Solar Rebate Victoria 2026: Solar, Battery and Hot Water Help

Yes, Victoria still has a solar rebate. As at 15 October 2026, Solar Victoria’s Solar Homes Program pays up to $1,400 off a new solar panel system, plus an optional $1,400 interest-free loan, and up to $1,000 off a heat pump or solar hot water system ($1,400 if locally made). You qualify as an owner-occupier if your combined household taxable income is under $150,000 and your home is worth under $3 million. There is no Victorian battery rebate or loan: the state battery loan closed in May 2025, so batteries get the federal discount only, roughly $3,500 on a 13.5 kWh battery.

This is independent desk research, checked against government sources on 15 October 2026. No installer or retailer paid to appear in it.

Victoria solar rebates at a glance

How much you could save on a typical system

Estimate: 6.6 kW solar plus a 13.5 kWh battery, installed by 31 December 2026, for an eligible owner-occupier in zone 4 (most of Melbourne and Geelong).

The optional $1,400 interest-free loan is finance, not a saving.

Assumptions: STCs valued at $38 to $40. The spot price was $39.88 on 13 October 2026, according to certificate broker Demand Manager, and the government clearing house price is fixed at $40 excluding GST. Certificates are rounded down. The full $1,400 needs the panel system to cost at least $2,800 after STCs, which almost any 6.6 kW quote will. A heat pump could take a further $1,630 to $2,030 off (see hot water below). For hardware prices, see what a solar battery costs.

Federal solar panel discount (STCs)

No income test and no application. Under the Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme, run by the Clean Energy Regulator (CER), your system earns small-scale technology certificates (STCs) that your installer sells, and the value comes off your invoice. See our STC explainer.

STCs = kW x zone rating x deeming years. The deeming period is 5 years for 2026 installs and 4 years from 1 January 2027.

Most of Melbourne, Geelong, the Mornington Peninsula, Gippsland and the south west coast are zone 4 (rating 1.185). Ballarat, Bendigo, Shepparton, Wodonga, Mildura and some outer northern Melbourne postcodes are zone 3 (rating 1.382). Check your postcode on the CER list.

You need a Solar Accreditation Australia (SAA) accredited installer and approved panels and inverter.

Sources: Calculate STC entitlements, Clean Energy Regulator and postcode zone ratings, CER.

Solar Homes solar panel (PV) rebate

This is the Victorian solar rebate most people mean. Solar Victoria runs it, and it is open as at 15 October 2026.

Worth. 50 per cent of the purchase cost after STCs, up to $1,400. You can add an interest-free loan of up to $1,400, repaid at $29.17 a month over four years. Since 1 May 2026 you must choose the loan when you apply.

Who qualifies.

• Owner-occupier of an existing home, or owner of a home under construction.
• Combined household taxable income of all owners under $150,000 a year (down from $210,000 for applications from 1 July 2026).
• Property valued under $3 million.
• No solar panel system installed at the address in the last 10 years.
• No previous Solar Homes panel or battery rebate at the address.
• A Solar Victoria authorised retailer and eligible products.

Households affected by Solstice Energy’s closure of its compressed natural gas network are exempt from the income cap.

How to claim. Your retailer uploads the quote and gets network pre-approval. You upload ID, proof of income and proof of ownership. Once approved you receive a QR code, which the installer scans on site before work starts, within 120 days (270 for homes being built). The rebate comes off your invoice. Install before approval and you get nothing. Rebates are released monthly.

Sources: Solar panel (PV) rebate, Solar Victoria and Solar Homes Program changes, 29 May 2026.

Federal battery discount (Cheaper Home Batteries Program)

The only battery support in Victoria. Run by the Clean Energy Regulator and the federal energy department (DCCEEW), it works through STCs and is worth about 30 per cent of the installed cost.

For installs from 1 May to 31 December 2026, the STC factor is 6.8 per usable kWh: roughly $258 to $272 per kWh, or $2,580 to $2,720 for a 10 kWh battery. Since 1 May 2026 it tapers with size:

The factor steps down every six months, to 5.7 on 1 January 2027 and 5.2 on 1 July 2027, based on installation date. A 13.5 kWh battery installed in January 2027 earns 15 fewer certificates, about $600 less, than one installed in December.

Who qualifies.

• Usable capacity of 5 to 100 kWh (certificates on the first 50 kWh only).
• Paired with new or existing solar panels.
• An approved, VPP-capable battery installed by an SAA accredited installer. Joining a VPP is optional.
• No income test. Your installer applies it.

See our battery rebates by state guide for other states. Source: Cheaper Home Batteries Program, DCCEEW.

Solar Homes hot water rebate

Open as at 15 October 2026. Solar Victoria says an extra 27,000 hot water rebates are available in 2026-27.

Worth. 50 per cent of the price after STCs and Victorian Energy Efficiency Certificates (VEECs), up to $1,000, or up to $1,400 for listed locally made heat pump and solar models.

Who qualifies.

• Owner-occupier of an existing home (not one under construction).
• Combined household taxable income under $150,000, property under $3 million.
• The system being replaced is at least 3 years old.
• No previous Solar Homes hot water or battery rebate at the address.
• An authorised hot water retailer and eligible product.

Emergency replacements can be claimed after installation, and you can claim both the panel and hot water rebates. From 1 March 2027, a gas hot water system in an existing home that reaches end of life must be replaced with an efficient electric one.

Source: Hot water rebate, Solar Victoria. Choosing a system? See solar hot water vs heat pump.

Victorian Energy Upgrades (VEU) discounts

VEU is a separate state program run by the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA). Every Victorian household can use it, renters included, with no income test. An accredited provider applies the discount to your quote.

