{"id":91022,"date":"2025-04-04T04:14:07","date_gmt":"2025-04-03T18:44:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/?p=91022"},"modified":"2025-04-06T06:44:20","modified_gmt":"2025-04-05T21:14:20","slug":"labor-election-home-batteries-mb3154","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/labor-election-home-batteries-mb3154\/","title":{"rendered":"Chalmers: Labor’s Home Battery Election Sweetener Imminent"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Labor's<\/p>\n

Whether it will be a home battery rebate, subsidy, loan or a combination Labor will put in front of voters ahead of the federal election on May 3 will soon be revealed says Treasurer Jim Chalmers.<\/p>\n

—-
\nUpdate April 6, 2025<\/strong>:\u00a0 Federal Labor is formally announcing the Cheaper Home Batteries Program<\/a> today, which it says will cut the cost of installing residential energy storage by 30%.
\n—-<\/p>\n

First reported by RenewEconomy<\/a>, the Treasurer’s comments were made in a pre-recorded video message for the Clean Energy Investor Forum held in Sydney yesterday.<\/p>\n

“We\u2019ll have more to say in coming days about our plans to accelerate the uptake of household batteries so even more Australians can benefit from cheaper, cleaner, reliable energy,\u201d Chalmers reportedly said.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

What Home Battery Advocates Want<\/h2>\n

As far as I’m aware, Treasurer Chalmers didn’t use the term “rebate” or “subsidy” in his message – but that’s what many will be hoping for rather than just a no- or low-interest loan program.<\/p>\n

CEC – $6,500 Battery Rebate Please<\/h3>\n

The Clean Energy Council has been advocating for a national rebate of up to $6,500<\/a> per household for quite a while. The CEC again called on the major parties to support this in response to Budget 2025-26 – which contained nothing relating to home electrification<\/a>. However, there was still $1.5 billion of measures yet to be announced at that point.<\/p>\n

\u201cFour million Australians have rooftop solar, but only around 180,000 are doubling their savings with access to a home battery,” said CEC CEO Kane Thornton. “That means that 95.5 per cent of solar households, already saving $1500 on average on their power bills thanks to their panels, could be saving even more through home energy storage”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u2026and it’s not just solar owners that will benefit as home batteries provide broader benefits; including enhancing grid stability and exerting downward pressure on wholesale power prices during peak times.<\/p>\n

SEC – Supercharge Solar Success<\/h3>\n

The Smart Energy Council wants to see an initiative similar to the national solar rebate, in fact incorporating it under the Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme (SRES) underpinning that incentive.<\/p>\n

“Now, the federal government has a golden opportunity to supercharge this success by expanding the SRES to include batteries,” said<\/a> SEC Chief Executive John Grimes. “If we get this right, it\u2019ll be a game-changer. Households will be able to store their solar energy and use it when they need it most, saving thousands for millions.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Solar Citizens – Batteries For All!<\/h3>\n

Well, not quite. But grassroots advocacy group Solar Citizens wants to see a target of one million batteries by 2030 adopted, with incentives on offer for both free-standing homes and apartments – whether they have rooftop solar panels or not.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe more home batteries there are in the energy system, we can ease the pressure that failing, old coal and expensive gas plants are putting on our energy systems, and reduce costs at peak evening times when energy prices are currently highest,” said<\/a> Solar Citizens CEO Heidi Douglas.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

A recent survey carried out by the group found nearly all respondents with rooftop solar power systems<\/a> would like to also acquire a home battery<\/a> – but 70% say they can\u2019t afford one.<\/p>\n

The major parties are also under pressure from the Greens’ recently unveiled electrification plan<\/a> pledging grants of up to $5,000 for batteries and low-interest loans of up to $10,000 for households, and grants of up to $10,000 and low-interest loans of up to $50,000 for small businesses.<\/p>\n

What The Solar Industry Doesn’t Want<\/h2>\n

Mr. Grimes’ “get it right” comment is really important. Because to get it wrong could be disastrous.<\/p>\n

In the past, Australia’s home solar industry has seen some state battery rebates<\/a> and other solar incentives<\/a> announced with a significant delay between announcement and implementation.<\/p>\n

This period can have a chilling effect on sales, referred to as a “valley of death”, and threatens the existence of businesses that may not be able to survive the famine long enough to partake in the feast. And a sudden rush through pent-up demand when an incentive finally launches doesn’t do anyone any favours – it can become a battlefield for installers and customers alike. Meanwhile, those who have put off installing solar to wait for the incentive miss out on the electricity bill savings<\/a> they may have otherwise had, which can be considerable.<\/p>\n

What About The Coalition?<\/h2>\n

After Labor announces what it has brewed up for residential batteries, the Coalition may match it, better it – or otherwise. Or maybe it will blink and announce whatever they have planned first. The Coalition is well aware Australian solar owners (and those who want to be) are a powerful voting force. And with the election still looking to be a very tight race at this stage, every vote will really count.<\/p>\n

