How the federal battery rebate works
The rebate is an upfront discount, not a cash payment you claim later. Your installer creates government certificates (called STCs) for your battery and takes their value straight off your quote.
The number of certificates depends on two things: the battery’s usable capacity and the date it is installed. For batteries installed between 1 May and 31 December 2026, each usable kWh earns 6.8 certificates. At a certificate price of around $37, that works out to roughly $250 per kWh.
How much is the rebate on common battery sizes?
|
Usable battery size |
Rebate if installed by 31 Dec 2026 |
Rebate if installed Jan to Jun 2027 |
Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
|
10 kWh |
about $2,520 |
about $2,110 |
about $410 |
|
13.5 kWh |
about $3,400 |
about $2,850 |
about $550 |
|
20 kWh |
about $4,430 |
about $3,710 |
about $720 |
These are estimates based on a certificate price of $37. Certificate prices move with the market, so your written quote will show the exact amount.
What changes on 1 January 2027?
The number of certificates per kWh falls from 6.8 to 5.7. It falls again to 5.2 on 1 July 2027, then keeps stepping down every January and July until the program finishes in 2030.
The date that counts is the installation date, not the date you sign. If you sign a quote in December but your battery goes in on 5 January, you get the lower 2027 rate. Installers get busy before Christmas, so book early.
Bigger batteries get less rebate per kWh
Since May 2026, the rebate tapers as batteries get larger:
- The first 14 kWh earns the full rate.
- Each kWh from 14 to 28 kWh earns 60% of the rate.
- Each kWh from 28 to 50 kWh earns 15% of the rate.
- Capacity above 50 kWh earns nothing.
A bigger battery still earns more rebate in total, just less per kWh. That makes choosing the right size more important than ever. Our guide to what size battery you need explains how to size it to your home.
Is there a separate NSW battery rebate?
NSW’s own upfront battery discount for homes closed in mid-2025, when the federal program started. NSW now offers two other kinds of help:
- A Virtual Power Plant (VPP) incentive. A one-off payment when you connect your battery to an approved VPP. Mid-2026 offers have been around $40 per usable kWh, counted on the first 28 kWh.
- The Home Energy Saver loan. An interest-free loan of up to $15,000 for eligible households.
You can combine these with the federal rebate. Our guide to stacking every battery incentive in NSW shows how.
Who is eligible for the federal rebate?
- Homes, small businesses and community organisations
- Batteries with at least 5 kWh of usable capacity
- Batteries on the approved product list, installed by an accredited installer
- Homes with new or existing solar panels
The battery rebate for homes in Campbelltown, Camden and beyond
The federal rebate is the same in Campbelltown as it is in Bowral or Wollongong. What changes from home to home is how much power you use at night and what you pay for it. Every suburb we service, from Penrith and Liverpool down to Picton, Mittagong and Berry, is on the Endeavour Energy network, where evening power is the most expensive power you buy.
Inspire Energy shows the federal rebate as a separate line on every quote, so you can see exactly what you are getting.
Quick answer: If your battery is installed by 31 December 2026, the federal Cheaper Home Batteries Program takes roughly $250 off for every usable kilowatt-hour (kWh) of storage, at the full rate up to 14 kWh. On 1 January 2027 that rate drops by about 16%. On a typical 13.5 kWh battery, waiting until the new year costs around $550 in rebate.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to apply for the battery rebate myself?
No. Your installer creates and claims the certificates and takes the value off your price at the point of sale.
If I sign in December but my battery is installed in January, which rate applies?
The January 2027 rate. The rebate is set by the installation date, not the contract date.
Can I get the rebate if I already have solar panels?
Yes. The rebate applies to batteries added to existing solar systems as well as new solar and battery packages.
Will the battery rebate end?
It is scheduled to keep stepping down every six months until the program ends in 2030. Each step makes the same battery cost a little more.
Lock in the 2026 rate
Want to know what the rebate is worth on your home? Request a free battery quote or call Inspire Energy on 02 4623 2134. We’ll size the battery to your usage, show the rebate line by line, and give you an install date before 31 December where we can.