Stacked with the Solar Homes rebate, Solar Victoria quotes up to $1,630, or $2,030 locally made. The VEU page quotes $1,560 ($1,960), which matches replacing gas. Values move with the certificate price.

Conditions include a five-year product warranty and a $200 minimum contribution. VEU also discounts reverse cycle air conditioning (up to $1,610, the Government says) and ceiling insulation.

Source: Hot water system discounts, Victorian Energy Upgrades.

Rental properties

Landlords can claim up to $1,400 for solar panels on a rental, plus an optional $1,400 interest-free loan. Open as at 15 October 2026.

• The renters’ combined household taxable income must be under $150,000.
• Up to two rental properties per landlord per financial year, each valued under $3 million.
• Landlord and renters sign a Solar Homes agreement. Renters can agree to pay up to half the loan repayments ($14.58 a month), but rent cannot rise to recover the cost.
• Properties held in a trust, super fund or business are not eligible.

Minimum energy efficiency standards for rentals start on 1 March 2027. Source: Solar rebates for rental properties, Solar Victoria.

Apartments and townhouses

Solar for Apartments pays up to $2,800 per apartment (up to $140,000 per building) until 30 June 2027 or until funds run out. The owners corporation applies, with 3 to 50 lots (exemptions up to 150), up to 8 storeys and no embedded network. September 2026 changes removed the property value cap. Source: Solar for Apartments, Solar Victoria.

Programs that have closed

If a quote or advert mentions these as available, it is out of date.

Sources: Solar battery loans and Solar Victoria exceeds battery targets.

Feed-in tariffs in Victoria

There is no regulated minimum feed-in tariff in Victoria, so there is no 2026-27 rate to quote. The Essential Services Commission says it “no longer sets minimum feed-in tariffs” after an amendment to the Electricity Industry Act 2000. Since 1 July 2025 retailers set their own rates, which cannot go below zero.

Victorian solar now pays mainly through self-use. Since 1 October 2026, the Midday Power Saver offer gives smart meter households three free hours, 11 am to 2 pm (up to 24 kWh a day), through most retailers. Rates outside the window are higher, so compare first.

See our feed-in tariff tracker. Sources: Minimum feed-in tariff, ESC and Midday Power Saver, DEECA.

How to claim, step by step

1. Check eligibility: ownership, the $150,000 combined income cap, property under $3 million, no solar in the last 10 years.
2. Pick a retailer on Solar Victoria’s authorised list. Ask which consumer code it belongs to and check that yourself, and confirm the installer’s accreditation on the SAA online check.
3. Get three written quotes. Each should itemise the STC discount and the Solar Homes rebate separately, give battery usable capacity in kWh, and name exact panel, inverter and battery models. Our quote comparison guide helps.
4. Do not pay a non-refundable deposit before Solar Victoria confirms eligibility.
5. Let the retailer upload the quote and get network pre-approval, then upload your documents and opt in to the loan if you want it.
6. Wait for your QR code. The installer scans it on site before starting.
7. Pay the balance and keep the invoice, compliance certificate and STC paperwork.

Watch out for

• Closed battery offers. In October 2026, a large solar retailer’s page still explained how to apply for the $8,800 Victorian battery loan under the old $210,000 cap, with only a short closure note at the top. The loan closed in May 2025.
• All owners’ income counts. The cap is combined taxable income of everyone on the title, now $150,000.
• Installing too early. No approval before installation means no rebate (emergency hot water aside).
• The 1 January 2027 step-down. Panel and battery certificates both fall. A December quote that installs in January is worth less.
• VPP lock-in and “free solar”. Federal support never requires a VPP, so read any contract for exit fees and battery control. Treat “$0 upfront” solar as finance. Our VPP explainer covers the trade-offs.

FAQ

Is there a solar rebate in Victoria in 2026?

Yes. The Solar Homes rebate of up to $1,400, plus an optional $1,400 interest-free loan, is open for owner-occupiers with combined household income under $150,000. It stacks with the federal STC discount, about $1,500 on a 6.6 kW Melbourne system.

Is there a solar battery rebate in Victoria?

Not from the state. Solar Victoria’s battery rebate ended in 2023 and its battery loan closed in May 2025. Victorians get the federal discount, roughly $258 to $272 per usable kWh until 31 December 2026.

What is the income limit for the Solar Victoria rebate?

$150,000 a year combined taxable income of all owners, for applications from 1 July 2026. For rentals, it is the renters’ income.

Can I get the battery rebate if I already have solar?

Yes, the federal battery discount works with existing panels. You will not get the Solar Homes panel rebate for adding panels unless your existing system is more than 10 years old.

Do renters qualify?

Through their landlord, who applies; the renters’ income must be under $150,000. Renters can use many VEU discounts directly.

Can I claim the Victorian rebate and the federal STC rebate together?

Yes. Solar Homes rebates are calculated after STCs, so you get both.

Find an installer in Victoria

Browse installers listed in Victoria or our top 10 solar installers in Victoria. City guides: Melbourne and Geelong. Solar Cobber does not verify accreditation, so check the SAA and Solar Victoria lists yourself. Other states: NSW, Queensland, WA.

About this guide

Independent desk research by Solar Cobber. Sources (Solar Victoria, DEECA, the Essential Services Commission, the Clean Energy Regulator and DCCEEW) were checked on 15 October 2026. The worked example is an estimate, not a quote, and this is not financial advice. Rules and allocations change, so confirm with Solar Victoria and your retailer before signing. Report corrections at /contact.