The support for solar is now on a timetable. The federal certificates behind solar and battery discounts shrink every year until the scheme ends in 2030, and Victoria's new homes go all-electric from 1 January 2027.
Rooftop solar certificates shrink every year until 2030
Small-scale technology certificates, or STCs, are the federal discount that comes off the price of a rooftop solar system before you pay anything. How many you get depends on a deeming period, and that period is getting shorter. A system installed in 2026 is deemed for 5 years. In 2027 it is 4 years, then 3 years in 2028, 2 years in 2029 and 1 year in 2030, when the Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme ends.
In plain terms, the same system on the same roof attracts fewer certificates each year that passes. That is the clearest reason to install sooner rather than later. The scheme detail is published at cer.gov.au.
Battery discounts step down every six months
The Cheaper Home Batteries Program started on 1 July 2025 and takes around 30% off the upfront cost of an eligible battery system. It is delivered as STCs under that same Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme, so your installer claims it and takes it off your price. There is no income or means test, and there is nothing for you to apply for.
Eligible systems run from 5kWh to 100kWh nominal capacity, and the discount is calculated on the first 50kWh of usable capacity. Since 1 May 2026 it has been tiered: the full rate on the first 14kWh of usable capacity, 60% of the rate from 14kWh to 28kWh, and 15% from 28kWh to 50kWh. The rate steps down every six months, and this scheme also finishes in 2030.
The battery has to be on the Clean Energy Council approved product list, installed by an accredited installer, and VPP-capable if it is grid-connected. One system per premises. There is more detail on our battery storage page.
Victoria is going all-electric
From 1 January 2027, all new homes in Victoria must be built all-electric. From 1 March 2027, an existing home replacing a gas hot water system at the end of its life has to fit an efficient electric alternative, such as a heat pump.
That is a real shift for households around Bendigo. Hot water and heating move onto the electricity bill, which makes the power your own roof produces worth more to you than it was. Pairing a heat pump hot water system with solar is one of the simplest ways to use your daytime generation instead of exporting it.
Exporting is out and self-consumption is in
Feed-in credits for exported power are low, so the value in a system now sits in using what you generate. Running your home on your own power beats selling it cheaply through the day and buying it back at retail rates in the evening. That is why batteries, heat pumps and shifting the big loads such as the dishwasher and the pool pump into the middle of the day have become the standard advice, and it is the same direction the rules above are pushing everyone.
What this means if you are thinking about solar
None of this is a reason to rush a bad decision. Sizing the system properly still matters more than timing it, and bigger is not automatically better. But the timetable is real: certificates shrink each year, and the battery rate drops every six months.
We size home systems from your last 12 months of electricity bills, so your quote matches how your household actually uses power. If you would like to know where you stand, book a solar assessment, or read through the current rebates and incentives.