We’ll keep you posted on all pre-election developments in this space – sign up for the SolarQuotes weekly newsletter<\/a> for the latest news, straight to your inbox.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Whether it will be a home battery rebate, subsidy, loan or a combination Labor will put in front of voters ahead of the federal election on May 3 will soon be revealed says Treasurer Jim Chalmers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":91023,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[678],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-91022","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-solar-battery-news","entry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nChalmers: Labor's Home Battery Election Sweetener Imminent<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Whether it will be a home battery 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National Licensing For Electrical Trades To work as an electrical\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General Solar & Storage News"","block_context":{"text":"General Solar & Storage News","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/solar-battery-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Australian Federal Budget - 2025-26","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/budget-home-electrification.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/budget-home-electrification.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/budget-home-electrification.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/budget-home-electrification.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/budget-home-electrification.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":83653,"url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/electricity-rebate-winners-mb2922\/","url_meta":{"origin":91022,"position":1},"title":"Power Bill Rebates: Winners All Round – Or Not?","author":"Michael Bloch","date":"May 17, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"While every Australian household was a winner of sorts in the Federal Budget in relation to electricity bills, it's been claimed those who need the rebate most will benefit the least. 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From July 1,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General Solar & Storage News"","block_context":{"text":"General Solar & Storage News","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/solar-battery-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Electricity bill rebates","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/electricity-rebate-winners.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/electricity-rebate-winners.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/electricity-rebate-winners.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/electricity-rebate-winners.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/electricity-rebate-winners.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":20045,"url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/bigger-battery-south-australia-mb0506\/","url_meta":{"origin":91022,"position":2},"title":"Even Bigger Battery For South Australia","author":"Michael Bloch","date":"March 16, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Tesla's Big Battery in South Australia could soon lose its crown as Australia's largest single-site battery installation to another project announced today for the state. SA Labor says SIMEC ZEN Energy will construct a 120MW\/140MWh battery storage facility Port Augusta. The Tesla Big Battery (formally known as Hornsdale Power Reserve)\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General Solar & Storage News"","block_context":{"text":"General Solar & Storage News","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/solar-battery-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Simec ZEN - South Australia big battery","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/south-australia-big-battery.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/south-australia-big-battery.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/south-australia-big-battery.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/south-australia-big-battery.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":91076,"url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/labor-cheaper-batteries-reactions-mb\/","url_meta":{"origin":91022,"position":3},"title":"Labor’s Battery Scheme Hailed As ‘Win-Win For All’","author":"Michael Bloch","date":"April 7, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Labor's $2.3bn Cheaper Home Batteries Program has been broadly welcomed by energy groups as a game changer for power bills, but some voices say the scheme is missing key elements. So what's the overall verdict? After Treasurer Jim Chalmers last Thursday stated plans to accelerate the uptake of household batteries\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General Solar & Storage News"","block_context":{"text":"General Solar & Storage News","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/solar-battery-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Labor home battery subsidy reactions","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/cheaper-home-batteries.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/cheaper-home-batteries.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/cheaper-home-batteries.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/cheaper-home-batteries.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/cheaper-home-batteries.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":90705,"url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/labor-electricity-rebates-mb3143\/","url_meta":{"origin":91022,"position":4},"title":"More Power Bill Relief On Its Way For Australians","author":"Michael Bloch","date":"March 24, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Every Australian household and around a million small businesses will be provided additional electricity bill rebates by the end of this year - and the Coalition is on board. Ahead of more power price pain for many, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Minister for Climate Change and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General Solar & Storage News"","block_context":{"text":"General Solar & Storage News","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/solar-battery-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Australian electricity bill rebates","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/power-bill-rebate.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/power-bill-rebate.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/power-bill-rebate.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/power-bill-rebate.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/power-bill-rebate.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":90984,"url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/labor-home-batteries-mb\/","url_meta":{"origin":91022,"position":5},"title":"Labor Unveils $2.3bn Cheaper Home Batteries Program","author":"Michael Bloch","date":"April 6, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Federal Labor has vowed to slash the cost of purchasing and installing a new home battery by 30%, under a $2.3 billion plan that forms a key part of its re-election pitch. The Cheaper Home Batteries Program offers support for \"Virtual Power Plant (VPP) ready battery systems\" installed alongside new\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Battery Storage"","block_context":{"text":"Battery Storage","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/battery-storage\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Bowen-battery.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Bowen-battery.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Bowen-battery.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Bowen-battery.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Bowen-battery.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91022","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/17"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=91022"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91022\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":91058,"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91022\/revisions\/91058"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/91023"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=91022"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=91022"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=91022"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}