Australia’s federal Cheaper Home Batteries Program has reached a significant milestone, with more than 250,000 household and small business battery installations now completed, delivering around 6.3 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of energy storage.
The program, introduced in July 2025, aims to make home battery systems more affordable and boost clean energy use across the country. The milestone was confirmed by Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen, highlighting how quickly households and organisations have adopted the initiative.
Growth and Solar Uptake
The success of the program has encouraged many people not only to install batteries but also to upgrade or add new solar panels. About half of the participants have paired battery storage with new or expanded rooftop solar systems, helping them to store energy generated during the day for use during the evening peak.
Storing solar energy helps households reduce pressure on the grid when demand is highest and cuts reliance on more expensive energy sources.
How the Program Works
The Cheaper Home Batteries Program runs through the Small-scale Technology Certificate (STC) system. Under this, buyers can get rebates of about 30% off the upfront cost of approved home battery systems, making them more affordable.
The scheme supports batteries with storage sizes from 5 kWh up to 100 kWh, covering residential homes, small businesses, and community-based projects.
Expanded Funding and Future Plans
The government has now increased the program’s funding to AU$7.2 billion by 2030, which is more than three times what they had planned to spend at first. This larger framework is meant to add 40 GWh of distributed energy storage capacity and could help about 2 million people.
The program has also been updated to ensure that discounts remain sustainable and suitable for different battery sizes, with changes to how support levels are calculated across capacity ranges.
At an earlier industry event, Carl Binning, Executive General Manager at the Clean Energy Regulator, said the program was processing many applications each week, showing strong ongoing interest.
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