Solar, battery and hot water rebates in Victoria (2026)

Written and checked by the Energy Merchants desk · Reviewed 2 October 2026

What Victorian households can claim in 2026

Victoria runs more rebate layers than any other state, which is good for customers and demanding for installers. The federal STC discount and the Cheaper Home Batteries Program apply everywhere. On top of that sit Solar Victoria for panels and hot water, and Victorian Energy Upgrades for efficiency work. The table in the programs list above gives the short version; the sections below explain how they fit together.

Victoria solar rebate 2026

Rooftop solar earns two things. The first is the federal STC discount: a certificate count based on system size, your postcode’s zone rating and the deeming period, which is 5 years for 2026 installs, 4 for 2027, and falls to 1 year in 2030 before the scheme ends on 31 December 2030. Most of Victoria, Melbourne included, sits in the mid zone band rated at 1.382; always confirm by postcode. At a spot price near the $40 clearing house ceiling, a 6.6 kW system in the mid band produces around 45 certificates, which is a four-figure discount.

The second is the Solar Victoria rebate. At the time of writing the household income cap is $150,000 a year, down from $210,000 before 1 July 2026, and the home must sit under the published property value cap. The rebate comes off the invoice at the point of sale through an approved retailer, with an optional interest-free loan. Always quote current amounts from Solar Victoria rather than from last year’s brochure.

Victoria battery rebate: Victoria solar battery rebate 2026

The old Solar Victoria battery loan has closed, so Victoria has no state battery rebate at the time of writing. What every eligible Victorian home can claim is the federal Cheaper Home Batteries discount. It covers CEC-approved, VPP-capable batteries from 5 to 100 kWh usable, with up to 50 kWh eligible, one battery per property, new or existing solar. The STC factor is 6.8 per kWh for 2026 installs and steps down to 5.7 on 1 January 2027 and 5.2 on 1 July 2027, and larger capacities earn a reduced rate on the tiers above 14 kWh since 1 May 2026. If you are advising a customer to wait for January, the discount will be smaller, not larger. Our battery STC guide and the installer guide to the program cover the paperwork.

Heat pump rebate in Victoria

Hot water is where Victoria is genuinely different. A heat pump water heater can generate federal STCs, VEECs under Victorian Energy Upgrades, and, for households under the income cap, a Solar Victoria hot water rebate. The Essential Services Commission runs VEU. VEEC spot has been roughly $85 to $95 in 2026, with a record near $110, and the customer discount moves with it. Putting VEECs and STCs on one job is routine but easy to get wrong; see VEECs and STCs on the same job and the VEEC trading page. The hot water STC guide covers the federal side.

Victoria STC trading for installers

If you install in Victoria, your certificates are lodged with the Clean Energy Regulator in the same way as in any other state; what changes is the context. Solar Victoria approval, the DNSP application (CitiPower, Powercor, United Energy, Jemena or AusNet depending on the street) and the VEU accreditation all run alongside the STC claim. Keep the serial numbers and photos consistent across all of them, because an audit on one will look at the others. The photo requirements are the quickest place to tighten that up, and how STC audits work explains what regulators look at.

Choosing a trader is mostly about speed, rate certainty and who picks up the phone. Our checklist for choosing a certificate trader lists the questions to ask, and start trading shows how a Victorian crew gets set up.

Solar rebate in Ballarat and regional Victoria

Regional Victorian households get the same federal and state schemes as Melbourne, with the same Solar Victoria income cap. Ballarat and the central highlands are cooler and cloudier through winter, so system sizing leans on summer output and export limits from Powercor. The zone rating still determines the STC count, so check each postcode. For metro detail, see the Melbourne page and the Geelong page.

For the national picture, start at the STC trading pillar and the deeming period explainer.