With all the headlines going around about solar and battery rebates it can become confusing as to exactly what you as a homeowner can save when installing a solar & battery system. Here at Lenergy we help homeowners navigate the complexities of rebates every day when designing their solar & battery systems for them to make sure they get the most savings they can. 

This guide has been designed to cover every rebate and incentive available to ACT residents in 2026, how much you can realistically save, and how to combine them properly so you don’t leave money on the table.

The Two Categories You Need to Understand

Before getting into the specifics, it helps to know that ACT residents can access two distinct layers of support: federal programs available to every Australian, and ACT-specific programs unique to Canberra. Most of the confusion comes from conflating the two.

Federal Incentives: The Foundation for Everyone

The Solar Rebate (STCs)

When most people talk about the “solar rebate,” they mean the federal Small-scale Technology Certificates scheme and it applies to every Australian, including ACT residents.

When you install solar, your system is expected to generate clean energy over the coming years. The government converts that future energy into certificates (STCs) that have a real dollar value today. Your installer handles the logistics such as creating the certificates, selling them, and applying the value as an upfront discount on your quote. You never see a form or wait for a payment. The rebate is simply included into the price you’re shown.

In the ACT (Zone 3, a mid-range climate zone), the rebate in 2026 works out to roughly  $216 per kilowatt installed. For reference:

One thing worth knowing: the scheme phases down every year and ends completely on 31 December 2030. In 2026, the deeming period) the number of years of future energy production the government counts when calculating your certificates) dropped from six years to five. That translates to a reduction of roughly 15–20% compared to 2025. Every year that passes, the discount gets a little smaller.

The scheme is administered by the Clean Energy Regulator and you can use the government’s STC calculator to see exactly what your system is worth. For a full breakdown of how the calculation works, this guide goes into the mechanics in detail.

The Federal Battery Rebate (Cheaper Home Batteries Program)

This is the newer program and, for most ACT residents in 2026, the one with the most urgency attached to it.

Launched in July 2025, the Cheaper Home Batteries Program works  on the same STC mechanism as solar. The key difference is that the rebate is based on the usable kilowatt-hours of battery storage you install, not your system’s panel capacity. The bigger your battery, the bigger your discount.

In early 2026, the rebate works out to roughly $300 per usable kWh:

Most installers are currently booked out before the drop, however the rebate is still considerable and is worth taking advantage of before it drops again later in the year. For more detail on the timeline and what the reduction means in dollar terms, see this breakdown.

ACT-Specific Incentives: Where Canberra Does Rebates Differently

What stands out about the ACT is that it has one of the most accessible financing schemes in the country, plus targeted rebates for eligible households.

The Sustainable Household Scheme

The Sustainable Household Scheme (SHS) is the ACT’s is a government-backed loan that helps homeowners improve the energy efficiency of their households.

As of July 2025, the scheme offers loans of $2,000 to $15,000 at 3% interest over up to 10 years, with no upfront fees. You can use it for:

• Solar batteries
• Reverse cycle heating and cooling
• Hot water heat pumps
• Electric cooktops
• EV chargers and electric vehicles
• Ceiling insulation

One notable change from July 2025: solar panels are no longer eligible for the loan under the standard scheme. The ACT Government’s focus has shifted toward whole-home electrification, reducing gas use and improving energy efficiency, while federal STCs continue to support solar panels directly.

To access the scheme, you need to own your home in the ACT, have a 2022 Unimproved Property Value of $750,000 or below, attend a free ACT Government workshop, and pass standard credit checks through the loan provider, Brighte.

Here’s how it could look in practice for a typical ACT homeowner installing a 10kWh battery in early 2026:

For many households, those monthly repayments are partially, or fully, offset by the reduction in electricity bills. You’re not paying upfront; you’re converting an energy cost into a smaller, fixed loan repayment.

The Home Energy Support Program (Concession Card Holders Only)

This is where the ACT does offer real rebates and for eligible households, it’s one of the strongest programs in the country.

To qualify, you need to own and occupy your home in the ACT, hold a Pensioner Concession Card, Health Care Card, or DVA Gold Card, attend a free workshop, and meet the property UV thresholds. Full eligibility details are on the Home Energy Support Program page. If eligible, you can access:

• Up to $2,500 rebate covering 50% of solar installation cost
• An additional $2,500 rebate for another eligible upgrade (battery, heat pump, insulation, etc.)
• Up to $10,000 interest-free loan (0%, not 3%)

Here’s what a solar and battery installation could look like for an eligible household:

Combined incentives reduce the $19,000 system cost by nearly $9,600, and the remainder is financed at zero interest.

Feed-in Tariffs: The Number That Often Disappoints

Once your solar system is running, you’ll earn credits for excess electricity exported to the grid. In the ACT, that rate sits between 4 and 10 cents per kilowatt-hour and the trend is that they are going down. For some the solution to this is a VPP, which you can read more about in one of our articles here.

This is what it could look like:

The maths strongly favour self-consumption over export. Storing daytime solar in a battery to use in the evening is, for most households, far more financially rewarding than sending it to the grid. This is exactly why batteries have become so popular.

