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Rebates for installing solar panels in VIC

Homeowners installing solar panels in Victoria are entitled to the Federal Government's STC 'rebate'. This financial incentive comes in the form of Small-Scale Technology Certificates, commonly referred to as STCs. When you install a solar power system, a certain number of STCs are created based on the size and the location of your solar installation. Each STC carries a monetary value, and the total value of these certificates equates to your 'solar rebate.'

Your chosen solar company will handle the application for the rebate on your behalf and apply the value of this rebate as a discount at the point of sale. You can read more in-depth about the STC rebate in our recent blog post on the subject. To make life easy, we have calculated the value of the STC rebate you are entitled to in Victoria below:

System Size	Federal Government Rebate (STC's)	State Government Rebate
2 kW	$936	Up to $1888
3 kW	$1404	Up to $1888
4 kW	$1872	Up to $1888
5 kW	$2340	Up to $1888
6.6 kW	$3096	Up to $1888
10 kW	$4680	Up to $1888

*Please note that the STC rebate calculations are based on solar panels installed in Melbourne, VIC (Zone 4) using an STC price of $36.00.

In addition to the Federal Government STC rebate, you may be eligible for one of the following rebates under the Victorian Government Solar Homes Package:

Solar Panel Rebate - Households that have not had solar power installed previously will have access to a 50 percent rebate along with a no-interest loan component to complement the solar panel rebate. This rebate is additional to the Federal Government's STC rebate meaning solar power has never been cheaper or more affordable in VIC! This rebate has been hugely popular to date, with 56,000 rebates being claimed by Victorians in 2019-2020. From 1st January 2020, a rebate of up to $1,888 is available for solar panel (PV) system installation.

Solar Battery Rebate - from July 1st, 2019, the Solar Homes program will introduce rebates for up to half the value of the installation of a battery storage unit for 10,000 households that already have solar panels installed. Eligible homeowners will be able to save up to $4,838 on this installation. For the average solar battery size of 11kWh, this will save households around $650 a year on their electricity bills (in addition to savings they are already making with solar panels). This will also pave the way for future micro-grids, allowing households in a local area to share their stored power to lower electricity prices even further.

Solar Hot Water Rebate - rebates of $1000 are available for homeowners to replace an existing hot water system that is at least three years old with a solar hot water system. Homeowners can only access only one rebate under the solar homes package, so the solar hot water rebate is a great option where solar panels might not be suitable or for households that already have solar panels installed.

Interest-free loans for Solar PV - from July 1st, 2019, as part of the Solar Homes program, a loan scheme will commence for solar PV systems installed by owner-occupiers. Eligible households will be able to install solar panels on their homes, saving households hundreds of dollars a year on their energy bills. This will allow Victorians to access the benefits of renewable energy at no up-front cost. Households will be required to pay back the amount of the loan over four years. The savings provided by the solar power system will typically be more significant than repayments of this interest-free loan making the solar power install a positive cash-flow investment! Renters will also be able to access an interest-free loan for a solar PV system when the renters' program commences in July 2019.

Solar for Renters - from July 1st, 2019, the Solar Homes program is providing 50,000 rebates on solar panels to help Victorian renters reduce their power bills. To be eligible for the rebate and interest-free loans, landlords will need to strike an agreement with their tenants to share the costs of installation. Under the program, a rebate of up to $1,888, is available for rental properties, subject to program eligibility and a Solar Homes Landlord Rebate Agreement being signed. The first stream will offer a rebate for rental properties, with the Landlord paying the remaining cost of the solar system.

The rebate amount will be paid directly to the solar provider via The Portal and will be deducted from the total cost of the solar system, with the landlord paying the outstanding balance directly to the provider once installed. The installation of solar panels is expected to save a typical Victorian household $890 on their electricity bill every year, while landlords will benefit by getting panels at low cost.

Current Feed-in tariff rates for retailers in VIC

Solar feed-in tariffs (FITs) are the amount you get paid by your energy retailer for the excess energy your solar system exports back into the grid. During the day, it’s typical for your solar power system to generate more power than is being used in your home. This excess means that if you have a grid-connected solar system, the energy you don't use feeds back into the grid, and your energy retailer will pay you a fixed amount per kWh of energy that you send to them. The retailer-provided solar FITs listed here do not include any bonus feed-in tariff that may be provided by the VIC State Government.

Energy Retailer	Min rate (per kWh)	Max rate (per kWh)
Amaysim	12.0c	20.0c
DC Power Co	15.0c	15.0c
Origin Energy	12.0c	15.0c
Momentum Energy	12.0c	13.5c
Click Energy	12.0c	13.0c
Tango Energy	12.0c	12.0c
Alinta Energy	12.0c	12.0c
Blue NRG	12.0c	12.0c
Commander	12.0c	12.0c
CovaU	0.0c	12.0c
Diamond Energy	12.0c	12.0c
Dodo	12.0c	12.0c
Elysian Energy	12.0c	12.0c
Energy Australia	12.0c	12.0c
Energy Locals	12.0c	12.0c
GloBird Energy	12.0c	12.0c
Kogan Energy	0.0c	12.0c
Lumo Energy	12.0c	12.0c
People Energy	12.0c	12.0c
Powerclub	12.0c	12.0c
Powerdirect	12.0c	12.0c
Powershop	12.0c	12.0c
QEnergy	12.0c	12.0c
Red Energy	12.0c	12.0c
Simply Energy	12.0c	12.0c
Sumo	12.0c	12.0c
AGL	12.0c	12.0c
1st Energy	12.0c	12.0c

*The feed-in tariff rates you are entitled to vary depending on the energy plan you choose with the retailer. Feed-in tariff rates displayed are correct as of March 2020.

Simple guide to sizing your solar system in VIC

Choosing the right system size depends on many factors, including how much power you use during daylight hours, your roof orientation, whether shading will be an issue, and how much roof space you have at your home or business. As a rough guide, you can compare the average daily power usage on your power bill to the average daily output of common system sizes we have calculated in the table below:

System Size	Avg daily output	Return on Investment
2 kW	7.2 kWh	3 - 6 years
3 kW	10.8 kWh	3 - 6 years
4 kW	14.4 kWh	3 - 6 years
5 kW	18.0 kWh	3 - 6 years
6.6 kW	23.7 kWh	3 - 6 years
10 kW	36.0 kWh	3 - 6 years

*Please note that the location used for above the daily output calculations is Melbourne, VIC - based on the Clean Energy Council GC Design Guidelines.

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