Minister for Solar Homes Lily D’Ambrosio last week announced that households in an extra 143 postcodes across the state are now eligible to apply for a Solar Homes battery rebate of up to $4,838.
“Solar batteries will help local families store energy from the sun, reduce their reliance on the grid, and save money,” Ms D’Ambrosio said.
“With 140 new postcodes now added to the list, around 35 per cent of Victorian households are eligible to receive a battery rebate through our Solar Homes program.
“This is a great opportunity for households that already have solar panels to capitalise on their solar systems and take greater control of their energy bills.”
Households with an average 11kwH battery can expect to save around $650 a year on their electricity bills, in addition to savings they are already making with solar panels.
More than 70 per cent of the new postcodes are in regional Victoria, including in North East Victoria, Goulburn Valley, Gippsland and Barwon South West regions.
The expansion will include regional centres such as Yarrawonga, Bendigo, Shepparton, Wangaratta, Mildura, Port Fairy, Traralgon, Sale and Bairnsdale, and reach approximately 50 per cent of households that have a pre-existing solar panel system of at least 5kW.
There have been more than 359 approved applications for solar batteries since they became available in July 2019, with 219 of those systems already installed.
With approximately 550 rebates for solar batteries available from March 2, there has never been a better time for solar households to take further control of their energy bills with added battery storage.
To select the eligible areas, Solar Victoria consulted with Distribution Network Service Providers to target growth areas with large numbers of solar powered homes.
To further strengthen Victoria’s electricity grid, the government will look to expand the battery rebate program to controlled batteries, microgrids and virtual power plants from July 2020.
To be eligible for a rebate, householders must obtain approval to install a battery from their distribution network service, have an existing rooftop solar system of 5kW or more, and meet other eligibility criteria.
Full eligibility details can be found at: solar.vic.gov.au/solar-battery-rebate.
