Government Rebates

There are a range of benefits of using the sun to heat your hot water. Solar hot water will help to cut your greenhouse gas emissions, save you money on electricity or gas bills and you are still guaranteed to have steaming hot water - even when the sun is down, because the system uses a gas or electricity booster to heat the hot water when the sun isn't doing the heating for free!

There are three levels of government in Australia that may offer rebates for the installation of solar hot water systems.

Federal Government Rebates

The Australian Federal Government is offering a rebate of up to $1600 for the replacement of electric storage hot water systems, with high efficiency solar hot water or heat pump system. This rebate is part of the Government's Energy Efficient Homes Package that came into effect on 3 February, 2009.

The solar hot water rebate cannot be used in addition to the ceiling insulation rebate.

State/Territory Government Rebates

Many states offer rebates for hot water services that can be used in conjunction with the federal rebates. It's best to check with your state government for up-to-date information on rebates - their websites are a good start.

NSW

The New South Wales Government offer rebates up to $1200 for the replacement of electric storage hot water systems depending on the amount of greenhouse gases the new system will save. This is calculated according to the RECs system.

VIC

The Victorian Government is offering rebates of between $300-$1500 for the upgrade of hot water systems to be more sustainable. These rebates apply to many upgrades not covered by the Federal Government Rebate (for example, the addition of solar collectors to an existing natural gas or LPG water heater as a pre-heater) so these rebates may be a good alternative for Victorian families if they do not qualify for the Federal Rebates.

WA

The Western Australian Government offers a $500 rebate for natural gas boosted solar hot water heaters, or $700 for LPG boosted solar hot water where natural gas is not accessible.

SA

The South Australian Government's solar hot water rebate is targeted towards low income earners. A rebate of up to $500 is offered for the installation of a solar hot water system to those with a current government concession card.

Local Government Rebates

Some local governments also offer rebates and concessions to encourage rate payers to adopt solar hot water systems. Check with your local government to see if any offers apply to you.