Best Solar Rebate Plans in Canberra

Introduction

By 2045, the ACT government is aspiring to be a net zero emission territory. Canberrans can reach this ambitious goal only if they switch to green, energy-efficient sources such as solar energy. Therefore, ACT has designed several rebates and incentive plans for residents or business owners who decide to implement a solar system.

In this article, let us discuss different rebate plans offered in Canberra for residents interested in adopting solar energy and harvesting the benefits in the form of reduced electricity bills and early return on their solar investment.

Sustainable Household Scheme (SHS)

The most challenging part of a solar investment is the upfront cost. Therefore, ACT designed the Sustainable Household Scheme to offer a rebate loan of up to $15000 that customers can repay within a 10-year duration with 0% interest on the loan amount. Therefore, eligible customers can borrow a loan from $2,000 – $15,000 and install a single solar product or a collection of products, with the total value not exceeding the loan amount.

Small Scale Technology Certificate (STC)

To support and encourage first-time implementers of solar panels, ACT offers tradable Small Scale Technology Certificates to solar customers. These certificates are part of the Small-scale Renewable Energy scheme established to provide a monetary incentive to residents and businesses interested in implementing renewable energy solutions.

Eligible customers can buy these certificates from approved retailers and use those certificates to avail of rebates or sell them to recoup their solar investment costs.

Feed-in Tariff (FiT) Program

A Feed-in Tariff program is an incentive plan rather than a rebate. FiT is a program you can choose to enrol in if you want to intelligently utilize the unused excess energy generated in your solar system. Once enrolled, you will get a credit on your electricity bill for the surplus solar energy you feed back to the grid. The electricity retailer sells this electricity to consumers who do not have a solar setup or those that need more energy than what their solar panels can generate.

The ACT Feed-in Tariff rates are charged per kWh and differ based on various factors, such as the capacity of your solar system, the date when you installed your solar panels, and the electricity retailer to whom you sell the excess solar energy.

Next-Gen Energy Storage Program

If you want to use the excess energy generated by your solar system, then you can add a battery to your solar installation, so that surplus energy generated during the day is stored to be utilized during the night. ACT supports this cause through the Next Gen Energy storage Program for households and business establishments.

For households, ACT offers a discount of $3,500 (excluding GST) or 50% of the battery cost (excluding GST) – whichever is the lowest. For businesses, ACT offers a discount of $35,000 (excluding GST) or 33% of the battery cost (excluding GST) – whichever is the lowest. A certified solar retailer will automatically apply the rebate on your solar purchase, and you can enjoy the benefits of this program without any hassle.

Conclusion

Wherever you are in your solar journey, there is a rebate or incentive plan for you. Whether you are a new customer thinking of starting your solar journey or are an existing customer wanting to increase benefits from solar energy, there is a rebate or incentive plan just for you. Do utilize ACT’s Sustainable Energy Schemes to promote the usage of electricity generated from energy-efficient resources and help reduce the environmental carbon footprint.