The federal battery discount is open but shrinking each period, and Solar Victoria's battery loan has closed. What applies on 31 October 2026.

On 31 October 2026 the main help for a home battery in Victoria is the federal Cheaper Home Batteries Program, which takes roughly 30% off the installed price through small scale technology certificates (STCs). The discount is calculated per kWh, it is tiered so the first 14 kWh earn the most, and it steps down on 1 January 2027 and every six months after. Solar Victoria's interest free battery loan is closed to new applications, though its solar panel rebate of up to $1,400 is still open.

The federal Cheaper Home Batteries Program

The program opened on 1 July 2025. It works like the long running solar panel scheme: an eligible battery creates STCs, and your installer or a registered agent takes them as a discount off the price. The Clean Energy Regulator says the aim is around a 30% discount on the upfront cost.

How many certificates a battery earns depends on three things.

The STC factor for the month it is installed. It is 6.8 per kWh from May to December 2026. It was 8.4 from January to April 2026.
The battery's usable capacity, in tiers. The first 14 kWh earns the full factor. Capacity above 14 and up to 28 kWh earns 60% of it. Capacity above 28 and up to 50 kWh earns 15%. Nothing above the first 50 kWh of usable capacity earns STCs.
The market price of an STC on the day, which your installer passes on as the discount.

What that means in certificates, at the 2026 factor

At 6.8 per kWh, for a battery installed before the end of December 2026:

13 kWh usable: 13 × 6.8 is about 88 certificates.
32 kWh usable: the first 14 kWh earns 95.2, the next 14 kWh earns 57.1 (at 60%), and the last 4 kWh earns 4.1 (at 15%), about 156 certificates in total.
50 kWh usable: 95.2 plus 57.1 plus 22.4, about 175 certificates.

The tiers matter. A 32 kWh battery is two and a half times the size of a 13 kWh battery but earns well under twice the certificates. The discount favours the first 14 kWh, which is why a bigger battery has to be justified by what it does for you, not by the rebate.

The schedule from here

The STC factor keeps stepping down, according to the Clean Energy Regulator's published table:

May to December 2026: 6.8
January to June 2027: 5.7
July to December 2027: 5.2
January to June 2028: 4.6
July to December 2028: 4.1
January to June 2029: 3.6
July to December 2029: 3.1
January to June 2030: 2.6
July to December 2030: 2.1

The factor is set by the date the battery is installed. A 13 kWh battery installed in January 2027 earns about 74 certificates instead of about 88, a drop of about 16%. Battery prices also move, so the factor is not the only thing to watch, but if you have already decided, installing before the step makes a difference.

Who and what is eligible

The Clean Energy Regulator lists these conditions:

Size: a nominal capacity of 5 to 100 kWh, new, on the Clean Energy Council's approved battery list, and installed to AS/NZS 5139:2019.
Installer: a Solar Accreditation Australia accredited installer with a battery endorsement.
One battery per premises, or per NMI for a grid connected home.
Grid connected batteries must be technically capable of joining a virtual power plant (VPP). You do not have to join one.
It must stay installed until after the end of 2030 or the end of its warranty, whichever is later.

Off grid batteries count too

This matters for a lot of rural blocks. An off grid battery is eligible if it is installed on a dwelling that is lived in. Sheds and bore pumps on their own are not eligible, and you can claim for one battery per off grid dwelling.

Properties more than 1 km from the grid do not need a VPP capable battery. Properties within 1 km must either have a VPP capable battery or written evidence that connecting to the grid would cost more than $30,000. Our off grid cost page explains what moves the price of an off grid system, and the off grid hub covers the rest.

What Solar Victoria offers, as of October 2026

Battery loan: closed. Solar Victoria says it is no longer taking applications for interest free battery loans. Its page was last updated on 16 April 2026.
Solar panel rebate: open. Up to $1,400, or 50% of the cost if less, with an optional interest free loan of up to $1,400. You must own and live in the home, the owners' combined taxable income must be under $150,000, the property must be valued under $3 million, and the address must not have had solar installed in the last 10 years. From 1 July 2027 household solar support moves into the Victorian Energy Upgrades program. The page was last updated on 27 October 2026.
Hot water rebate: open. Up to $1,000 for a heat pump, or $1,400 for a locally made unit, covered in our heat pump hot water article.

How they stack

If you are adding solar and a battery to a home without solar, the federal battery discount covers the battery and Solar Victoria's rebate covers the panels, and neither program's page rules out using both, as long as you meet each one's conditions. Confirm it for your own address before you sign. Solar Victoria's panel rebate also excludes an address that has already received a solar PV or battery rebate under its program. If you are adding a battery to existing solar, the federal discount is the one that applies.

Rebates change, so check the figures on the day you sign. Our guide to getting the most out of the battery rebate covers sizing and setup, and the energy plan finder shows which plan suits a battery once it is in.

If you want to see the discount on a real design, send us a recent bill and your address and we will come back with a right sized battery and the certificates it earns.

Questions

Is there still a battery rebate in Victoria in 2026?

Yes, the federal Cheaper Home Batteries Program, which aims for around a 30% discount through STCs. Solar Victoria's own interest free battery loan has closed to new applications.

How much is the federal battery rebate per kWh?

From May to December 2026 the STC factor is 6.8 certificates per kWh for the first 14 kWh of usable capacity, 60% of that from 14 to 28 kWh, and 15% from 28 to 50 kWh. The dollar value depends on the STC market price when your installer claims them.

Does the battery rebate drop in 2027?

Yes. The factor falls to 5.7 from 1 January 2027 and keeps stepping down each six months to 2.1 in the second half of 2030.

Can I get the battery rebate on an off grid home?

Yes, if the battery is installed on a dwelling that is lived in. Properties more than 1 km from the grid do not need a VPP capable battery.

Sources

Written by the Trentham Energy team.

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Home battery rebates in Victoria in 2026: what is still open