Australia’s Home Battery Rebate — It’s Launch Day!

It’s July 1 and the big day has finally arrived. Here’s a round-up of everything you’ll need to know to access and get the best from the federal government’s battery rebate.

Since the incentive was first announced by the Albanese government in early April as an election sweetener, we’ve written extensively about the twists and turns to this point. Now everything is settled for kick-off and the official launch of the Cheaper Home Batteries program is today, we figured it would be useful to publish an article highlighting some of the more important aspects we’ve covered.

Battery Rebate Guide

First up is our federal government battery rebate guide, which provides easy-to-understand information on the nuts and bolts of the subsidy, how much it’s worth and how to get it. This has been regularly updated; most recently since rebate rules were locked in by the Albanese Government late last week. We’ll continue to update that page if/when changes or clarifications occur. SolarQuotes founder Finn Peacock also covers the basics nicely in the video above.

Approved Equipment

What batteries and inverters are eligible for the rebate? Heaps. You can see the Clean Energy Council’s list of currently approved batteries here and inverters here.

We’re spoiled for choice in Australia these days, but too many choices can make a purchase decision harder. So, which brand should you choose? Some are better than others, and what’s right for your neighbour may not be ideal for you.

You can see how some of the battery brands stack up against each other and learn everything you need to know about residential energy storage in our home battery comparison table and guide. Also check out the best home batteries to buy based on results of this year’s SolarQuotes’ Installers Choice Awards, and approximately what those systems cost before and after the subsidy.

Calculators

We also have some handy related calculators on SolarQuotes:

• Our government battery rebate calculator will give you an idea of what the subsidy for a particular product may be worth.
• For those wanting to crunch numbers, there’s our original solar and battery calculator that’s great for rough estimates of savings and simple payback times.
• If you’ve had solar panels installed for at least a year and can download your smart meter data, our add battery calculator will use that data to tell you exactly what your electricity bill savings and simple payback would be assuming your electricity consumption stays the same.

Special Focus Articles

• Some buyers previously expecting to stack the federal battery rebate with state schemes that have since ended or changed have been cancelling orders and chasing deposits.
• On a related note, SolarQuotes’ Ronald opines on the status of quotes and deposits given the changes.
• Nobody likes a rip-off merchant, but installers deserve to make a reasonable profit and shouldn’t be exploited says Finn.
• Discover why a fast battery payback isn’t everything.
• Learn about two key safety tests installers must undertake on new battery systems.
• Do you need to upgrade your existing solar system to make getting a battery worthwhile? Here’s how to tell.
• Living with a home battery – how to ensure it keeps doing its job every day to maximise your electricity bill savings.
• While only formally starting today, the rebate has already triggered some major changes in the Australian solar market. Find out how.

Commenting on the launch of the scheme at a press conference in Canberra yesterday, Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen said:

“There’s been a huge amount of effort gone into the consultation and policy design. Been a huge amount of interest from Australians … Installers across the country have been deluged with inquiries, so tomorrow is a good day for delivery and a good day for people wanting to reduce their emissions and their bills by installing a home battery. And, of course, I’ll have more to say about the implementation over the coming days and weeks.”

And the best way to stay across everything that’s happening as the program evolves is to sign up for the SolarQuotes weekly newsletter, which we send out each Tuesday.