Check federal STCs, state hot water discounts, targeted rebates and finance before choosing your heat pump or solar hot water system.
Hot water incentives are not the same in every state. Some are federal certificate discounts, some require an approved state provider, some are postcode or concession based, and some older programs showing in search results have already closed. Use the quick checker to see the pathways that may apply to your property.
This gives a preliminary pathway only. Final eligibility must be confirmed before purchase or installation with the relevant scheme, accredited provider or installer.
Installed Today does not guarantee eligibility for a government or certificate scheme. State programs can require pre-approval, approved products, accredited providers, postcode eligibility, concession status or specific replacement conditions. Supply-only orders do not automatically include a state-scheme claim.
The one incentive that can apply across every Australian state and territory is the federal Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme. Eligible heat pump and solar hot water systems can create Small-scale Technology Certificates, or STCs. State and territory programs then sit on top of that in some locations.
There is no single Australia-wide dollar rebate for every heat pump. The exact benefit can depend on the model, installation zone, certificate value, existing water heater, property, postcode, household eligibility and the provider completing the claim.
Eligible air-source heat pumps and solar water heaters listed on the Clean Energy Regulator register can create STCs when installed exactly as the approved system configuration. The number of certificates varies by model and installation zone, and the dollar value depends on the certificate market and claim pathway.
Eligible air-source heat pumps up to the applicable scheme capacity can receive STCs if the exact model is on the federal register and the installation satisfies the scheme requirements.
Eligible solar water heaters can also receive STCs. The approved collector, tank and system configuration must match the registered model.
STCs are tradable certificates. They are commonly assigned to a registered agent in exchange for an upfront discount, so the dollar benefit can move even when the model stays the same.
The cards below separate current broad programs from old rebates and targeted assistance. They are deliberately written conservatively because funding, approved-product lists and provider participation can change during the year.
Eligible heat pump and solar hot water systems can receive federal STCs. The former Queensland Climate Smart Energy Savers program, which offered $800 standard and $1,000 low-income rebates for eligible heat pump and solar hot water systems, is closed and should not be treated as a current 2026 rebate.
No new broad Queensland household hot-water cash rebate was verified from current official sources at the time of this review.
Eligible heat pump upgrades can receive discounts through the NSW Energy Savings Scheme when arranged through an accredited provider. A separate Safeguard Acceleration Program is also offering larger heat-pump water-heater discounts in selected NSW postcodes until June 2027 or until funding is exhausted.
The actual discount is provider and project dependent rather than one fixed statewide cash amount.
Victoria currently has the strongest broad hot-water incentive stack. The Solar Homes hot water rebate is 50% of the eligible product price after other discounts, up to $1,000 for eligible products or up to $1,400 for eligible locally made products.
Victorian Energy Upgrades can add an efficiency discount. Current indicative VEU amounts include up to $630 when replacing inefficient electric hot water with a heat pump and up to $560 when replacing gas with a heat pump. Solar-boosted replacements can attract different VEU amounts.
South Australian households may be eligible for a water-heating upgrade through the Retailer Energy Productivity Scheme. REPS activity WH1 covers replacement or upgrade of a water heater, with availability, eligibility and any incentive or co-contribution determined by the obliged retailer or approved activity provider.
REPS also includes selected hot-water tariff and demand-response activities. It is not one fixed statewide rebate amount.
Eligible heat pump and solar systems can receive federal STCs. A separate broad WA Government hot-water cash rebate was not identified in the current official rebate listings reviewed for this page.
Other household finance, concessions or retailer offers may exist, but they should not be confused with a dedicated statewide heat-pump rebate.
Eligible heat pump and solar hot water systems can receive federal STCs. Tasmania's former Energy Saver Loan Scheme supported heat pump and solar hot water with 0% finance, but the scheme ended in September 2025.
Older search results describing the Energy Saver Loan Scheme as open should not be relied on for a 2026 purchase.
Eligible concession homeowners can access the ACT Home Energy Support Program, which can rebate 50% of supply and installation costs up to $2,500 for eligible hot water heat pumps or evacuated-tube solar hot water systems.
The Sustainable Household Scheme can also provide eligible ACT residents with a low-interest loan from $2,000 to $20,000 for approved energy upgrades including heat pump and evacuated-tube solar hot water.
Eligible heat pump and solar hot water systems can receive federal STCs. No broad NT-wide hot-water cash rebate was verified. Alice Springs Town Council currently has a local Green Living Subsidy for residential solar hot water of 50% of purchase price up to $300.
From 1 September 2026 the Alice Springs subsidy applies only to purchases made from local Alice Springs businesses, so a national supply-only purchase may not satisfy that local rule.
State support varies substantially. The biggest headline figure is not always the amount a specific household will receive because programs can depend on income, postcode, existing system, approved product and provider.
Potentially combines federal STCs, Solar Homes hot-water rebates and Victorian Energy Upgrades. Product, household and property eligibility all matter, and the final amount depends on the replacement pathway.
Federal STCs can sit alongside Energy Savings Scheme discounts. Selected postcodes may also access the temporary higher-discount Safeguard Acceleration Program through contracted providers.
