Battery Rebate Scramble: Installers Booked Out Until May

The rush to get large home batteries before the federal rebate is restructured has seen many reputable battery installers booked out through to May, when the changes to the Cheaper Home Battery Program come into force.

Rob Moffa, who is in continual contact with installers in his client operations role at SolarQuotes, says the race to get in ahead of the rebate changes has filled up the schedules of Australia’s best electricians.

“As each day passes the more I hear from installers that pre May 1 installation capacities for batteries have been reached,” Rob says.

Late last year, the federal government announced a host of changes to the battery rebate, including the introduction in May of a new tiered system that will see the value taper off for larger systems.

The news of impending changes saw installers like Reef Solar & Electrical in Queensland hit with a surge of interest, according to owner Troy Coburn.

“We saw an immediate and sustained surge in enquiries once the December announcement landed, particularly for battery systems and larger solar and battery installs. By early January, battery demand was already pushing past what we could realistically deliver before 1 May. Since then, the phones haven’t really slowed, but the issue isn’t interest, it’s capacity,” Coburn says.

Even before the December changes, the Cheaper Home Batteries Program had turbocharged the market, with battery sales quadrupling for the final six months of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024, at more than 183,000 home batteries sold, the Clean Energy Council found.

Rebate Changes Affect Larger Systems Most

Coburn warns that battery jobs being pushed into May could see complications between installers and customers – particularly for larger systems.

“Up until now, the rebate has basically rewarded scale. The bigger the battery, the bigger the rebate, which has strongly pushed people toward large battery installs. That’s a big part of why demand for larger systems has surged so hard ahead of the 1 May change. From 1 May, that incentive flips. Once the rebate becomes tiered, support drops off pretty quickly as battery size increases, which naturally pushes customers toward smaller batteries instead. On top of that, batteries are already more complex than solar-only installs, with longer install times, more commissioning, and more things that can affect scheduling,” Coburn says.

Coburn says he is hearing from customers that they’ve been promised pre-May installs elsewhere, but cautioned that timelines are extremely tight once approvals, grid applications, equipment availability, weather, and actual installation capacity are factored in.

The original form of the Cheaper Home Batteries rebate saw households incentivised to get much larger systems then they needed, which had the scheme on track to exhaust its budget years early before the recent intervention, which also included an additional $4.9b in funds.

The federal battery rebate triggered a surge in sales of monster 50kWh systems, often paired with undersized inverters.

Installers Under The Pump Nationwide

It is particularly difficult to get a quality installer pre-May in the eastern states, but even in South Australia – where the solar battery market is more mature – available places are getting snapped up fast. All three installers in SA contacted by SolarQuotes reported they were full up through to May for battery jobs.

One of those was Graeme Galletly of Goliath Solar and Electrical, who said he is now quoting customers based on the reduced rebate.

“It’s still better than nothing, and timing is timing so you can’t change that. If [the customer] finds another installer available who might have just started or uses another product to us, that’s their decision,” Galletly says.

Take Precautions With Installers Promising A Pre-May Install

Back in Queensland, Coburn recommends being direct with installers and getting answers in writing for an absolute guarantee of a pre-May install.

“There’s a big difference between being told ‘we’ll try’ and being told ‘we can actually deliver this before the deadline.’ People also need to be wary of pressure tactics or promises that sound too easy this close to 1 May. At the moment, any decent, reputable installer should be busy. If a company is saying they’ve got plenty of availability and can still lock in pre-May installs without any caveats, that should raise questions … if the company doesn’t have its own installation teams and isn’t managing its own calendar, customers need to be extra cautious. Businesses relying heavily on third-party contractors have far less control over scheduling, especially during a rush like this,” Coburn says.

 

“If the rebate outcome is critical to the customer’s decision, it’s completely reasonable to ask for written confirmation around install timing, and to ask what happens if deadlines are missed. A good installer will be upfront about the risks rather than over-promising and hoping it all works out.”

At SolarQuotes HQ, Rob backs the guidance on getting confirmation in writing. He suggests that customers:

• Confirm that the batteries are already secured and not “expected” – stock shortages have been an issue in the past and may re surface as May 1 approaches;
• Confirm what “installed” actually means – a battery system is considered to be installed from the date a certificate of electrical compliance is issued;
• Be careful with deposits and confirm whether they are refundable. Large and / or non-refundable deposits are a red flag;
• Read thoroughly through the T&Cs;
• Ensure they have a written timeline from the installer & it should include approvals submitted, confirmed install date, plus commissioning/sign-off/certificate of electrical compliance.

Are Solar Installs Also Delayed?

Rob notes that for many installers it is only battery installs that are booked up, and that getting solar only isn’t subject to the same delays.

“If batteries are not included then you are in with a shot at an install pre May 1,” Rob says.

That’s not universally the case however – Coburn says that even solar-only jobs for Reef Solar & Electrical have pushed out to May due to his focus on batteries right now. But he adds that there’s an argument for going solar only initially anyway to get an idea of what size battery is needed.

“There is merit in doing solar first and adding a battery later, mainly because once solar is installed you’ve got real usage and export data. That makes it much easier to size a battery properly rather than guessing upfront,” Coburn says.

For more on the incoming changes to the Cheaper Home Batteries Program, read our dedicated guide to the federal battery rebate.