SOLAR VICTORIA
The Victorian Government has made it easy to claim a discount on your solar system.
ABOUT SOLAR VICTORIA
Who is Solar Victoria?
Solar Victoria is a government department, part of the Department of Environment, Water, Land and Planning.
What do they do?
They are responsible for delivering the “Solar Homes Program” and the “Solar for Business Program” which give discounts to Victorian home owners and small business owners who purchase a solar system. Solar Victoria delivers the discounts in two ways:
Residential:
1 – Solar Panel Rebate: Up tp $1,400 immediately deducted from the cost of your system
2 – Interest Free Loan: Up to $1,400 immediately deducted from the cost of your system, paid back over 4 years interest free.
3 – Battery Rebate: Up to $3,500 immediately deducted from the cost of your system. This rebate cannot be claimed in conjunction with the rebate and loan listed above. Solar Victoria require you to choose one or the other.
Commercial:
1 – Rebate: Up to $3,500 immediately deducted from the cost of the system for small business owners.
Am I eligible for the rebate and loan?
Residential:
The key criteria for home owners:
- Earn less than $180,000 as a household annually.
- Own a home valued at less than $3 million.
- Have not applied for the rebate or loan for that address previously.
Commercial:
The key criteria for small business owners:
- Be the owner of a business that employs between 1 to 19 people.
- Operate from a non-residential premises, that is individually metered.
- Install a system no larger than 30kW.
How do you apply for the rebate and loan?
1 – Request a quote from Omzen Solar
2 – Approve your quote and Omzen Solar upload the quote to the Solar Victoria online portal.
3 – You will receive an email from Solar Victoria with a link to complete an online application.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Is the Solar Victoria Rebate and Loan different to the STCs discount?
Yes.
The STC discount is in addition to your Solar Victoria Rebate/Loan and it is not dependent on any application or eligibility criteria.
STC stands for Small-scale Technology Certificate. An STC is a ‘carbon credit’ that you earn for putting solar panels on your roof. STCs are calculated based on the kilowatt size of your system and the area of Australia it’s installed in (Victoria is in zone 4).
We can trade these credits on the ‘green market’ for a dollar value. Which we then deduct directly from your bill as an immediate discount. The STC discount often equates to thousands of dollars off your total system price.
In Australia, electricity retailers need to buy STCs to offset their large carbon emissions. We sell the carbon credits earned by installing a solar system to these organisations and this helps to lower their overall emissions in line with federal regulations.
Can you apply for both the Solar Panel rebate AND the battery rebate?
No.
You can only claim one of these rebates (1 x $1,400 panel rebate or 1 x $3,500 battery rebate). This means that if you are installing a system with a battery you can choose only one of the rebates, so it makes sense to choose the greater battery rebate of $3,500
Is there a limit to the size of the system that you can claim the rebate on?
Residential:
No. However the rebate is capped at a maximum of $1,400.
Commercial:
Yes. The system must be 30kW or less. Anything over 30kW is not eligible for the Solar For Business rebate