You've got money set aside and four upgrades pitched at you, each with a rebate figure you can't check. Here's the order that usually pays (solar first if the roof is clear, because the certificates cover about a fifth of a 6.6 kW system and everything else runs on it), what each costs after the incentive, and the five checks to run before you sign. Checked 23 September 2026.
$5,000 to $8,500 installed for a quality 6.6 kW after the federal certificates. Everything else runs on it.
Heat pump swap: up to $1,000 Victorian rebate ($1,400 locally made) plus federal certificates. The simplest job in the house.
$7,000 to $11,000 for 10 kWh after the federal discount. Worth it when most of your use is after 4 pm.
Up to $5,530 through Victorian Energy Upgrades at the largest ducted sizes, with a minimum co-payment.
Solar plus battery together: about $12,000 to $19,500 after incentives. Already have solar? Start at step 2.
A quality 6.6 kW system runs $5,000 to $8,500 installed in Victoria after the federal certificates, and $3,500 to $7,000 for households that get the full $1,400 Solar Homes rebate. Everything below runs on it. The installer claims the certificates on the invoice; STC values by zone and size shows what they're worth for your postcode.
Rule: approved installer and products; Solar Homes needs income of $150,000 or less and no solar at the address in 10 years.
Replacing an electric tank is the simplest swap in the house: the Victorian hot water rebate is up to $1,000 ($1,400 locally made) and the federal certificates apply too. Solar Victoria pays the rebate through an authorised retailer.
Rule: replaces an existing system; same income and property limits as Solar Homes.
A 10 kWh battery runs $7,000 to $11,000 after the federal discount in Victoria. Worth it when you use most of your power after 4 pm; simple payback is around 12 years on a single-rate plan and around 8 with heavy evening load on a time-of-use plan. If you already have solar, this is your step 1. The battery rebate calculator gives the discount for your usable kWh, now and after 1 January 2027.
Rule: factor 6.8 per usable kWh until 31 December 2026, 5.7 from 1 January 2027; approved battery and installer.
Replacing ducted gas with efficient reverse-cycle attracts up to $5,530 through the Victorian Energy Upgrades program at the largest sizes, with a minimum co-payment. An Accredited Provider delivers it and claims the discount. Published running-cost savings are up to $1,140 a year.
Rule: the old heater is over 2 years old, still connected, and decommissioned after the swap.
A retailer that won't hand over the numbers is the clearest warning there is.
Pick one, answer four short questions, and the next page shows the published figures for your postcode, what waiting costs on your bill, and the checks to run on any quote. No email, no phone number.
No email, no phone number. The figures appear on the next page, and the only thing we ask after that is whether you'd like to call.
Skip the order and you buy the loudest upgrade first, with the rebate the salesman quoted.
Follow it and each upgrade runs on the one before it, with a rebate you can point to.
Usually yes when you're replacing an electric tank. The Victorian hot water rebate is up to $1,000 ($1,400 locally made), the federal certificates apply as well, and a heat pump uses far less electricity than the tank it replaces. Size it after solar if solar is on your list, so the two are matched.
Reverse-cycle. The Victorian government publishes running-cost savings of up to $1,140 a year for swapping ducted gas for ducted reverse-cycle and up to $460 for a gas space heater, on top of the upfront Victorian Energy Upgrades discount.
Five checks: the installer's accreditation number on the Solar Accreditation Australia register, the retailer on Solar Victoria's authorised list, the seller as a New Energy Tech Consumer Code signatory, the electrician on the Energy Safe Victoria register, and every product on the Clean Energy Council approved lists. A company that won't hand over those numbers is the warning.
Solar Homes: up to $1,400 for solar panels plus a $1,400 interest-free loan. Hot water: up to $1,000, or $1,400 locally made. Victorian Energy Upgrades: up to $5,530 for replacing ducted gas heating with reverse-cycle at the largest sizes. The federal certificates and the federal battery discount sit on top of all of them. The Solar Victoria battery loan is closed.
It depends on when you use power. With most of your use after 4 pm on a time-of-use plan, a 10 kWh battery at about $9,000 net pays back in around 8 years. On a single-rate plan with an average household it's closer to 12 years. The federal discount drops from about $2,520 to about $2,110 on a 10 kWh battery on 1 January 2027, which is the only real deadline.
Usually yes if the ducted gas unit is more than 2 years old and you're paying a gas supply charge for heating alone. The Victorian Energy Upgrades program publishes up to $5,530 at 22.4 kW ($2,520 at 10 kW), delivered by an Accredited Provider, with a minimum co-payment. Running-cost savings are published at up to $1,140 a year.
No. It's an independent reference published by Timeless Energy Pty Ltd. It doesn't administer any rebate and doesn't decide eligibility. Every figure links to the government body that does.
Every figure carries the date it was last checked against the source. The current check date is 23 September 2026. When a program changes, the figure, the date and the note change together.
Because that's how the programs work. The published figure is a maximum. What you receive depends on your system size, postcode zone, install date and eligibility, and the installer's paperwork.
If you ask a question or request a call, we may refer you to a partner business that can quote the work, and that partner may pay a referral fee. The figures on the site don't change based on who you're referred to.
Timeless Energy Pty Ltd (ABN 22 647 048 520), Suite 101, 68-72 York Street, South Melbourne VIC 3205. Contact hello@rebateindex.com.au.
A government website, a rebate administrator, or an installer. We don't decide eligibility and we can't promise any amount.
Each figure is read from the body that runs the program (the Clean Energy Regulator, Solar Victoria, the Essential Services Commission and their equivalents in each state) and stamped with the check date. When a source changes, the figure and the date change together.
Energy Upgrade Guide is a referral service. If you send your details through the check or ask a question, we match you with accredited installer partners who can quote the work, and we may receive compensation from them. The figures on this site don't depend on it.
