Two questions get asked in different words but turn on the same point: who owns the battery, and who is allowed to put it there. That decides who can claim anything.
Renters
In NSW, as federally, incentives attach to the installation, not the person paying the bill. A battery is a fixed electrical installation. That means the landlord has to agree, and the certificates (federal battery STCs, and any PRCs created under the Peak Demand Reduction Scheme) belong to the owner of the system or whoever they assign them to.
If you rent, the practical route is to ask the landlord. Some owners are happy to install because a battery adds value to the property, and a tenant can negotiate a fair split of the savings. The details of the federal side are in our page on renters and the Cheaper Home Batteries rebate.
Strata and apartments
Strata adds a layer. Three situations come up.
A lot owner with their own roof or balcony space. Usually needs owners corporation approval, and the building needs a compliant place to put the battery. Many strata by-laws were written before home batteries existed, and fire and ventilation rules can rule out some locations.
A shared system for common property. The owners corporation is the customer, and the decision runs through a general meeting. Eligibility depends on how the premises is defined and metered, which is why this is the harder case; see apartment owners and the battery rebate.
A building with embedded networks. If the building’s electricity is supplied through an embedded network, connection and metering can restrict what is possible. Check with the network operator.
How the NSW incentive fits
The NSW PDRS incentive was built for batteries that reduce summer peak demand, and the VPP connection pathway rewards a battery that can be dispatched. Rules have changed repeatedly since 2025: the earlier battery activity was suspended and the NSW battery incentive moved into the federal program, with a PDRS incentive for VPP connection. Read how the PDRS applies to batteries and the NSW VPP incentive, then confirm on the NSW energy sustainability schemes site.
What this means for installers
If a customer is a tenant or in strata, ask three questions before quoting: who owns the property, has approval been given, and where will the battery physically go. Get the owner’s signature on the assignment form; our STC assignment form guide shows what a clean one looks like. The federal rules are in battery STCs.
Related
For the wider NSW picture see the ESCs and PDRS hub and how it works for how claims are checked before lodgement.