The ACT pairs the federal rebate with a low-cost loan. The Sustainable Household Scheme lends up to $15,000 (rising to $20,000 on 1 July 2026) for batteries and other upgrades, now at 3% interest, with no income test.
Your solar panels work hard all day. Then the sun goes down, your house switches to the grid, and you buy back power at the worst price of the day, right through the evening peak. A battery stores your own cheap daytime power for that window instead.
The catch used to be the upfront cost. The federal Cheaper Home Batteries Program changed that in 2025. It takes thousands off a battery at the point of install, in every ACT postcode, with no income test.
Two things make the ACT different. On top of the federal rebate, the Sustainable Household Scheme lends you the rest of the cost at a low fixed rate, with no income test. And the federal rebate now steps down every 6 months, so the amount you can claim is the highest it will be today.
Here is exactly what Canberra homes can claim in 2026, and how to see your number in 30 seconds.
Solar rebates in the ACT (2026)
Quick answer: in the ACT the federal STC rebate takes roughly $1,600 to $2,200 off a 6.6kW solar system in 2026, applied as an upfront discount. The ACT also runs the Sustainable Household Scheme, an interest-free loan of up to $15,000 toward solar, batteries and other efficient upgrades. The federal Cheaper Home Batteries rebate stacks on top, about $2,700 off a 10 kWh battery. Calculate your STC rebate below.
Estimate for a 6.6 kW system in STC Zone 4, at a 5-year deeming period (2026). The STC price moves with the market, so your installer applies the exact discount at signing.
Lock in my $1,482 STC rebate →30 secs · Free · No obligation
Check your battery price by size
Pick your home size and the check returns your after-rebate battery price for your ACT postcode. It reads the live federal rebate, so the number is current today.
How much does a battery cost after the ACT rebate?
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At a glance
What every ACT home gets (federal)
The federal Cheaper Home Batteries Program applies in every ACT postcode. A 10 kWh battery in Canberra gets up to around $2,700 off at install. The exact figure depends on your battery's usable size and the current certificate price, so the check gives you your real number.
The rebate is paid per usable kWh and tapers as the battery gets bigger. Most home batteries sit in the top band. Bigger is not always better value once you pass about 14 kWh, which the sizing check accounts for.
The federal STC factor by install period. The rebate is a number of certificates (STCs) per usable kWh, and that per-kWh factor falls on a legislated timetable. This is the Clean Energy Regulator schedule, applied to the first 14 kWh of usable capacity:
| Install period | STC factor per usable kWh | Change |
|---|---|---|
1 Jan – 30 Apr 2026 | 8.4 | — |
Most popular 1 May – 31 Dec 2026 (now) | 6.8 | down ~19% |
1 Jan – 30 Jun 2027 | 5.7 | down ~16% |
1 Jul – 31 Dec 2027 | 5.2 | down ~9% |
1 Jan – 30 Jun 2028 | 4.6 | down ~12% |
What that works out to in dollars, by battery size. Approximate federal discount at the current (1 May – 31 Dec 2026) rate, off the invoice. The same figures apply Australia-wide because the battery rebate is federal, not zone-rated. Your exact number depends on the certificate price on the day — the 30-second check returns the live figure.
| Usable battery size | Approx. federal rebate now | After 1 Jan 2027 (est.) |
|---|---|---|
10 kWh | around $2,450 | around $2,050 |
Most popular 13.5 kWh (Powerwall-class) | around $3,300 | around $2,750 |
16 kWh | around $3,750 | around $3,150 |
24 kWh | around $4,950 | around $4,150 |
Figures are indicative and rounded, not a quote; the 14–28 kWh portion is subsidised at ~60% and 28–50 kWh at ~15%, which is why the per-kWh value tapers on the larger sizes. In the ACT the Sustainable Household Scheme loan can then cover whatever the federal rebate leaves.
