Rebates · 4 min read
Quick answer
Yes. The federal Cheaper Home Batteries discount is 6.8 STCs per usable kWh for batteries installed and certified by 31 December 2026. It drops to 5.7 on 1 January 2027 and to 5.2 on 1 July 2027, so the same battery earns fewer certificates each step.
The battery discount is not a fixed dollar amount. It is paid through small-scale technology certificates (STCs), and the number of certificates a battery earns depends on two things: its usable capacity and the STC factor in force on the day it is installed. The government publishes that factor in steps, and the next step down is on 1 January 2027. Our battery rebates 2026 page keeps every date and figure in one place.
The factor falls from 6.8 to 5.7 STCs per usable kWh. Six months later, on 1 July 2027, it falls again to 5.2. Further steps are published out to 2030.
The first 14 kWh earn the full factor, 14 to 28 kWh earn 60%, and 28 to 50 kWh earn 15%. Worked through for common sizes:
| Usable kWh | To 31 December 2026 | From 1 January 2027 | From 1 July 2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 kWh | 68 | 57 | 52 |
| 16 kWh | 103 | 86 | 79 |
| 24 kWh | 136 | 114 | 104 |
| 30 kWh | 154 | 129 | 118 |
A 16 kWh battery goes from 103 certificates this year to 86 in January: 17 fewer for exactly the same battery.
No. The rate is set by the date the battery is installed, and a battery counts as installed on the date its certificate of electrical compliance is issued. A contract signed in December for a January install gets the January rate.
Waiting only makes sense if something else about your situation is changing. On the discount alone, every step down means fewer certificates for the same battery. If you are already planning a battery, the useful question is whether an install can be finished and certified before 31 December.
A real Panda Power install that shows this topic in practice.
Home batteries from $6,999 to about $15,999
base prices after rebates, inc GST, as at October 2026
What affects the price: battery size, brand and inverter, whether you already have solar, backup wiring, and any additional work at your home.
Base price for a standard install, after government rebates, inc GST, as at October 2026. Additional work such as switchboard upgrades, three-phase changes or complex installs is reviewed and quoted separately.
More practical guides from the Panda Power team.
Rebates · 4 min read · 3 November 2026
To get the 6.8 STC rate your battery must be installed and certified by 31 December 2026. The date that counts is your compliance certificate, not your contract.
Read article →
Rebates · 3 min read · 3 November 2026
How the federal battery discount changes with battery size, worked through for 10, 16, 20, 24 and 30 kWh at the 2026 rate and the 2027 rates.
Read article →Sources: DCCEEW, Cheaper Home Batteries Program; DCCEEW, Eligibility information; Clean Energy Regulator, Solar batteries; Clean Energy Regulator, Calculate STC entitlements. Last checked 5 November 2026.
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Install before 1 January 2027
