- 1300 201 358
- Factory 45, 148 Chesterville Road, Cheltenham 3192
- REC 35448
- AU50700
- VEU A003039
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The discount is delivered through small-scale technology certificates. Your battery's usable capacity generates a set number of certificates, your installer claims them, and the value comes off your invoice before you pay. No form, no waiting, no cheque in the mail.
The government's stated aim is to hold the discount near 30% of installed cost as battery prices fall.
The current rates and how the tiers work, who qualifies, what Victoria adds on top (less than most sites claim), what happens on 1 January 2027, and honest worked numbers on the battery sizes we install across Melbourne's south east.
Usable kWh x 6.8 certificates x band multiplier x certificate price.
Certificate prices move. The CER Clearing House sits at a fixed $40 excluding GST; open-market spot has been trading in the high $30s. The figures below use $38 as an indicative rate — your quote will show the exact number on the day.
From 1 May 2026, the rebate tapers by system size:
| Usable capacity | STC factor applied at |
|---|---|
| 0 - 14 kWh | 100% |
| Above 14 - 28 kWh | 60% |
| Above 28 - 50 kWh | 15% |
| Above 50 kWh | No certificates created |
The effective rate per kWh falls as systems get larger. Under the old flat structure, a bigger battery was often disproportionately cheap per kWh. That is no longer true — sizing to your actual evening load now matters more than it did a year ago.
Installed September 2026, at $38 per certificate
| Usable capacity | Certificates | Indicative rebate | Effective rate per kWh |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 kWh | 34.0 | ~$1,290 | ~$258 |
| 10 kWh | 68.0 | ~$2,580 | ~$258 |
| 13.5 kWh | 91.8 | ~$3,490 | ~$258 |
| 16 kWh | 103.4 | ~$3,930 | ~$245 |
| 20 kWh | 119.7 | ~$4,550 | ~$227 |
| 24 kWh | 136.0 | ~$5,170 | ~$215 |
| 30 kWh | 154.4 | ~$5,870 | ~$196 |
| 48 kWh | 172.7 | ~$6,560 | ~$137 |
The STC factor drops from 6.8 to 5.7 on 1 January 2027. At the same certificate price:
| System | Installed by 31 Dec 2026 | Installed from 1 Jan 2027 | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 kWh | ~$2,580 | ~$2,170 | ~$410 |
| 13.5 kWh | ~$3,490 | ~$2,920 | ~$570 |
| 20 kWh | ~$4,550 | ~$3,810 | ~$740 |
| 30 kWh | ~$5,870 | ~$4,920 | ~$950 |
The factor drops again to 5.2 on 1 July 2027 and keeps stepping down every six months to 2030. This is set in regulation. It does not go back up.
Want to know what a correctly sized system costs before year-end? Call 1300 201 358 or use the form below.
Possible — if the meter has not already claimed under the program, added capacity is at least 5 kWh, total nominal capacity stays under 100 kWh, and the final stacked configuration appears on the CEC approved list.
Not sure if your existing system is eligible for a top-up? Call us — we'll check at no charge.
The date the certificate of electrical compliance is issued — not your deposit, not the delivery.
The rebate is calculated on usable capacity. A battery advertised at 16 kWh may have less usable capacity. Check the CEC listing and check your quote states usable capacity explicitly.
Grid-connected batteries must be technically able to participate in a virtual power plant. Joining is your decision.
No solar, no rebate. Existing panels are fine, provided the inverter is CEC-listed and compliant.
You can install up to 100 kWh nominal capacity, but certificates stop at 50 kWh usable.
Every 1 January and 1 July through to 2030.
Straight answer: for batteries, nothing.
Victoria has no state battery rebate. Solar Victoria's interest-free battery loan of up to $8,800 closed to new applications in May 2025 and has not reopened. If you find a website still advertising it, that content has not been updated — and it is worth asking what else on that site is out of date.
The federal Cheaper Home Batteries Program is the battery incentive available to Victorian households.
