Solar and battery rebates in Bendigo: what you can claim in 2026

Written and checked by the Energy Merchants desk · Reviewed 3 October 2026

This is the Bendigo guide. For every scheme in the state, see the Victoria rebates guide.

Solar rebate in Bendigo

Bendigo is hotter and drier than the south of Victoria, with sunny winters by Victorian standards and strong cooling loads in summer. It sits in zone 3, so a 6.6 kW roof earns more certificates than the same roof in Melbourne.

Bendigo (postcode 3550) is in STC zone 3, rated 1.382. Under the 5-year deeming period for 2026 installs, a 6.6 kW system earns 45 certificates (6.6 x 1.382 x 5, rounded down). At the roughly $38 to $40 spot range at the time of writing that is about $1,710 to $1,800 before any trader’s rate, and the deeming period falls to 4 years in 2027 and 1 year in 2030, with the scheme ending on 31 December 2030. Run your own size and postcode through the STC calculator, and confirm the zone for each street, since a few postcodes in north-central Victoria sit in different bands.

Battery rebate in Bendigo

The federal Cheaper Home Batteries Program covers CEC-approved, VPP-capable batteries from 5 to 100 kWh usable, with up to 50 kWh eligible, one per property, on new or existing solar. The STC factor is 6.8 per kWh at the time of writing, stepping down to 5.7 on 1 January 2027 and 5.2 on 1 July 2027. Since 1 May 2026 the first 14 kWh earns 100% of the factor, 14 to 28 kWh earns 60% and 28 to 50 kWh earns 15%, so a 10 kWh battery earns 68 certificates and a bigger battery earns less per extra kilowatt-hour. Victoria’s own battery loan has closed, so the federal discount is the main battery support at the time of writing. Use the battery STC calculator and the battery STC pillar for the maths and the evidence rules.

What Victoria adds

Victoria runs the most layers. Solar Victoria offers a point-of-sale rebate on rooftop solar to owner-occupiers and landlords at or under a household income of $150,000 (the cap fell to that figure on 1 July 2026) on a home under the published property value cap. Amounts change with each program year, so quote them from solar.vic.gov.au, not last year’s brochure. Victorian Energy Upgrades, run by the Essential Services Commission, creates VEECs for upgrades such as heat pump water heaters, passed on as a discount. VEEC spot has been roughly $85 to $95 in 2026. The Solar Victoria battery loan has closed. The Victoria page covers each scheme. Heat pumps can stack federal STCs, VEECs and, for eligible households, a Solar Victoria hot water rebate. See VEECs and STCs on the same job.

Network, export and approvals

Powercor is the distributor for Bendigo and central Victoria. Regional feeders can be more constrained than inner Melbourne, particularly in rural areas around Epsom, Huntly and Marong where solar penetration is high, and approvals can run slower. Installers should check the approved export limit before quoting and allow time for approval in the schedule.

Climate, roofs and typical systems

Bendigo has hot, dry summers that regularly top 35 degrees and mild, cool winters with frosts. Panel output drops a little on very hot days, so ventilated mounting and a good inverter-to-array ratio help. Dust and smoke from bushfire season, and the occasional hailstorm, are practical matters for maintenance and warranty. Housing includes goldrush-era brick and slate roofs in the historic core, where heritage overlays can limit street-facing panels, and large new-estate roofs in Strathfieldsaye and Maiden Gully. Typical systems run 6.6 kW to 10 kW. Because summer afternoons are hot and power-hungry, solar offsets cooling well, and batteries suit households that run air conditioning into the evening.

Local and council programs

We found no City of Greater Bendigo rebate on solar or batteries that we could confirm at the time of writing. Check with the council and local community energy groups, and do not promise a local amount without evidence.

Timing a job in Bendigo

Confirm Solar Victoria eligibility early because the income cap is $150,000, down from $210,000 before 1 July 2026. The deeming period steps to 4 years in 2027 and the battery factor to 5.7 on 1 January 2027. The January 2027 explainer covers what changes, and the installer guide to the battery program covers the paperwork. For the mechanism behind certificates, see the STC trading pillar, and for the wider picture start at the rebates hub.

Nearby pages

For the capital, see the Melbourne page; for nearby regional centres, see Ballarat and Shepparton. For the state rules, see the Victoria page.