April 2025

Labor’s recently announced $2.3 billion Cheaper Home Batteries Program will be a game changer conditional on their election win. The program aims to support the installation of up to one million new batteries, with a proposed launch date of 1 July 2025.

Key Features of the Proposed Program as summarised by John Grimes in this podcast:  “Toolbox TechTalk 6 April 2025 with John Grimes”

• will bring on an additional 1.1 million batteries between now and 2030 “although…our collective job is to make sure that that’s wrong that we do much bigger than that because the good news is this is an uncapped scheme.”
  
  
• rebate it will be delivered through the SRES so this will be in the form of STC’s although whether they’re called battery technology certificates or something I’m not entirely sure
  
  
• value of around $370 per kWh now the way this actually rolls out we’re not talking to the end customers about that amount because it kind of depends on what their recent what their retailer and other things
  
  
• this is on the usable battery component um rather than the headline rated amount um uh so so people
  
  
• the scheme will come into place on the 1st of July but very importantly the government is agnostic about when batteries are sold and when they are installed so you can install you can sell a battery today you can install a battery today but as long as you connect it do the final connection on or after the 1st of July that would trigger the rebate amount
  
  
• reduce the impact as much as possible…don’t create the valley of death…means that that that batteries that you were planning to install next week can absolutely go ahead and just give the customer the advice well actually there’s potentially an extra $4,000 rebate here if you just hold off until the 1st of July
  
  
• 50 kWh as the maximum size now you can install a battery up to 100 kWh and you’ll get the rebate amount on the first 50 kWh

• program that has been made available for people on grid and off-grid – they are going to take some advice on how this will work
  
  
• the battery system that is installed must be VPP capable
• schemes in New South Wales and Western Australia at the moment diabolical have absolutely uh really um decimated industry

 Further clarification:

• Ownership Rules:
  • One rebate per property.
  • Eligible for new or existing solar installations.
  • Existing battery owners may add a second battery and receive the rebate.

• The subsidy value will decrease annually through to 2030

So, what does SolarQuotes sleuth, blogger and fact-checker Ronald Brakels think of what Labor has cooked up? His initial thoughts:

“It appears to be a well- thought-out scheme compared to the usual state scheme. At this time it seems fairly simple, which will keep compliance costs down. As it stacks with battery subsidies such as those in NSW and WA, everyone with a rooftop suitable for solar in these states should get a battery unless their electricity consumption is unusually low. These states are already good locations, so it’s like a triple battery blessing for them. But even with the subsidy, it will be hard to make batteries pay in VIC and the ACT.”

Metimur is tracking this development closely and will update partners as further details are confirmed.

We are also working with our partners at Spendwatt as they are ideally placed to service installers with optimal designs, product selections and costed proposals with solid ROIs to make the most of the federal battery scheme plus any existing state schemes. 

For further information: Labor to deliver one million energy bill busting batteries