What a household can claim.

1. The federal solar discount (STCs)

This is the main one, and it applies to systems under 100 kW — which covers every home. Your system creates Small-scale Technology Certificates based on three things: how big it is, where it is, and how many years remain before the scheme ends in 2030.

The rough formula is:

• System size in kW × zone rating × deeming years remaining = number of certificates
• Sydney sits in Zone 3, with a rating of about 1.382
• Certificates trade at a market price, commonly in the mid-to-high thirties, capped at $40 through the clearing house

Your installer handles the paperwork and takes the value off the invoice. You never touch a form. What you should do is check the discount appears as a line item on your quote.

2. The federal battery discount

The Cheaper Home Batteries Program gives roughly a 30% discount on the upfront cost of an eligible battery, delivered the same way — through certificates, applied at the point of sale. It covers systems from about 5 kWh up to 100 kWh, with certificates created on the first 50 kWh of usable capacity.

The important change: from 1 May 2026 the rate tapers by size, so a bigger battery no longer earns proportionally more.

There is no means test, and the discount is available per property with its own meter. The certificate entitlement also steps down over time, so the discount shrinks as the program matures.

Our battery calculator applies these tiers directly, so you can see where your preferred size falls.

3. NSW virtual power plant incentive

If you connect an eligible battery to a participating virtual power plant, you can receive an additional incentive. A VPP coordinates many household batteries so they can support the grid at peak times. In exchange you may get an upfront payment, ongoing payments or bill credits, depending on the provider.

This can generally be stacked on top of the federal battery discount. Terms vary significantly between providers, so read what you're agreeing to — particularly how often your battery can be called on and how much capacity you're committing.

4. Apartments and strata

Apartment residents are often locked out of rooftop solar entirely. NSW has supported shared solar for apartment buildings, funding a portion of the cost of a building-level system up to a capped amount per project. The pathway is more administrative than a house install because it needs owner approval, building coordination and an agreed way of sharing the benefit.

If you're on a strata committee and this is on your agenda, it's worth checking whether the current round is still open before you plan around it — these programs run to fixed application windows and close when funding runs out.

5. Feed-in tariffs

Not a rebate, but it affects your maths. Your retailer credits you for power you export. Rates are modest now, which is exactly why storing your generation is usually worth more than selling it.