How the battery rebate works
The Cheaper Home Batteries Program is run by the Australian Government. It covers batteries installed on or after 1 July 2025, and it is open to households, businesses and community organisations.
The discount comes from certificates called small-scale technology certificates. The number of certificates depends on how much the battery can store and on the date it is installed. The government buys them at a fixed price of $40 each through its clearing house, and the installer takes the value off your price or pays it to you after the install.
The 30% figure is the government's target, not a fixed rate. It adjusts the number of certificates over time to keep the discount near 30% as battery prices fall.
Who qualifies for the battery rebate
The battery and the inverter must be on the Clean Energy Council's approved list on the day they are installed. The system must be installed by, or under the supervision of, a Solar Accreditation Australia accredited installer.
The battery must be connected to solar panels, either new or existing. A battery charged only from the grid does not qualify, and neither do portable batteries or electric vehicles. The battery must be between 5kWh and 100kWh, and it must be capable of joining a virtual power plant, which is a group of home batteries controlled together to support the grid. Joining one is optional.
Each property can have one supported battery. The retailer has to give you, in writing, the expected payback period and savings, and explain how the battery size relates to your solar system.
What changed on 1 May 2026
Two changes came in on 1 May 2026. First, the number of certificates per kWh now drops every six months instead of once a year. It is 6.8 until the end of 2026, falls to 5.7 on 1 January 2027, and keeps falling until 2030.
Second, support now tapers with battery size. The first 14kWh gets the full rate. Each kWh from 14 to 28 gets 60% of it, and each kWh from 28 to 50 gets 15%. Nothing is paid above 50kWh of usable capacity.
As a worked example at the clearing house price, a 10kWh battery installed before the end of 2026 earns about 68 certificates, worth about $2,720 before any installer fees. Installed from 1 January 2027, the same battery earns about 57 certificates, worth about $2,280. The REC Registry's certificate calculator gives the official figure for your system.
Bigger is not always better
The government's own advice is that a battery that is too large for your solar panels or your inverter limits the benefit. With the taper, every kWh above 14 now earns less support, so the right size comes from how much solar you produce and how much power you use at night.
The case for storing your own solar has grown in regional Queensland. The feed-in tariff Ergon customers are paid for exported solar fell to 6.006 cents per kWh from 1 July 2026, down from 8.660 cents.
Queensland and the battery rebate
Queensland's own Battery Booster rebate has closed, and no state battery rebate is currently open. The federal program is the one that applies in Townsville and Cairns.
How we handle the rebate
Our solar and battery accreditation number is S3994376 with Solar Accreditation Australia. We work any rebate you qualify for into the itemised quote and take it off your invoice, so there is no claim for you to make.
We size the battery from your power use and your solar, and the quote lists the system details and the warranty on each part.