Solar panels — Solar Homes rebate, up to $1,400. Still open, with an interest-free loan for the same amount, which must be opted into at the time you apply — you cannot add it afterwards. From 1 July 2026 a combined household income cap of $150,000 applies. If you are in Brighton, Sandringham, or Beaumaris, check your household income against that threshold before you plan around it.
Hot water — up to $1,000, or $1,400 for eligible locally made products. Same $150,000 income cap. Stackable with the Victorian Energy Upgrades discount and federal certificates on the same job, worth acting on now given Victoria's gas hot water ban means gas systems are being phased out by 1 March 2027 anyway..
Victorian Energy Upgrades. Not applicable to batteries directly, but it covers heat pump hot water, efficient reverse-cycle air conditioning, and — new in 2026 — ceiling insulation. A battery install usually means switchboard work, so it is worth checking checking what else on the property qualifies while we are there. Helcro Electrical is a VEU Accredited Supplier (A003039) and applies the discount directly to your invoice.
Victoria deregulated its solar feed-in tariff on 1 July 2025. The Essential Services Commission no longer sets a minimum — retailers set their own rate and it cannot go below zero. The average minimum offered for 2026-27 sits under a cent per kilowatt-hour, though some retailers still pay more — check your own plan rather than assuming.
Meanwhile you buy that same power back during the 4pm-9pm peak at a multiple of what you were paid for it. Exporting surplus solar used to be a reasonable alternative to storing it. It is not anymore — and that gap is the actual case for a battery in Victoria, not the rebate alone.
Considering solar battery storage alongside panels? We install both as a Clean Energy Council member and NETCC Approved Seller. Get a combined quote
There is no application for you to fill in.
We confirm your battery is CEC-listed, size it against your usage, and show the rebate as a line item on the quote. The figure is calculated at the certificate price on the day.
Our own licensed, SAA-accredited team does the work. No subcontractors. The certificate of electrical compliance is issued on completion — and that date sets your rate.
Helcro Electrical creates and assigns the certificates. The discount is already off the invoice you pay.
Quote, invoice, compliance certificate, battery warranty. You will not need them to claim, but you will want them for warranty and any future VPP enrolment.
We do not publish a single installed price for a battery, and we would be suspicious of anyone who does. Supply prices for the hardware are in our shop, because that part is fixed. Installed cost isn't: it depends on your existing solar, whether your switchboard needs work, where the battery can physically go, and whether you need an additional inverter. A headline installed price that ignores all of that is a number designed to get us in the door, not to tell you anything true.
What we will tell you upfront is the rebate. It is calculated from your battery's usable capacity at the certificate price on the day, and it appears as a line item on your quote — not buried in a bundled total.
Savings work the same way. They depend on how much power you use after 4pm, what tariff you are on, and how much solar you are currently exporting for close to nothing. We would rather look at your actual bill than publish an average that does not match your household.
Call 1300 201 358 and we will run the numbers for your household specifically.
The rate is set in regulation to drop from 6.8 to 5.7 certificates per kilowatt-hour on 1 January 2027. On a 13.5 kWh system, that is around $570 less rebate for the same installation. Your rate is set by the compliance certificate date — a December install and a January install are not the same job financially.
The program runs to 2030. Battery prices are still falling, which is precisely why the rate steps down — the discount is designed to stay near 30% either way. Getting the sizing right is worth more than beating a date, particularly now that capacity above 14 kWh earns less per kilowatt-hour. An oversized battery bought in a hurry is a worse outcome than a right-sized one bought in March.
Check the Solar Accreditation Australia register. Helcro Electrical's electrical contractor licence is REC 35448, and our VEU Accredited Supplier number is A003039. All three are on public registers.
Last verified: 8 September 2026. We check this page against the Clean Energy Regulator's published certificate factors each time they change — 1 January and 1 July.
A battery is worth having if you use a meaningful amount of power after 4pm and you are currently exporting solar for close to nothing. It is worth less if your household is empty in the evenings. We will tell you which one you are.