The WA battery rebate (and loan)

We withdraw our support for the WA rebate a few months ago.
A $5,000 election promise became a $1,300 subsidy with a LOT of strings attached.
It is no surprise that the latest figures show that less than 40% of people are taking up the WA rebate.
All of them are taking up the Federal battery subsidy...in fact too many are, so more on that further down.

Why the WA battery rebate is a bad deal for you.
It's not so much that there is a 2 year obligation to join a VPP.
It's that hidden away in the fine print is an enduring right for Synergy to control your system forever.



I have read a response from a Synergy representative to this clause saying that it is highly unlikely they would ever exercise their right.
If it's so unlikely then why don't they just remove the clause? They won't, so read into that what you may.
Remove your enduring grip on people's assets and maybe more people will take up the rebate.
We certainly would consider embracing the WA subsidy again if they did, as we would be off their hook as well.

The Federal battery subsidy.
The $2.3 billion allocated for the Cheaper Home Batteries Scheme will run out by May/June 2026.
It was meant to expire in 2030 but people have been installing much larger batteries than expected.

The Government has announced (13th December 2025) that they are putting another $5 billion into the scheme.
But they are radically changing how the subsidy will operate.
It's quite a complicated formula, so to make things easier, I've created the calculator below.

You can select from a range of popular batteries, or just enter your own value.
Just remember if entering your own that you need to enter the 'usable' storage amount not the rated amount.
e.g. The most popular battery in Australia is by Sigenergy.
Their batteries are rated at 8.1kWh each module, but the "usable" is 7.8kWh.



What the Federal Government subsidy changes will mean to buyers.
Smaller batteries are heavily favoured by the changes that come into effect from May 1st 2026.
This is understandable because big batteries blew out the initial $2.3 billion budget years early.
An important take away is that generous subsidies are available for many years to come.

Here are a few examples of the increased cost of batteries as subsidies reduce.
This table shows the difference from one date range compared to the date range prior.

Take 31.2kWh as an example...
After April 30th 2026 the subsidy drops by $3,959 making that battery $3,959 more expensive.
Then from Jan 1st 2027 the subsidy drops again by $925, and again in the second half of that year by $444.
So, a battery purchased after June 30th 2027 is $5,328 more expensive than one bought before May 1st 2026.
That is however, assuming that nothing else changes... and battery prices should fall over time.

In the table I have used an iStore battery for the 10kWh and 14kWh examples and Sigenergy for the remainder.




Solar4Ever have been selling and installing solar in Perth, WA since 2011.

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This review was written by Andrew MacKeith, Solar4Ever service manager since 2011.