Cheaper Home Batteries Program

Cheaper Home Batteries Program: Australia's Federal Storage Discount

The Cheaper Home Batteries Program has been available since 1 July 2025, extending small-scale certificate-style support to eligible home batteries. In plain terms, many households now see roughly ~$372 off per usable kWh at the point of sale — often $1,000–$4,000 off depending on battery size — stacked on top of solar STCs when panels are installed too. It is the biggest structural change to Australian home storage economics in years.

CEC-accredited installers only
Vetted and customer-reviewed
Up to 3 free quotes from MrSolar, no obligation
No pushy salespeople

Get Your Free Solar Quotes

Tell us about your home. We'll match you with 3 local installers.

Indicative 2026 pricing: a typical 6.6kW system often quotes around $5,000–$8,000 after the STC discount (metro installs often $5,000–$7,500; premium/regional can run higher). See our solar cost guide.

🔒 No spam. No obligation. 100% free service.

Free for homeowners. Participating installers pay MrSolar a lead fee when matched — that does not buy a higher ranking in our guides or reviews. See how we match quotes and is MrSolar legit?

What the discount actually is

Like STCs for panels, the battery support is typically assigned so your installer reduces the invoice. It is not a post-install cash refund you chase later. Confirm eligible products, accredited installers and the usable kWh figure used in the calculation.

Usable kWh is the unit that matters

Marketing “10kWh” packs may offer less usable energy after depth-of-discharge settings. Program conversations centre on usable capacity — hence the ~$372/kWh usable rule of thumb used across MrSolar education content. Demand both nominal and usable numbers on every quote.

Stacking with state schemes

Eligible Victorians may combine federal support with Solar Homes battery pathways; Queenslanders may also access Battery Booster ($3,000–$4,000 context); South Australians may use Home Battery Scheme loan-style support; ACT households should check Next Gen storage context. Rules and caps change — verify current eligibility rather than stacking folklore.

Solar is optional but common

Batteries deliver most value with rooftop PV to charge from surplus. Some homes retrofit storage onto existing solar. DNSP applications must include the hybrid/battery configuration and any export settings.

What the program does not fix

It does not raise your FiT, remove export limits, or replace CEC accreditation requirements. A cheap battery on a poor inverter platform or without monitoring still disappoints. Quality install remains decisive.

How to compare offers

Itemise hardware, federal discount, state support, electrical upgrades and workmanship warranty. Compare three CEC-accredited storage quotes via MrSolar using the same usable kWh target so price gaps are meaningful.

See battery discounts itemised on real quotes — compare CEC-accredited storage offers on MrSolar.

Related pages

How we verify this page

Written and reviewed by Daniel (Marketplace lead, Epic Unicorn Pty Ltd). We build pages from Australian solar datasets and regulatory references, then map you to CEC-accredited installers only.

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. It commenced 1 July 2025 and remains the primary federal battery discount pathway discussed for households in 2026. Always confirm live eligibility at quote time.
Some configurations may qualify, but economics usually need PV charging. Ask installers about eligibility for battery-only retrofits on your meter type.
No. Panel STCs remain separate under the SRES until 2030. Batteries and panels can both be discounted on a combined job when eligible.
Treat it as the current working estimate used in education content. Certificate markets and policy settings can move — lock the dollar line on your signed quote.
No. VPP enrolment is optional and contractual. The federal discount is about eligible storage deployment, not forced aggregation.

Ready to Go Solar? Get 3 Free Quotes Today

Join over 230,000 Australian homeowners who've used MrSolar to find their installer. No obligation, no spam — just competitive quotes from CEC-accredited professionals.

Get My Free Quotes →

Takes 2 minutes. Free forever. CEC-accredited installers only.

Get My Free Quotes →