Victoria’s Solar Rebate Program Expanded

The Victorian Government yesterday announced a number of changes to the state’s Solar Homes Program, providing greater access to various subsidies and loans for households and businesses.

For Households

Under the Solar Homes program up to now, once you received the Victorian solar panel rebate (actually a subsidy), you couldn’t double-dip and also receive a state-level subsidy for a solar hot water or heat pump system. That’s about to change, meaning close to 190,000 Victorians will be able to access up to an additional $1,000 towards the cost of solar hot water or heat pump system. Households will able to apply for rebates for multiple solar products from mid-May.

Just on the solar panel subsidy side of things, now could be a very good time to grab it if you haven’t already. We noted in the SolarQuotes April 2022 Australian Solar Price Report that Victoria appeared to have the cheapest solar systems in Australia last month on a cost-per-watt basis, and the lowest cost per watt we’ve seen in the state since July 2021.

By the way, you can also have a solar hot water system of sorts just using solar panels if your hot water service is electric. But a bit of added kit in the form of a PV diverter can be really useful for this application, which sends surplus electricity from your rooftop solar panels to your electric hot water system instead of out to the mains grid.

You can compare PV diverters here.

With feed in tariffs in Victoria significantly lower than mains supply rates per kilowatt hour, using an electric hot water system as a battery can help extract the maximum value from PV by boosting solar energy self-consumption.

For Small Businesses

In June last year, state-level rebates started being offered to Victorian small business owners – up to $3,500 towards the installation of a solar power system. When originally launched, one of the eligibility criteria was a business must have fewer than 20 employees.

Starting this Friday, businesses with up to 50 employees will be able to access the rebate. Additionally,  businesses will also be able to apply for zero interest loans of between $1,000 and $5,000.

If a business can afford to pay its electricity bills, it can afford to install commercial solar – even without the generous incentive available in Victoria. And with the subsidy, it’s really a no-brainer decision if a business has a suitable rooftop and especially when its activities are mainly during daylight hours.

Commenting on adjustments to the program, Minister for Solar Homes Lily D’Ambrosio said:

“Expanding the program will help even more Victorians to save money, while supporting clean energy jobs and helping meet our target of halving emissions by 2030.”

Free Solar Work Training Expanded

Another item of note is in relation to industry training.

On the weekend, the Andrews Government said it is expanding training for solar workers as part of Free TAFE. The course – Working Safely In The Solar Industry – will be added as a Free TAFE Short Course from the beginning of July this year.

At just two days, this is a super-short course, but super-important as completion is mandatory for all on-site workers working on installations benefiting from Solar Victoria’s programs. After a two-year pilot at four locations, the course is to be offered at 12 TAFEs; including seven in regional Victoria.

“Solar Homes has saved almost 200,000 Victorians thousands on their power bills,” said Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews. “As this program grows, we’re making sure the tradespeople who install solar get the skills they need to work safely – for free.”