Is a home battery worth it with the rebate?
The federal rebate takes about $3,458 off a 13.5 kWh battery installed by 31 December 2026. In our three examples below, a battery pays for itself in 7 to 10 years.
Wait until January 2027 and the same battery gets about $570 less. Your answer depends on your solar and your power bill, so work it out below.
Checked against the Clean Energy Regulator's rates · 30 October 2026
Is a battery worth it for you? Find out in 9 steps
Have your battery quote and a power bill handy. Nothing you type leaves your phone.
It tells us your state and how much sun your solar gets.
Who is your power network in WA?
The WA rebate only comes if you join a virtual power plant.
Look for "usable capacity" in kWh on the quote or spec sheet. For example 13.5.
When will it be installed?
The rebate drops every six months. What counts is the install date, not the day you sign.
If the quote only shows the price after the rebate, add the rebate back on.
In kW, for example 6.6. Type 0 if you don't have solar.
Take the total kWh on your bill and divide it by the days in the bill.
How much of that is after dark?
A guess is fine. Families home in the evening often use about half after dark.
The usage charge on your bill, in cents per kWh.
Your feed-in tariff, on your bill, in cents per kWh.
It costs $8,542 after $3,458 in rebates and saves about $892 a year.
| Certificates (STCs) your battery earns | |
| Federal battery rebate (at $38 each) | |
| State rebate | |
| Price after rebates | |
| Spare solar after daytime use | |
| Power the battery gives you after dark | |
| Saving per year | |
| Federal rebate if installed from 1 January 2027 |
What to do next
- Check the rebate on your quote with the step below.
- Ask the installer what price per certificate (STC) they used.
- Ask if they can install by 31 December 2026, before the rebate drops.
- Check the battery warranty is longer than your payback.
The rebate drops on 1 January 2027. A 13.5 kWh battery gets 76 certificates instead of 91, about $570 less. It's the install date that counts, so a deal signed in December but installed in January gets the lower rebate.
Does the battery rebate on my quote look right?
This uses your battery size and install date from the steps above.
It may say STC discount, STC rebate or Cheaper Home Batteries.
This is an estimate, not advice. The federal rebate uses the Clean Energy Regulator's published STC factors and tiers. The dollar figure depends on the certificate price your installer uses, so we show $38. Payback is a simple model: one charge a day from spare solar, with 90% round-trip efficiency. It leaves out winter, battery wear, tariff changes and virtual power plant payments. Check the Clean Energy Regulator's STC rules and your quote before you sign.
How we got your number
Examples with real numbers
- $8,542 ÷ $892.22 = 9.6 yearsSydney: a 13.5 kWh battery quoted at $12,000. 13.5 × 6.8 = 91.8, rounded down to 91 certificates. 91 × $38 = $3,458 off. 6.6 kW of solar makes about 24.99 kWh a day. The battery covers the 10 kWh used after dark. 10 × 30c − 11.11 × 5c = $2.44 a day, or $892.22 a year.
- $6,116 ÷ $892.22 = 6.9 yearsPerth on Synergy: a 10 kWh battery quoted at $10,000. 10 × 6.8 = 68 certificates, $2,584 off. The WA rebate adds 10 × $130 = $1,300. Same solar, use and bill as Sydney.
- $10,478 ÷ $1,371.38 = 7.6 yearsMelbourne: a 20 kWh battery quoted at $15,000. 14 × 6.8 + 6 × 4.08 = 119.68, rounded down to 119 certificates, $4,522 off. 8 kW of solar, 25 kWh a day with two thirds after dark, 28c power and a 4c feed-in tariff.
Words you might not know
- STC
- Small-scale technology certificate. Your battery earns these, and the installer takes their value off your price. That's the federal rebate.
- Usable capacity
- How much power the battery can actually store and give back, in kWh. It's on the quote or spec sheet.
- kWh
- Kilowatt hour. The unit your power bill uses. Running a 1,000 watt heater for an hour uses 1 kWh.
- Feed-in tariff
- What your retailer pays you for solar power you send back to the grid.
- Virtual power plant
- Also called a VPP. A deal where your retailer can use some of your battery's power at busy times.
- Payback
- How many years the savings on your bill take to add up to what you paid.
- Solar zone
- One of four areas the government uses to say how much sun a postcode gets. Zone 1 gets the most.
Questions people ask
Is a home battery worth it with the rebate?
It depends on how much spare solar you have, how much power you use after dark, and the gap between what you pay for power and your feed-in tariff. On a 13.5 kWh battery in Sydney with 6.6 kW of solar, 20 kWh a day, 30c power and a 5c feed-in tariff, a $12,000 quote comes down to $8,542 after the federal rebate and pays for itself in about 9.6 years. Put your own bill figures into the steps above.
