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

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

This is the Mackay guide. For every scheme in the state, see the Queensland rebates guide.

Solar rebate in Mackay

Mackay is a mining-services and sugar city on the central Queensland coast, with high solar uptake and a household base that runs air conditioning for much of the year. The federal discount does the work, and local weather decides the quote.

Mackay (postcode 4740) 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 central Queensland sit in different bands.

Battery rebate in Mackay

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. Queensland’s Battery Booster is closed, so the federal discount is the only battery incentive open at the time of writing. Use the battery STC calculator and the battery STC pillar for the maths and the evidence rules.

What Queensland adds

Queensland has no live state solar or battery rebate at the time of writing. The Battery Booster closed to new applications in 2024 and has not been replaced, so any quote still showing a state battery line is out of date. For hot water, federal STCs apply to eligible heat pumps, and third-party sites list Queensland Government energy offers that we could not confirm, so check the Queensland Government’s energy pages before promising a state amount. The Queensland page holds the state detail. Federal STCs apply to eligible heat pump hot water. See the hot water STC page.

Network, export and approvals

Ergon Energy Network serves Mackay. Third-party guides report a standard export limit of 5 kW per phase for a basic connection, with dynamic connections able to export up to 10 kW per phase where offered. Ergon publishes a network opportunities map showing hosting capacity by feeder segment, which is the starting point for rural and cane-country sites, where long feeders can restrict export.

Climate, roofs and typical systems

Mackay has a humid subtropical to tropical climate, hot and wet in summer with a milder dry winter, and the coast is exposed to cyclones. Mounting needs engineering to the site’s wind region, with hardware photos in the claim file. Roofs are mostly steel sheet or tile on low-set brick and elevated timber homes, with large roofs on rural and acreage properties and sheds in the sugar country. Heat and humidity favour ventilated mounting and corrosion-resistant hardware. Typical systems run 6.6 kW to 13 kW, and households with strong afternoon and evening cooling loads often add a battery.

Local and council programs

We did not find a Mackay Regional Council rebate on solar or batteries that we could confirm at the time of writing. Check the council’s current offers, and do not promise a local amount without evidence.

Timing a job in Mackay

The 2026 discount is bigger than 2027’s: the solar deeming period drops to 4 years and the battery factor falls to 5.7 on 1 January 2027 and to 5.2 on 1 July 2027. Plan around cyclone season when booking larger installs. 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 Brisbane page; for Queensland’s other regional centres, see Rockhampton and Townsville. For the state rules, see the Queensland page.