Eligible concession homeowners can access a targeted hot-water rebate, while the broader Sustainable Household Scheme provides low-interest finance for approved heat pump and evacuated-tube solar systems.
| State / Territory | Federal STCs | Current State / Local Support | Key Catch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Queensland | Yes - eligible systems | No broad current state hot-water cash rebate verified | Old $800 / $1,000 Climate Smart Energy Savers rebate is closed |
| New South Wales | Yes - eligible systems | ESS discounts; larger temporary discounts in selected postcodes | Accredited / contracted provider and project eligibility required |
| Victoria | Yes - eligible systems | Solar Homes hot-water rebate + VEU discounts | Income, property, product and provider rules apply |
| South Australia | Yes - eligible systems | REPS water-heating activities | Offer and incentive vary by approved activity provider |
| Western Australia | Yes - eligible systems | No broad current state hot-water cash rebate verified | Check finance, concessions and retailer offers separately |
| Tasmania | Yes - eligible systems | No broad current state rebate verified | Energy Saver Loan Scheme ended September 2025 |
| ACT | Yes - eligible systems | Home Energy Support rebate + Sustainable Household Scheme finance | Home Energy Support is targeted; loan is finance, not a cash rebate |
| Northern Territory | Yes - eligible systems | Alice Springs local solar-hot-water subsidy | Local purchase rules; not an NT-wide rebate |
Sometimes. The programs are separate, but the state scheme can specify how other discounts are treated. The safest approach is to confirm the complete claim pathway before placing an order or starting installation.
The Solar Homes hot-water rebate is calculated after other discounts, including STCs and Victorian Energy Efficiency Certificates. This makes Victoria one of the clearest examples where multiple incentives can form part of the same upgrade, subject to all program conditions.
Certificate and state-provider incentives may both form part of an efficient hot-water upgrade, but the accredited provider must confirm the eligible activity, product and claim arrangements before the job proceeds.
Installed Today sells supply-only products across major Australian metro areas and offers supplied-and-installed options where available in eligible Brisbane and Gold Coast service areas. That difference matters when a rebate requires an approved installer or accredited provider.
You are responsible for confirming that your installer or scheme provider can complete any STC, state certificate or rebate claim before installation. A product being eligible does not mean a rebate will automatically be paid after a supply-only purchase.
Where an Installed Today installation option is offered, review the product and installation pathway for the incentive treatment included in that package. State-specific schemes outside Installed Today's direct installation areas may still require a local accredited provider.
Most hot-water incentive pathways focus on eligible heat pump and solar hot water systems rather than standard electric or gas replacements.
Federal and state programs work from approved-product registers. Similar-looking models can have different eligibility.
State, postcode, existing water heater, property age, income or concession status can change the pathway.
Some schemes require an accredited provider, quote, approval, QR code or signed assignment before work begins.
Old rebate pages often continue ranking after a scheme closes, while retailer advertising can combine federal certificates, state incentives and private discounts into one headline figure.
Queensland's former $800 / $1,000 hot-water rebate and Tasmania's former Energy Saver Loan Scheme are examples of programs that can still appear in search even though they are no longer current.
STCs and state efficiency certificates are not always fixed-dollar cash rebates. Certificate quantities and market values can change the discount offered by a provider.
A retailer can choose to simplify or add to an incentive. Always separate the underlying government or certificate scheme from the retailer's own pricing or promotion.
The federal Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme can provide STCs for eligible heat pump and solar hot water systems in every Australian state and territory. The exact benefit is not one fixed nationwide dollar amount.
Eligible air-source heat pump models listed on the Clean Energy Regulator register can create STCs when installed in the approved configuration and within the model's eligibility period.
Possibly, but supply-only purchase does not complete the claim. You need to confirm the exact model, installer, registered agent or accredited state provider and any pre-approval requirements before installation.
No. The Queensland Climate Smart Energy Savers program that offered $800 standard and $1,000 low-income rebates for eligible heat pump and solar hot water systems is closed. Eligible systems can still access federal STCs.
NSW has heat-pump water-heater discounts through the Energy Savings Scheme. Selected eligible postcodes can also access larger temporary discounts through the Safeguard Acceleration Program until June 2027 or until funding is exhausted. An accredited or contracted provider must confirm the offer.
The Solar Homes hot-water rebate is currently 50% of the eligible product price after other discounts, capped at $1,000 for eligible products or $1,400 for eligible locally made products. Household, property, product and authorised-retailer conditions apply.
Yes, eligible Victorian Energy Upgrades can provide an additional discount. Current indicative heat-pump discounts include up to $630 for replacement of an inefficient electric hot water system and up to $560 when replacing gas. The actual amount depends on the eligible activity and provider.
South Australia's REPS includes a water-heating replacement or upgrade activity. The available incentive, eligibility and any co-contribution are determined by the approved activity provider, so it is better described as a provider-delivered efficiency incentive than one fixed statewide cash rebate.
Eligible heat pump and solar systems can receive federal STCs. A separate broad WA Government hot-water cash rebate was not identified in the current official rebate listings reviewed for this page.
No. The Tasmanian Energy Saver Loan Scheme ended in September 2025. Eligible heat pump and solar hot water systems can still access federal STCs.
Eligible concession homeowners can receive up to $2,500 under Home Energy Support for qualifying heat pump or evacuated-tube solar hot water. The ACT Sustainable Household Scheme also offers eligible residents low-interest finance from $2,000 to $20,000 for approved energy upgrades.
Eligible systems can receive federal STCs. No broad NT-wide hot-water cash rebate was verified. Alice Springs Town Council has a local solar-hot-water subsidy of 50% of purchase price up to $300, subject to local purchase and other eligibility rules.
Standard resistance electric storage and conventional gas hot water systems do not create hot-water STCs. STCs apply to eligible renewable hot-water technologies such as registered air-source heat pumps and solar water heaters.
In some schemes, yes. The state program determines how other discounts are treated. Confirm the full pathway before purchase because pre-approval, approved providers or specific claim order can apply.
Start with the right system, then confirm the rebate pathway that applies to your state, property and installer. Compare current heat pump models and hot water pricing online with Installed Today.
