each year, while a household putting in new solar combined with a battery system could save up to $2300 annually. Around 77 batteries were available to consumers in Australia, according to a Smart Energy Council report from 2024. The 5-6kWh battery would suit the needs of about 90 per cent of households and prices started at $5000 for these. "The cheaper home battery program will usher in one of the biggest changes in the energy sector since the introduction of solar," council chief executive John Grimes said. Some small businesses and community facilities will also be able to access the government subsidy. James Hetherington from Solar Battery Group recommended households check their installer was signed up to the New Energy Tech Consumer Code (NET Code). This is voluntary industry code of conduct designed to protect consumers. "There are government codes out there that protect the consumer from aggressive selling tactics, overselling and under-delivering," he said. Solar Citizens, which has been lobbying for a home battery subsidy scheme since 2022, said people should also shop around using a service like Solar Quotes. "We direct people to an organisation called Solar Quotes who provide three reputable quotes for you," chief executive Heidi Lee Douglas said. She also said anyone interested in getting a home battery should act soon. "I'm going to move quite quickly, just in case the NSW government withdraw their rebate," Ms Lee Douglas said. "We really want to show the government that we want people to adopt this and take advantage of it." The advocacy group now wanted the government to extend the subsidy to apartment buildings. "We've done a lot of research on electrifying apartments and apartments can act as great solar sponges in city landscapes," Ms Douglas said. The federal home battery discount is "stackable", which means it can be claimed in addition to any assistance offered under state-based schemes. Although it's not yet clear if - or how - these loans, grants and subsidies will change as the federal rebate is rolled out. Existing programs include:
