State and Federal Government Solar Rebates for Power and Hot Water

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Government Solar Rebates

The Australian and Victorian governments offer incentives to those who install renewable energy systems, whether for home, business, grid-connection, off-grid, hot water or solar power. You can save around 20% of the cost of a small solar PV installation (potentially more for off-grid solutions).

You can then get credit for the surplus electricity that you produce. The following is an overview of what’s on offer.

Government Solar Credits Program - Boosting Your STC returns

The Australian Federal Government rebate for solar panel installations is in the form of tradable ‘Small-scale Technology Certificates’ (STCs). This is designed to support households and businesses adopting solar, while growing the renewable energy industry to meet Australia’s clean energy targets.

Under the Solar Credit scheme, systems of up to 1.5 kilowatts in size will receive a Solar Credits "multiplier bonus" which multiplies the value of STCs. In practice this means 79 STCs for a system in Melbourne - more in the ACT - with the market price for these certificates fluctuating from $25-$30 for a rebate of between $1,975 and $2,370 off the price of a qualifying system.

This 3x rebate is valid until June 30th, 2012 at which time the multiplier will decrease to 2x for the next year, before disappearing in July 2013.

SolarQuip offers customers a discount approximately equivalent to the market value of STCs at the time of installation. We will indicate the approximate amount of STC rebate upon receipt of your order.

Government Rebates for Solar Hot Water

The Victorian Government offers various rebates for replacement of certain existing hot water heating systems.

Depending on the system details, a rebate of between $300 and $1,600 may be available. We will advise you of the possible rebate before you place an order.

Victorian Energy Efficiency Certificates - VEEC Rebates

The Victorian Government offers an incentive for those who install solar hot water systems, where replacing or upgrading an inefficient electric system. This rebate is valued as equivalent to one tonne of carbon dioxide.

Systems eligible for this rebate include gas- or electric-boosted solar hot water systems, as well as solar pre-heaters and retrofit kits. The number of VEECs applicable varies according to the system. Up to 61 VEECs may be available for a gas-boosted solar system, worth approximately $1,000 (depending on the current VEEC market value).

Electricity Feed In Tariff for Victoria

Victorian home and business owners with solar power systems can sell excess power fed into the supply grid.

The feed in tariff means that you can earn 25c (depending on which electricity retailer you buy your supply from) for every kilowatt of power that is not used in your home.

This return will be different for every home, as it depends on how much power you use at different times of the day. Of course, your solar system is producing most energy during the day, when many homes are using the least electricity, so this is when you would be earning the most money off your roof.

For a small 1.5kW system, the returns could be from $400 to $500 per year, and will help pay off the system installation cost.

Australian Government National Solar Schools Program

The National Solar Schools Program has been a $500m, multi-year federal government program to help schools take practical action to tackle climate change and conserve water. Grants were available for the installation of a range of renewable energy generation, water and energy efficiency measures, These included rebates of up to $50,000 to install a solar power system up to 2kW, and to implement other energy efficiency measures including solar hot water.

SolarQuip was privileged to carry out a number of solar and other installations in Victorian schools, and is proud to add this experience to its support of community groups, schools, commercial and domestic customers.