South Australia’s Home Battery Scheme

Yes. You don’t have to own the home you live in to access the Scheme, however you will need to obtain approval from the homeowner to have the battery system installed and be able to demonstrate the homeowner’s consent to the System Provider prior to installation. Importantly, you will not be able to remove the battery system should you move out of the property.

No. A requirement of the Scheme is that eligible home battery systems are capable of being part of a virtual power plant. For this reason your home needs to be connected to the SA Power Network’s electricity network.

One important consideration when adding a battery to an existing solar system is the impact this may have on your existing solar feed-in tariff. If you have an existing solar system and receive the 44c/kwh feed-in credits under South Australia’s statutory feed-in scheme, you will no longer be eligible to receive feed-in credits if the capacity of your solar system is increased or a battery system is installed. Your eligibility to receive feed-in credits will cease from the date of your application for approval to connect the home battery system is submitted to SA Power Networks.

You may also wish to speak to your retailer about how adding a battery may affect any feed-in tariff you currently receive.

Households with existing solar systems will be able to purchase new or additional solar panels if needed when purchasing a home battery system.

The subsidy only applies to the battery component of the system, however, subject to credit approval, low interest finance will be available to pay for the balance of the battery and new solar panels if required.

The program is being designed so that it does not exclude any household on the grid from purchasing a subsidised home battery system.

However, South Australian Energy Concession Holders will be able to access a higher subsidy, further assisting low-income households to access the Scheme.

Households can only claim the subsidy on approved battery systems supplied and installed by a system provider who is qualified under the Scheme.

Unlike a rebate, where the consumer gets a partial refund on the purchase of a product, a subsidy is a sum of money given to an industry to reduce the cost of a product or service.

The South Australian Government is working with Australian peer-to-peer lender, RateSetter, to administer the subsidy and finance available through the Home Battery Scheme.

Should you accept a quote for an eligible home battery system, the System Provider will provide you with a link to the RateSetter website where the subsidy will be applied and you can apply for finance if required. This can be done over the phone, if you don’t always have access to a computer.

The subsidy is taken off the cost of the home battery system, and given to the System Provider once the system is installed at your home.

The subsidy from the State Government will only apply to the Home Battery component of the system purchased.

Subject to credit approval, low interest loans are available to assist participating households pay for the balance of the home battery storage system, as well as new or additional solar panels if needed.

When applying for the battery subsidy, a loan application can be made through RateSetter, the administrator of the Government’s Home Battery Scheme subsidy and $100 million in finance provided by the Clean Energy Finance Corporation.

Yes. If you own multiple properties, you can access the Home Battery Scheme’s Subsidy more than once. However, the property must be a residential property and you can only access the battery subsidy once per property.

You will be required to provide the National Metering Identifier (NMI) of the property when applying for the Home Battery Scheme subsidy (this can be found on your bill).

If you don’t always have access to a computer or the internet, you will not be excluded from accessing the Scheme.

You can call a Home Battery Scheme Approved Provider on 8370 9555 for any enquiries or to Request a Quote for the right home battery system for you.

For every quote you obtain from a qualified System Provider, a ‘Quote Record’ will be generated in the RateSetter system, ready for you to apply for the subsidy should you accept their quote.

The System Provider will contact you to ask if you wish to proceed with the quote and apply for the subsidy. If you don’t have an email address or access to a computer, the System Provider will ensure that a paper copy of the subsidy application form is posted to you.

If you intend on applying for finance you will need to do this online. Your chosen System Provider will come to your home with a tablet or mobile device and step you through the subsidy application process and assist you to apply for finance.

Once your home battery system is installed the System Provider will ask you to confirm you are satisfied with the installation. This can be done while the System Provider is at your home or over the phone with RateSetter. Only after you are satisfied will the subsidy be released to the System Provider.

If you have any questions about your Quote Record, the subsidy application process or how to apply for finance you can call RateSetter on 1300 396 078.

Typically a home battery system is between 30 – 125 kilograms, and between the size of a microwave and the ‘outdoor’ part of a split cycle air conditioning unit, depending on the energy storage capacity. Home Batteries can be installed outdoors or indoors and they are often mounted to the wall, but can also be installed on the floor. Call 8370 9555 for more advice about the qualifying Home Batteries and their installation.

