The federal Cheaper Home Batteries Program is scheduled to run until 2030. The catch is that the rebate's value steps down along the way. It started at 9.3 certificates per usable kWh in 2025, dropped to 8.4 on 1 January 2026, and was cut again to 6.8 on 1 May 2026. The next scheduled reduction is 1 January 2027.
The step-down schedule, in dollars
The rebate is paid as small-scale technology certificates (STCs), which your installer trades and takes off your invoice. A certificate is currently worth roughly $36 to $40, so the schedule looks like this for a typical 10kWh battery:
| Date | Rate (per usable kWh) | Roughly worth, 10kWh battery |
|---|---|---|
| 1 July 2025 (launch) | 9.3 certificates | about $3,300 to $3,700 |
| 1 January 2026 | 8.4 certificates | about $3,000 to $3,350 |
| 1 May 2026 (now) | 6.8 certificates | about $2,400 to $2,700 |
| 1 January 2027 | steps down again | less again |
| 2030 | program ends | $0 |
Certificate prices move with the market, so treat the dollar figures as honest ballparks, not quotes. The direction, though, is not in doubt: every scheduled change is a cut.
What changed on 1 May 2026
The May change caught a lot of people out because it landed mid-year, outside the usual January cycle. Uptake ran well ahead of forecasts, so the government trimmed the rate to keep the program inside its budget. Two things changed at once:
- The rate fell from 8.4 to 6.8 certificates per usable kWh. On a 10kWh battery that took roughly $600 off the discount overnight.
- Size tiers arrived. The first 14kWh of usable capacity earns the full rate, capacity from 14 to 28kWh earns 60% of it, and capacity from 28 to 50kWh earns 15%. Typical household batteries sit under 14kWh, so most homes still get the full rate on every kWh they buy.
If you are comparing quotes you saved from earlier in the year, this is why the rebate line looks smaller now. The old rate is gone, and quotes written against it are stale.
State rebates run on their own clocks
The federal schedule above is only half the picture. State and territory programs have their own budgets, caps and closing dates, and some shut when the money is allocated rather than on a published date. WA's scheme, for instance, is capped at a set number of rebates and currently expected to run only until around 2027, and NSW's incentive moves with market rules. We keep every program separate and current on our state rebate pages, so you can see exactly what applies at your postcode today.
What this means if you are deciding
We will give it to you straight, the way we always do. If a battery already makes sense for your home, high evening usage, a low feed-in tariff, a decent solar array, then the schedule is simply telling you that waiting has a price: the same battery gets a smaller discount after each step-down. Run the numbers in our savings calculator or read are solar batteries worth it? first.
And if a battery does not stack up for your home yet, a shrinking rebate does not change that. A discount on something that is wrong for you is not a saving. That is the honest version, and it is the one we will always give you.