The federal rate dropped on 1 May 2026 and now steps down every 6 months, not once a year. Some older ACT guides also describe the Sustainable Household Scheme as interest-free. It moved to 3% for general applicants on 1 July 2025. Treat any fixed figure as a guide and confirm your own in the check.
Full federal-side detail in the pillar guide: Battery Rebate Australia 2026.
What the ACT lends on top (the SHS)
The Sustainable Household Scheme is a loan, not a grant. It lends up to $15,000 toward batteries, solar, heating, hot water and other upgrades, and the cap rises to $20,000 on 1 July 2026. There is no income test.
Since 1 July 2025 the loan carries 3% interest for general applicants, not 0%. It is still well below a normal personal loan, and you can use it to cover whatever the federal rebate does not.
So the way it works in Canberra is simple. The federal rebate comes off the price at install, then the SHS loan covers the rest at 3%, spread over a few years. The check shows your federal number first, then you can size the loan against what is left.
Do you qualify?
Most Canberra homes do. You qualify for the federal rebate if you have solar (existing or new), install a battery between 5 and 100 kWh through an accredited installer, and pick a battery on the approved product list. There is no income test, and the battery must be VPP-capable, which most approved batteries already are.
The Sustainable Household Scheme loan needs you to be an ACT property owner, and it has no income test. Batteries are eligible. The 30-second check confirms your postcode and your federal number, then you can apply for the loan to cover the rest.
Worked example: 10 kWh battery in Canberra
Canberra home, existing 6.6 kW solar, adding a 10 kWh battery and using the SHS loan for the balance.
| Line item | Amount |
|---|---|
Battery installed (list price) | around $12,000 |
Most popular Federal rebate at invoice | up to around -$2,700 |
SHS loan covers the rest | up to around $9,300 at 3% |
Your upfront cash | around $0 (loan covers it) |
First-year bill savings in Canberra run about $1,000 to $1,500, which goes a long way toward the loan repayment. After the loan is paid off, the savings keep going for the rest of the battery's life.
Your home is not the example. The check uses your postcode, your bill and your roof, and returns your real after-rebate number.
Why waiting costs you
The federal rebate steps down every 6 months now, and the next cut lands on 1 January 2027. Waiting does not get you a better deal on the rebate. It gets you a smaller rebate and another winter of full-price heating bills.
Canberra install lead times run 4 to 8 weeks, and the SHS loan needs a couple of weeks to approve, so a signed contract by early November 2026 locks in today's federal rate. The check is the fastest way to see your number and whether you qualify.
Frequently asked questions
In the ACT, the main solar battery rebate in 2026 is the federal Cheaper Home Batteries rebate, worth around $2,500 to $2,700 off a 10 kWh battery depending on the STC price. It comes off the invoice at install and steps down again on 1 January 2027. The ACT has no upfront battery rebate, but its Sustainable Household Scheme offers a low-interest loan of up to $15,000 toward batteries and upgrades.
Up to around $2,700 off a 10 kWh battery from the federal Cheaper Home Batteries Program, paid at install, which steps down every 6 months. On top, the ACT Sustainable Household Scheme lends up to $15,000 (rising to $20,000 on 1 July 2026) at 3% interest to cover the rest, with no income test. The 30-second check returns your real federal number.
No. The Sustainable Household Scheme moved to 3% interest for general applicants on 1 July 2025. It is a loan, not a grant, and lends up to $15,000 (rising to $20,000 on 1 July 2026) toward batteries and other home energy upgrades, with no income test.
Yes. A battery on its own is eligible. The loan also covers solar, heating, hot water and other upgrades, so you can put the whole loan toward a battery or split it across several upgrades up to the cap.
The ACT does not pay a cash battery rebate of its own; the federal Cheaper Home Batteries Program provides the up-front discount. What the ACT adds is the Sustainable Household Scheme, a low-interest loan (3%) of up to $15,000, rising to $20,000 on 1 July 2026, to finance the rest.