The main benefit associated with having a home battery system is energy independence – being able to store the electricity generated by your solar panels for use during the evenings and mornings when electricity is at peak demand.

Not all battery systems offer ‘blackout protection.’ Households looking for backup power during an outage will need to request this feature when talking to a qualified System Provider.

Eligible South Australians on low or fixed incomes can apply for help with the cost of energy bills. The concession amount is indexed each financial year. For 2018-19, you may be eligible to receive up to $223.01 to cover both electricity and gas payments (including LPG bottled gas). For more information, visit: www.sa.gov.au/topics/care-and-support/financial-support/concessions/energy-bill-concessions

It is also strongly recommended that households contact their retailer when facing difficulty paying electricity bills. Retailers will work with customers regarding repayment of their bills, and may be able to offer a discounted rate if requested.

More information about the eligibility criteria and how to apply can be found online at www.sa.gov.au/topics/care-and-support/financial-support/concessions/energy-bill-concessions Alternatively, call the Concessions SA hotline on 1800 307 758.

Not necessarily. Many System Providers will be offering battery systems which are not tied to a program operated by a particular energy retailer.

However, it is anticipated that energy retailers who offer eligible home batteries as part of a virtual power plant program may apply to become qualified System Providers. If you choose to purchase a home battery system that will be part of a virtual power plant, a condition of purchasing the home battery system may be that the System Provider becomes your energy retailer.

If you are interested in signing up to a virtual power plant program, read the terms and conditions carefully. As part of a virtual power plant you will need to allow the operator to access energy from your battery at certain times. Depending on the terms and conditions of the customer agreement, you may be paid for the energy the operator uses from your battery.

The objective of the Home Battery Scheme is to assist customers with the upfront cost of purchasing a home battery system, reduce demand on the network and in turn, lower energy prices for all South Australians.  It is not intended that customers on-sell products for which they have received a subsidy. Home Batteries cannot be removed from the installation site except for maintenance or repair; or for safety reasons; or to dispose of the battery after the expiry of all warranties; or with the written consent of the SA Government.

No. The subsidy will be determined by your eligibility at the time of purchase.

A virtual power plant is created by a network of home solar panels and battery storage systems all working together to generate, store and feed energy back into the grid.

Energy from the home solar panels and battery systems installed as a part of a virtual power plant mainly provides electricity for the house on which it’s installed. However, energy generated or stored by the system can be automatically dispatched to the grid by the operator. This dispatched energy can help power the rest of the state.

The Home Battery Scheme is quite different to South Australia’s Virtual Power Plant and other virtual power plant programs currently being trialled in South Australia.

A key difference between the South Australian government’s Home Battery Scheme and the SA Virtual Power Plant is that households accessing the Home Battery Scheme will be able to choose from a variety of home battery storage systems and they will own the system.

Tesla with support from the South Australian government is developing a network of potentially 50,000 home solar panels and Powerwall battery systems across South Australia – all working together to form the world’s largest virtual power plant.

Beginning with trial phases involving 1,100 SA Housing Trust properties, home energy systems comprising of a 5kW solar PV system, 5kW/13.5kWh Tesla Powerwall home battery and a smart meter are being installed at participating households.

Subject to the success of the trials and private investment, the full program will be rolled out to 24,000 public housing properties and 25,000 private properties from mid-2019.

Households interested in participating in the Virtual Power Plant program can register their interest at www.energyratingsystems.com.au/virtual-power-plant/

Yes, if the operator of the virtual power plant has been approved as a qualified System Provider and the home battery system meets the Equipment Eligibility Criteria of the Scheme, and you will own the battery system.

However, the subsidy cannot exceed the amount you pay for the system.

You should enquire with the operator of the virtual power plant for more information.

Batteries purchased and installed prior to October 29, 2018 will not be eligible for the subsidy.

If you live in a multi-storey residential flat or apartment building, where a dwelling sits vertically above another dwelling, you may need council approval to install a home battery system. Enquire with your local council as to whether a development approval is required prior to purchasing a home battery system. It is also recommend you seek written approval from your body corporate and/or building manager for the installation prior to agreeing to the purchase of a home battery system.