It’s also worth checking your electricity plan carefully as some retailers offer higher feed-in tariffs but charge more for the electricity you draw from the grid. The best plan depends on your usage pattern, not just the headline tariff rate. The government’s Energy Made Easy comparison tool lets you see current retailer offers side by side, including their solar feed-in rates for the ACT.

How to Stack Incentives Properly

The ACT system works best when treated as a layered approach. The correct order:

For a typical non-concession ACT household installing solar and a battery in early 2026, combined rebate savings sit around $4,500–$5,500, with the remaining cost financed at 3%. For a concession household, combined savings can reach $8,000–$10,000, with zero-interest financing on the rest.

Is Now the Right Time to Install?

The honest answer on batteries: the May 1 deadline has already passed for most households. Installers across Canberra, including us at Lenergy, are booked well beyond that date, which means the higher rebate is largely out of reach for new enquiries today. That’s not a reason to put it off, though. It’s a reason to lock in your spot now before the next reduction hits.

Battery rebates continue stepping down every six months through to 2030. Every month you wait is another increment off your discount and with energy prices still climbing, the cost of delaying keeps compounding on both sides of the ledger.

For solar panels, the urgency is lower but the same logic applies. The rebate reduces gradually each year rather than in one sharp drop.

The ACT’s low-interest financing through the Sustainable Household Scheme means upfront cost doesn’t need to be the barrier it once was. A well-designed solar and battery system, using the combined federal and ACT incentives, typically pays itself back within six to nine years and continues delivering savings for well over a decade beyond that.

If you’d like to understand exactly what you’re entitled to and what a system would cost in your situation, get in touch with the team at Lenergy. We work specifically in the ACT and can walk you through the rebates that apply to your home, check your eligibility for the Sustainable Household Scheme, and give you a clear quote with all incentives already factored in.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there a solar rebate specifically for ACT residents?

Not for everyone. The main solar rebate available to all Australians is the federal STC scheme, which delivers an upfront discount of roughly $1,400–$2,500 depending on system size. The ACT Government doesn’t offer a universal solar rebate on top of that. The only direct ACT solar rebate is through the Home Energy Support Program, which covers up to $2,500 but is restricted to Pensioner Concession Card, Health Care Card, and DVA Gold Card holders.

How much can I save on a battery in the ACT?

In early 2026, the federal battery rebate works out to around $300 per usable kWh so a 10kWh battery attracts roughly $3,000 off the installed price. That rebate drops to around $244/kWh from 1 May 2026. On top of that, most ACT homeowners can use the Sustainable Household Scheme to finance the remainder at 3% interest over up to 10 years, meaning you don’t need the full cost upfront. Full details on the federal program are at energy.gov.au.

Can I combine the federal rebate with the ACT Sustainable Household Scheme?

Yes. The two programs are designed to work together. The federal rebate (whether for solar or a battery) is applied as an upfront discount by your installer, reducing the total cost. You then finance the remaining amount through the SHS loan. Concession card holders can also layer in the Home Energy Support rebates on top, making the combined savings even more significant.

Do I need to apply for the solar or battery rebate myself?

No. Both the federal solar STC rebate and the federal battery rebate are handled entirely by your installer. They create and sell the certificates on your behalf and pass the value to you as a discount on your quote, you just pay the reduced price. The ACT SHS loan and Home Energy Support rebates do require a separate application through the ACT Government before installation begins, so those need to be sorted in advance.

Solar panels are no longer covered by the ACT loan, what are my options?

Since July 2025, solar panels are no longer eligible under the standard Sustainable Household Scheme for most homeowners. You can still access the federal STC rebate, which delivers a meaningful upfront discount. If you hold a qualifying concession card, the Home Energy Support Program offers both a $2,500 rebate and a zero-interest loan for solar. For everyone else, solar is financed through your installer’s payment options or standard finance, the federal rebate still reduces the sticker price significantly before any financing.

What’s the property value limit for the Sustainable Household Scheme?

For most eligible products (batteries, heating, EVs, etc.), your property’s 2022 Unimproved Value must be $750,000 or below. For solar products under the Home Energy Support Program, the threshold is tighter $450,000 or below. You can find your property’s UV on your annual rates notice or via the ACT Revenue Office. Full eligibility criteria are on the Sustainable Household Scheme guidelines page.

How do ACT feed-in tariffs compare to other states?

The ACT’s feed-in tariffs which are typically 4 to 10 cents per kWh are set by retailers rather than mandated by the government, putting them broadly in line with NSW and below rates historically available in QLD and SA. The more important number for most households is the gap between what you pay for grid electricity (30–40c/kWh) and what you earn exporting solar (4–10c). That gap is why self-consumption and batteries deliver far better returns than maximising exports. You can compare current retailer rates using the government’s Energy Made Easy tool.

How do I find a qualified installer for ACT rebate programs?

For federal rebates, your installer must be accredited by Solar Accreditation Australia. You can verify any installer and search for local options via the CEC accredited installer finder. For the SHS loan and Home Energy Support program, installers must also be approved suppliers listed on the Brighte Marketplace it’s worth confirming this before committing to a quote.