Victoria

Victorian solar and battery rebates, with sources.

What Victorian homeowners can actually claim in 2026 — Solar Homes Program rebate and interest-free loan, federal STCs, and the federal Cheaper Home Batteries Program. Every figure cited.

Victoria · STC Zone 4 (1.185) · Last verified 2026-05-23

VIC state programs

Solar Homes Program — Solar Panel Rebate

Administered by Solar Victoria · Status: open — Open. Monthly rebate releases — fill before they sell out.

Up to $1,400 rebate on solar PV panel installation, plus an optional matching $1,400 interest-free loan over 4 years.

What it is worth: Rebate: up to $1,400 on the installed system cost. Loan: a matching $1,400 interest-free over 4 years (~$29/month). Loan opt-in must be selected at application.

Eligibility

  • Owner-occupier (or owner of a home under construction)
  • Combined household taxable income under $210,000/yr
  • Property value under $3 million
  • No solar PV system installed at the address in the last 10 years
  • Use a Solar Victoria-authorised retailer and approved product

Stacks with

  • Federal STCs on the panels (applied separately at point of sale)
  • Federal Cheaper Home Batteries Program on a separate battery install

The catch most people miss: The 10-year previous-system exclusion catches a lot of homeowners with old or dead systems. Even if the original panels are non-functional, the address is locked out until the 10-year clock expires. Monthly rebate releases also tend to sell out within hours on high-demand months.

Federal programs — these apply in VIC too

Small-scale Technology Certificates (STCs)

Administered by Clean Energy Regulator · Status: open — Open, phasing down annually until scheme end in 2030

An upfront discount on your solar panel system, applied by the installer at point of sale.

What it is worth: Calculated as: system size (kW) × your postcode zone rating × deeming period (5 years in 2026). Each STC trades on the open market — typically around $36–$39. A 6.6 kW system in Sydney (Zone 3) currently generates around 44–46 STCs.

Eligibility

  • System size ≤ 100 kW
  • CEC-accredited installer and CEC-approved panels and inverter
  • New install (not a replacement of an existing system claimed within the same window)

Stacks with

  • Federal Cheaper Home Batteries Program (battery STCs are a separate stream)
  • Every active state rebate stacks with STCs

The catch most people miss: STC value drops every 1 January as the deeming period shrinks by one year. A system installed in December 2026 is worth meaningfully more in STCs than the same system installed in January 2027.

Cheaper Home Batteries Program

Administered by Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (delivered as STCs) · Status: open — Open since 1 July 2025

Roughly a quarter off the installed cost of a home battery, applied upfront like the solar STC.

What it is worth: Calculated as: usable battery kWh × STC factor × certificate spot price. From 1 May 2026 the STC factor is 6.8 per usable kWh (down from 8.4 in Jan–Apr 2026). Tapered above 14 kWh — 60% rate from 14–28 kWh, 15% rate from 28–50 kWh, nothing above 50 kWh.

Eligibility

  • Battery installed on a new or existing solar PV system
  • Usable capacity between 5 kWh and 100 kWh nominal
  • One battery rebate per address — only the first battery at any site qualifies
  • System commissioned on or after 1 July 2025

Stacks with

  • Federal STCs on the solar panels
  • NSW VPP incentive
  • WA Residential Battery Scheme
  • NT Home and Business Battery Scheme
  • ACT Sustainable Household Scheme loan

The catch most people miss: The STC factor steps down on 1 May each year. An identically-priced battery installed 30 April 2026 is worth roughly $300–$400 more in rebate than the same battery installed 1 May 2026 (10 kWh example). Homeowners who delay past April lose meaningful money.

Common questions

What postcode zone is Melbourne in for STC purposes?
Melbourne is in Zone 4 with a zone rating of 1.185 — the lowest of the four zones because of lower average sunshine. Northern Victoria sits in Zone 3 (1.382).
Did Victoria’s battery rebate end?
Yes — the standalone Victorian battery rebate has been phased out. Batteries in Victoria are now subsidised through the federal Cheaper Home Batteries Program instead, which often delivers a similar dollar amount.
Why does the Solar Homes rebate sell out?
Solar Victoria releases a capped number of rebates each month. Demand months (often around tax time or after a price spike) can clear the release within hours. If you miss out, applications reopen the following month.
Do I have to take the $1,400 loan?
No — the loan is optional. You can take just the $1,400 rebate. The loan helps homeowners who want to spread the remaining install cost over 4 years interest-free, but the cash rebate is the same either way.
Can a Victorian renter access the rebate?
The standard Solar Homes rebate is for owner-occupiers. There’s a separate Solar for Rentals stream for landlords. As a renter, you can ask your landlord to apply.

Postcode in, up to 3 vetted installers out. Free for homeowners, no obligation. Federal rebates · Solar guides