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Solar Rebates ACT
Solar Rebates ACT
Written by
Rachel Gregg
Edited by
Ellie Garran
Reviewed by
Julia PaszkaCompare Electricity & Gas Plans
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Long story short
Zero-interest loans for solar
Eligible ACT residents can get a loan of up to $15,000 for solar panels, batteries and more, with zero interest for 10 years.
Up to $2,500 back with the Home Energy Support Program
If you’ve got an eligible concession card, you could get 50% off your solar installation costs up to a maximum of $2,500.
National incentive to help lower up-front solar costs
With the Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme, you can get back more than a quarter of your installation costs up-front.
What rebates are available in the ACT?
The ACT might be small, but when it comes to sourcing renewable energy, they’re punching well above their weight. With one of the most ambitious climate action agendas in the world, they’re aiming for zero net emissions by 2045. And to help make that happen, they’ve lined up a stack of rebates and incentives that could leave a little bit of extra cash in your pocket. If you’re an ACT resident looking to switch to the sunny side with solar panels here’s what’s on the table for you.
Sustainable Household Scheme
With the cost of living still putting a huge weight on the shoulders of ACT households, forking out for solar panels might feel like a ‘someday’ expense. But since solar pays for itself over time, the ACT government is making the upfront cost easier to swallow. Through the Sustainable Household Scheme, eligible residents can get a zero-interest loan of up to $15,000 for energy-efficient home upgrades, including rooftop solar.
The best part? There’s no interest charged for 10 years. That’s a whole decade to chip away at repayments without feeling like your budget’s tighter than a packed bus in peak hour.
Am I eligible for the Sustainable Household Scheme?
This scheme is available for a range of energy-efficient products like electric cars, household battery storage systems, and of course rooftop solar panels (among other things). If you want to pay off your solar panels with no interest, you need to be an ACT resident, attend a free one-hour live workshop for home energy efficiency, and like with any other loan, make sure you meet the credit criteria.
There’s one more thing which is considered, your property’s unimproved value (UV). Your UV is the value of your property’s land without any structures or improvements to it, like looking at a cake before it gets decorated and covered in fondant. To be eligible for the Sustainable Household Scheme, your property needs to have a UV of $450,000 or less for rooftop solar.
Home Energy Support Program
The Home Energy Support Program can be a standalone rebate or be stacked with the Sustainable Household Scheme for extra savings – if you’re eligible.
With this program, you could get a single rebate of 50% off your solar panel installation costs, with a maximum of $2,500 being paid. But that’s not your only option. This program also offers a 50% rebate (or $2,500 max) for installing reverse cycle heating or cooling, ceiling insulation upgrades, a solar hot water system, or electric stove tops and ovens. As long as your total discount adds up to $5,000, you can choose to spend it on one or a combination of installations. Now that’s a nice cherry on top of your solar sundae.
Am I eligible for the Home Energy Support Program?
If you want to add this nice little rebate to your installation budget, there are a few things you’ll need to tick off. You (of course) need to be a resident of ACT, own the home where the panels are being installed, and hold an eligible concession card. You’ll also need to attend a free online Everyday Climate Choices workshop, which can help you make the best energy-efficient choices for your home. The last box you need to tick is your property’s unimproved value (UV). This basic land value of your property needs to be $750,000 or less from 2022 for freestanding homes/units and $300,000 for multi-storey apartments.
Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme (SRES)
The SRES is a national incentive to take some of the financial pressure off your solar costs. Here’s how it works: the more solar power your system is expected to generate by 2030, the more small-scale technology certificates (STCs) you’ll receive. These STCs act like credits to knock some dollars off your final bill. Think of it as a rewards program: your system earns ‘points’ that turn into savings.
The number of STCs you receive depends on factors like system size and location. Someone in Darwin, for example, will likely have more sun and generate more power than someone in Canberra, which means more STCs for the Darwin home. But don’t stress over the maths – your accredited solar panel installer will handle it all while you sit back and enjoy the discount on your final bill.
Am I eligible for the Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme?
If you want to follow the lead of the 4,321 ACT households that installed solar at a lower price in 2024, there are only a few little conditions you need to meet.1Australian Government Clean Energy Regulator – Small-scale installation postcode data To be eligible, you’ll need to be an ACT resident and homeowner. You’ll also need to choose an approved solar panel system that’s 100 kW or less in size, as well as choosing an installer accredited with Solar Accreditation Australia.
How much can I potentially save with solar in the ACT?
Seeing the up-front cost of solar panels might have you wondering, ‘Wait, am I actually going to save anything?’ Fair question. With the cost of living already sky high, adding another big-ticket item to the list might feel like a hard no. But here’s the thing: solar panels pretty much pay for themselves in about five years. And once they do, those savings go straight into your pocket instead of your power bill. That’s why it’s worth considering solar panels now – so you can start saving sooner.
Still a bit hard to picture? Let’s say you install a 6.6 kW system for $7,731 (this is the most popular size and will support a 3–4-bedroom home). Based on your location and the power of your system, you could get 54 STCs, which you can cash in at $39.90 (the projected 2025 rate for Canberra). After crunching all the numbers this would give you about a $2,155 incentive back. That’s around a 28% discount on your bill!
And on top of the SRES, there are other savings to be made! If you’re eligible for the Home Energy Support Program, you could get up to $2,500 off your solar panel installation. So, if we take the example above with $5,576 remaining, you could get a further $2,500 off, with the rest of your bill ($3,076) paid for with a zero-interest loan from the Sustainable Household Scheme (if you’re eligible).
Helpful tip:
Switched to solar but still getting eye-watering power bills? You’re not alone. Installing solar doesn’t automatically mean big savings – you also need to use it in the right way.
If most of your energy use happens at night, you’re still relying on the main grid, so those big savings are not happening as much as you thought. Instead, try shifting your high-energy tasks to daylight hours when your panels are hard at work. Set your dishwasher and washing machine to run before you leave for work and charge your big devices during the day.
Julia Paszka
General Manager – Utilities & Credit Cards
What are some other ways solar can save me money?
When you think of solar panels, most people would probably think of two big perks: savings on your electricity bills and greener energy. While that’s true, there are other ways to squeeze even more value out of your solar system.
Just like all these rebates you might not have known about, there are other ways to get more back from the sun’s power. For most homes in ACT, you can get feed-in tariffs (FiT) from your provider. This means if your solar system generates more energy than you need, the extra power gets sent back into the main grid, which you’ll get paid for. The exact FiT rate depends on your provider, but whatever it is, it’s a nice little bonus on top of your savings.
If you’re looking for even more value from your solar system, it could be worth thinking about a solar battery. Instead of sending excess energy back to the grid, a battery stores it for later – so you can use solar power at night or on cloudy days. The downside? They’re not cheap, with prices ranging from $9,000 to 17,000. But in the ACT, you could be eligible for a zero-interest loan through the Sustainable Household Scheme to help cover the cost.
Enjoy sunny savings for your home with iSelect
Installing solar panels is a great step for your wallet and the planet, but why stop there? If you want to make the most of your new solar set-up, it’s just as important to be on the right electricity plan.
Not all energy plans are solar-friendly, and if you’re not on the best one for your home, you might not be getting the savings you should be. The good news? Unlike installing your solar panels, finding a better deal doesn’t have to be complicated. With iSelect you can compare from a range of energy providers and plans online with a few simple clicks, or you can call our comparison experts at 1800 664 532.
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