The Victorian State Election – What It Means If You Are Thinking of Installing Solar

The impending Victorian Government election can be the difference between you installing a solar system with a 50 per cent rebate or not. Here’s what could happen if you are thinking of installing solar.

designed to help Victorian homeowners adopt solar technology in the home

Victorian Solar Homes Package Rebate

Announced in August 2018, the Daniel Andrews Victorian Government revealed a Solar Homes Package designed to help Victorian homeowners adopt solar technology in the home; whether it be with solar hot water, photovoltaic (PV) panels or battery storage. This Package hopes to power the homes of 650,000 Victorians over the next ten years with a re-elected Daniel Andrews Government. Eligible households can only install one solar product as part of the Solar Homes Package.

Solar Panels Rebate

Under the Package, eligible homeowners can install a solar panel system at their Victorian property and receive up to 50 per cent back from the government for the installation cost. This is up to the value of $2,225 on an eligible solar PV system installed under the scheme.

Solar Hot Water Rebate

Eligible homeowners can install a solar hot water system and claim up to $1,000 dollars to 6,000 households. Solar Hot Water allows households to power their hot water from the sun than heat it from the grid and add to high energy bill stress.

Solar Panel System Rebate for Rental Properties

The most recent addition to the Solar Homes Package is providing solar panel rebate to rental properties. If re-elected, the Daniel Andrews’ Government will provide 50,000 solar panel rebates for Victorian renters. 

rebate is up to the value of $4,838 for the installation of an eligible solar battery

Solar Battery Rebate

The final portion of the Victorian Solar Homes Package is a Solar Battery Rebate. There will be up to 10,000 solar battery rebates available and each rebate is up to the value of $4,838 for the installation of an eligible solar battery system. 

Interest-free Loan Scheme

The Victorian Government have realised that some households may not be able to meet the upfront costs involved with installing solar, as this is a rebate scheme and not a subsidy – there may still be financial hurdles limiting families installing solar under the scheme. From July 2019, if re-elected there will be an interest-free loan scheme available for eligible households to install solar products on their property under the rebate scheme.

Matthew Guy – Election Promises

The Liberal Party Leader Matthew Guy has announced plans to give all Victorian public schools without solar the ability to receive solar and battery storage systems and grants of up to $10,000 to ease the pressure of high energy bills on educational institutions. There are over 700 Victorian schools that may be eligible under the grant scheme. As well as this, he has committed to build a 500MW power station and ultimately remove the Renewable Energy Target for Victoria altogether.

With the imminent election date of November 24, 2018 looming, it sets course for the Victorian Solar Industry to gear up for a never-before-seen investment into the industry and the opportunity to see more households install solar than ever before. With the number of disconnected Victorians rising by more than 82 per cent in just 7 months (between December 2017 and June 2018), Victorians need to be generating their own free, solar energy because they can not afford to pay high energy bills for much longer.