On 13 December 2025, the Australian Government announced it would expand the Cheaper Home Batteries Program from original estimates of $2.3 billion to an estimated $7.2 billion over the next 4 years.
The new funding will include additional adjustments to small-scale technology certificates (STCs). From 1 May 2026, subject to regulations being made, STCs for solar batteries will be tiered and adjusted according to the size of the battery.
This ensures the discount remains appropriate for small, medium and larger battery systems.
The proposed changes will help ensure the:
- discount remains at around 30% across battery sizes
- discount aligns with falling battery costs over time
- Government can continue to support battery installations over the life of the program.
Program adjustments will ensure financial sustainability of the program while continuing to provide cheaper batteries and contributing to the stability and resilience of the grid.
Discount calculations over the life of the program will be adjusted to align with declining battery costs to maintain a saving of about 30% on battery systems.
All other existing aspects of program eligibility will remain the same, and we will continue to closely monitor installations as the changes come into effect.
