The agency that oversees Victoria’s Solar Homes program says last month was the best November on record and the fourth best month overall since the initiative began in 2018.
Solar Victoria reports that energy efficient hot water products such as heat pump hot water systems and interest-free battery loans continued to drive sign-ups, but solar PV remains below its 2021 peak.
According to the agency’s November Snapshot, which shows program achievements from launch to the end of November 2024:
- Since August 2018, 417,665 applications have been approved for all incentives (5,846 in November 20241).
- 388,91 installs were completed (6,691 in November).
- $676 million in rebates were approved.
- 296,116 solar panel systems installed.
- 44,867 solar hot water systems installed (including heat pumps).
- 18,534 solar battery systems installed.
“As this year draws to a close, we can be proud of our collective efforts to give Victorians access to clean, affordable energy and, in many cases, begin their journey to more electricity in their homes, starting with solar,” said the agency.
In his year-end message, CEO Stan Krpan commented on a survey of more than 15,000 solar customers on their perceptions of electrification:
“The most important factor for our customers is the ability to save on energy costs through lower upfront installation costs. It was therefore not surprising that 20 percent of survey participants already have a fully electric home. Of those who don’t, 36 percent say they are likely to switch to all-electric appliances in the next five years, and 44 percent are likely to replace at least one gas appliance in the next five years.”
Regarding the gas phase-out for Victorian households and businesses, consultation on the State’s draft Building Electrification Impact Assessment Regulations has recently begun and the State Government would like to hear from Victorians on four different options presented.
Support for the Solar Homes program on offer
Incentives currently available under the program are:
- Victoria’s solar panel rebate offers an upfront rebate of up to $1,400 when purchasing a system.
- Up to $1,000 off eligible heat pump and solar hot water system installations.
- Interest-free loans of up to $8,800 for households eligible for solar batteries.
- Solar panel discounts and the option of an interest-free loan for eligible rental properties.
- Up to $1,400 per tenancy for local authority housing associations to install PV systems.
More details about these and other programs can be found here. There is also the Victorian Energy Upgrades (VEU) program, which has provided discounts on a wide range of energy efficient products since 2009.
Solar for homes expanded and expanded
In other recent news from the agency, the application deadline for the second round of the Solar for Apartments program has been extended to Friday, February 28, 2025. Eligibility was also expanded to include townhouses and strata units.
The incentive offers “rebates” (actually, again, a discount on the bill) of up to $2,800 per apartment or up to $140,000 per building.
In the first round, 438 applications were received for more than 5,000 apartments, representing a total PV capacity of 12 megawatts. It is not clear how many of these were successful.
More information here.
Footnotes
- But an email newsletter yesterday showed there were 7,498 applications in November. ↩
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