Over 1,100 solar batteries installed in West Vic as government injects additional $5B into discount program

High demand for the federal government’s Cheaper Home Batteries program has prompted a $5 billion expansion to the scheme. Western Victoria is among the regions with generous uptake, where more than 1,100 home batteries have already been installed since July. 

Installers are urging locals to make informed choices before committing, while solar advocates are pushing for greater access to solar incentives for renters and apartment dwellers.

What happened: Under the expanded scheme, announced on Saturday, the Albanese Government will grow the Cheaper Home Batteries program to an estimated $7.2 billion over four years, up from $2.3 billion, with the aim of supporting more than two million battery installations nationwide by 2030.

• In western Victoria, around 600 batteries have been installed in Ballarat and about 580 in Wannon since July.

Big demand: Solar not-for-profit Solar Citizens chief executive Heidi Douglas told the Brolga the popularity of the rebate had exceeded expectations.

“We knew that it was going to be a popular scheme,” Douglas said, noting her organisation had been hearing consistent demand from rooftop solar owners.

Douglas said many households had long wanted batteries to make better use of their rooftop solar, but high upfront costs had been a barrier until the rebate launched in July.

Some still missing out: Douglas highlighted that renters and urban households, like apartments, often missed out on the benefits of rooftop solar and battery systems.

“There are still a lot of people who are locked out right now of the benefits of rooftop solar and batteries,” Douglas said. “Whilst we’re advocating for a solar-for-renters policy that will benefit people in renting freestanding homes, there will still be a lot of people who are in apartments or strata who find it more difficult.”

The calm before the storm: Miles Hingston, from Ballarat Solar Company, said the policy had influenced customer behaviour, with many withholding installing a battery until the program started in June.

• “As the solar battery rebate came in, the exporting of solar out to the grid went down to under half a cent, so it just feels like the evolution of solar is now solar battery, not just solar only,” said Hingston.

• The demand for solar batteries increased exponentially after the program officially launched.

• “Generally speaking, I would say 98 percent of our clients are happy to wait the time that it takes for us to get installed, whether it’s three, four, five, six weeks out,” Hingston said.

Do your homework: Hingston said the strong incentives made it all the more important to make an informed decision, so residents get the best deal possible with the most long-term benefits.

“For a four-bedroom home with three kids, we would generally look at, at a minimum, an eight-kilowatt inverter. Typically, you’re wanting to size your battery around 20 to 30 kilowatt hours.”

He urged residents to “use a verified sale, use someone that knows what they’re talking about”. 

“You’ve got companies out there that are rebate-focused. They want to put a small solar system in and then put 50 kilowatt hours of storage in, and there’s just no way the client can fill those batteries,” Hingston said. “That’s the best advice I’d give, find someone you trust who’s doing the right thing, not just upselling for commission.”