New South Wales · Federal solar rebate
The federal rebate on a NSW home system is currently
$1,400–$3,400Indicative federal STC discount on a 6.6 to 13.2 kW system in NSW. Your figure depends on your postcode's STC zone, the system size your roof supports, and the STC price on the day. Confirmed in writing on your quote, never here.
A two minute check, one question at a time, and you get your figure. No installer sees your details until you tick the box on the last step.
- About two minutes
- Free, no obligation
- No calls until you ask
- Who we are
- A referral service, not an installer. We are paid by the installer, never by you.
- Who calls you
- One CEC-accredited installer who services your postcode. Not a call centre, and never a door-knocker.
- Coverage
- New South Wales. Outside it, the checker says so before you type a phone number.
Around sixteen panels, usually one roof plane. Your postcode and that roof are what the figure is calculated from.
§01
The traps
Three ways this goes wrong, none of them your fault
Residential solar is sold badly in Australia. Not because buyers are careless, but because the industry is built so that comparing offers honestly is close to impossible.
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Trap 01
Quotes you cannot compare
Different panels, different inverters, different warranty terms, and one number at the bottom. Two quotes for "6.6kW" can differ by thousands and by ten years of service life, and nothing on the page tells you which is which.
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Trap 02
A rebate nobody explains
The federal discount is applied before you pay, so a padded price is easy to present as a bargain. Very few quotes state how many certificates the system earns or what they were valued at, which is precisely the line that makes the discount checkable.
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Trap 03
The in-home close
A two-hour kitchen-table appointment, a discount that expires when the salesperson leaves, and a contract to sign tonight. Manufactured urgency is the tell. The one real deadline in solar is legislated, published, and does not move for anyone.
§02
Accreditation
Two credentials, and they are not the same thing
Most people checking a solar quote look for one. The person on your roof needs both, and the rebate depends on the first.
Accreditation covers the design and the install. The electrical licence covers the wiring. Ask for both numbers and check them.
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Required for the rebate
CEC accreditation
Clean Energy Council accreditation of the designer and installer. Without it the system earns no Small-scale Technology Certificates, so there is no federal rebate, whatever a salesperson tells you.
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Required for the work
Electrical licence
A separate state licence to do the electrical work. Accredited but unlicensed, or licensed but unaccredited, are both real and both a problem.
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Not a credential, ask anyway
Workmanship warranty
Panels and inverters carry manufacturer warranties that exist independently of whoever fits them. The workmanship warranty is the installer's own, which is why it matters whether they will still be trading in year six.
§03
Rebate
The federal rebate shrinks on a published schedule
Small-scale Technology Certificates come off the system price before you pay. The number a system earns steps down each year and the scheme ends outright. That is legislation, not a sales tactic, and it is the only deadline on this page.
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2026
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2027
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2028
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2029
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2030
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2031
- Install this year
- Each year you wait
- Scheme closed
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Zone 3
Most of New South Wales, including Sydney, Newcastle and Wollongong.
1.382 Rating
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Zone 4
The southern and alpine strip. The same panels on the same roof earn fewer certificates here.
1.185 Rating
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Scheme end | 31 December 2030. The certificate count reaches zero and the discount goes with it. |
| Annual step-down | The certificates a system earns fall each year, so the same install costs more the longer it is left. |
| Applied | As a discount on your quote. Your installer handles the paperwork. |
| Eligibility | Depends on the installer's accreditation, the equipment and your postcode. Confirmed in writing on the quote, never here. |
| Batteries | A separate federal rebate, tiered by size. Can be priced with solar or retrofitted to an existing system. |
§04
Questions
Asked often enough to answer here
Will I get calls the moment I start the checker?
No. Nothing leaves this site until the final step, and only if you tick the consent box. If you close the tab at question four we never received what you typed, because your answers stay in your browser until you submit.
Who actually receives my details?
A CEC-accredited solar installer who services your postcode. Not a call centre, not a marketing list, and not sold on to unrelated businesses. You can have your details deleted at any time by emailing the address in the colophon.
What is the catch, if it is free?
There is no catch, but there is an incentive worth knowing about: we are paid a referral fee by the installer. You should still compare the quote you receive, exactly as you would with any trade.
Why do you want my power bill?
Because system size is worked out from usage, and the rebate scales with system size. A rough figure is enough. Nobody checks it, and it is passed on as a range rather than a number.
Do I have to give my street address?
No. Postcode is the part that matters, because it sets the rebate zone. The street line is optional and only useful because it lets the installer look at your roof on satellite before they ring you.