How much is the federal battery rebate?
For a battery installed from 1 May to 31 December 2026, each kWh of usable capacity earns 6.8 STCs for the first 14 kWh, 4.08 from 14 to 28 kWh and 1.02 from 28 to 50 kWh, rounded down to whole certificates. At $38 a certificate that's about $3,458 on a 13.5 kWh battery, $4,522 on 20 kWh and $6,232 on 40 kWh.
How much does the battery rebate drop on 1 January 2027?
The STC factor falls from 6.8 to 5.7 per kWh, about 16% less. A 13.5 kWh battery goes from 91 STCs to 76, roughly $570 less at $38 a certificate. It falls again on 1 July 2027 to 5.2, then every six months until the program ends at the end of 2030.
Does the battery rebate on my quote look right?
Divide the federal discount on the quote by the number of STCs your battery earns. If the answer is close to the STC spot price, which was $39.90 in the week of 19 to 23 October 2026, the installer is passing on close to the full value. The quote check above does this for you.
Why do bigger batteries get less rebate per kWh?
Since 1 May 2026 the rebate is tiered. The first 14 kWh of usable capacity gets the full STC factor, 14 to 28 kWh gets 60% of it, 28 to 50 kWh gets 15%, and nothing above 50 kWh earns certificates.
Can I get a state battery rebate as well?
In WA, yes. The WA Residential Battery Scheme adds up to $1,300 for Synergy customers and up to $3,800 for Horizon Power customers if you join a virtual power plant, on top of the federal discount. This calculator includes it. NSW pays a separate incentive for joining a virtual power plant, but its value moves with certificate prices, so it isn't included here. Check your state's energy website for other offers.
Do I have to join a virtual power plant to get the federal battery rebate?
No. The battery has to be able to join one, but you don't have to sign up to get the federal discount. The WA rebate does need you to join a virtual power plant.
For detail-lovers: full rates, tiers and sources
Tiers. The total is rounded down to whole certificates. The battery's nominal capacity must be between 5 kWh and 100 kWh, and it must be able to join a virtual power plant.
| Usable capacity | Share of the STC factor | STCs per kWh, May to Dec 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| First 14 kWh | 100% | 6.80 |
| Over 14 kWh up to 28 kWh | 60% | 4.08 |
| Over 28 kWh up to 50 kWh | 15% | 1.02 |
| Over 50 kWh | Nothing | 0 |
The STC factor drops every six months. Dollar figures at $38 per STC. The factor applies to batteries certified (installed and signed off as safe) in each period.
| Installed | STC factor | 13.5 kWh battery |
|---|---|---|
| 1 May to 31 December 2026 | 6.8 | 91 STCs, $3,458 |
| 1 January to 30 June 2027 | 5.7 | 76 STCs, $2,888 |
| 1 July to 31 December 2027 | 5.2 | 70 STCs, $2,660 |
| 1 January to 30 June 2028 | 4.6 | 62 STCs, $2,356 |
| 1 July to 31 December 2028 | 4.1 | 55 STCs, $2,090 |
| 2029 | 3.6, then 3.1 | |
| 2030 | 2.6, then 2.1 |
WA rebate. The WA Residential Battery Scheme pays up to $1,300 (Synergy) or $3,800 (Horizon Power), based on 10 kWh of usable capacity, if you join a virtual power plant. This calculator pro-rates smaller batteries at $130 or $380 per kWh.
Payback model. Solar output uses the zone rating for your postcode: 1.622, 1.536, 1.382 or 1.185 MWh per kW a year. Solar your house doesn't use in the day charges the battery, with 90% round-trip efficiency. Each kWh the battery gives back saves your usage rate, less the feed-in tariff you no longer earn on the stored solar.
Official sources
- Clean Energy Regulator: calculate small-scale technology certificate entitlements. Battery STC factors 2025 to 2030 and the 14, 28 and 50 kWh tiers. Page updated 29 October 2026.
- Clean Energy Regulator: changes to the rebate for solar batteries from 1 May. Published 17 February 2026.
- Explanatory statement to the 2026 Renewable Energy (Electricity) Regulations amendment. 5 kWh to 100 kWh eligibility, 50 kWh cap, rounding down to whole STCs.
- WA Government: WA Residential Battery Scheme. Page updated 15 October 2026.
- Zone ratings and zones for solar (photovoltaic) systems instrument.
- Ecovantage energy certificate market update, 19 to 23 October 2026. STC spot price $39.90.
- energy.gov.au: rebates and grants finder, for offers in other states.
Last checked 30 October 2026. The $38 per STC is a typical price installers pass on, a little below the spot price because of handling costs. Your installer's figure may differ.