Victorian government to offer solar rebates from November 1st, 2019

Good news for Victorians! As of tomorrow the Victorian government will be offering eligible households rebates on the installation of solar panels, solar hot water systems and solar batteries.

The rebates on offer are certainly nothing to be sniffed at; up to $2,225 for a solar panel system, as much as $1,000 for solar hot water systems and last but not least, a rebate of up to $4,838 off installation costs for a solar battery system.

When it comes to installing solar powered systems the initial outlay can be pretty hefty, which is why it’s great to have that little bit of extra help. And once you’ve gotten over the first installation hurdles, solar power does have the potential to save you a lot more money in the long run.

By generating your own electricity, you won’t have to rely on taking as much energy from the grid, you might even end up generating too much. Any energy that you don’t use will be fed back to the grid at an agreed feed-in tariff rate, meaning that your solar panels might not only save you money, but also make you money!

RELATED ARTICLE: 4 ways to get the most out of your solar panels

Who’s eligible for the rebate?

Of course, to receive the rebates you will first have to prove your eligibility. For most of the rebates you will have to prove that your household has a combined taxable income of less than $180,000 per year. On top of that, your home will have to be an existing property, with a value under $3 million.

Eligibility criteria for the solar battery rebate is a little different. This one is a test pilot scheme, designed to try and determine exactly how much demand there is for solar battery usage in Victoria. The rebates for solar batteries will only be available for certain postcodes, in households that already have solar panels installed. 

You can read more about the eligibility criteria on Solar Victoria’s website.

Remember to make sure you get the best feed-in tariff rate

If you are thinking of installing solar panels, you might want to get ahead of the game and find an electricity plan with the best feed in tariff rate. The average feed-in tariff rate for Victoria is currently 12.19 c/kWh with the minimum feed-in rate set at 12 c/kWh and the highest feed-in rate recorded in the Mozo database 18 c/kWh*. 

With this in mind, you might want to make sure you don’t get stuck with a below average deal! To find out what else is out there, why not head to Mozo’s electricity plans comparison page. All you have to do is pop in your postcode and follow the steps to see what plans are on offer and which have the best deals for you.

Alternatively have a scroll of the Victorian energy plans below to see what other deals are available.

Solar rebate snapshots:

• Solar panel (PV) system installation: rebate up to $2,225 
• Solar hot water system installation: rebate up to $1,000 
• Solar battery installation: rebate up to $4,838

Eligibility criteria for solar panel rebate:

• You must be the owner-occupier of the property.
• You and the other owners of the household must have a taxable income of less than $180,000 per year.
• Your home will need to be an already existing property with a value under $3 million.
• You must not have an existing solar PV system (unless you have a solar system that was installed prior to November 1st, 2009 and you’re expanding or replacing your existing system).

Eligibility criteria for solar hot water system rebate: 

(This is the same as the criteria for the solar panel rebate, plus a few additions).

• The hot water system that’s being replaced must be at least 3 years old from the date of purchase.
• You must not have received a solar PV rebate or battery rebate under the same scheme before.
• The property must not be a new build.

Eligibility criteria for the solar battery rebate:

• You must live in a listed postcode area.
• At least 10% of the homes in your suburb must already have solar panels.
• You must live in an area where the electricity grid is equipped to handle the extra power generated by the battery.
• You must already have solar PV panels installed, equal to or larger than 5kW.
• Your home must not have an existing energy storage system.
• Your property must not have been involved in the Solar Homes Program before.
• You will have to agree to receive some information from your Distribution Network Service Provider about taking part in battery trials.
• You might also have to agree to a free safety inspection/audit, if you are selected for the program.

*Average, lowest and highest feed-in tariff rates taken from the Mozo database, correct as of Wednesday 30th October, 2019.