No current closing date
Apartment owners and renters, and strata managers
Overview
You can access a discount on installing a battery at your apartment building.
The discount is larger if you install both a battery and solar together.
Installing a battery can help you and your neighbours:
- reduce your electricity costs by storing and using more solar energy
- protect against future electricity cost increases
- add to the value of your property
- keep power on during outages if battery backup is enabled
- decrease NSW’s reliance on fossil fuels, helping us reach net zero carbon emissions.
Find out more about batteries.
How much is the incentive
This incentive is provided as an upfront discount in the quote provided to you for the installation of a new battery at your apartment building.
This discount is larger when installing both a new battery and new solar capacity.
If you’re eligible, discounts can be:
- about 30 to 40 per cent off the cost of installing a battery when it’s installed together with a new or additional solar system
- about 20 to 30 per cent if you install only a battery.
You may also be eligible for additional discounts on solar from the Australian Government’s Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme.
The discount amount provided above is indicative only. The actual discount amount and final cost of your installation will vary depending on factors like:
- the installer you choose
- the location of your installation and the services provided, which may include things like travel and transportation costs
- the battery model you choose to install
- the design of your apartment building which may influence the complexity of the installation and the need for any additional building work
- the administrative and compliance costs to secure the discount on the installation
- the margin charged by the installer.
Find out your discount and get the best deal by comparing quotes from multiple installers who offer this discount.
You will need to make a minimum payment towards the cost of your new battery and the installation services.
Eligibility for the discount
Apartment buildings in NSW may be eligible for this discount if they:
- have at least 4 units
- have not already used this discount to install a battery
- obtain required planning approval.
To receive the discount, the battery must be:
- at least 20 kWh with usable battery capacity no larger than 200 kWh
- on the Clean Energy Council’s list of approved batteries
- installed outdoors
- installed by an installer accredited by Solar Accreditation Australia (SAA).
If installing solar with this discount, the solar must be installed within 90 days before or after installing the battery.
If you already have solar installed at your apartment building and want to receive the higher discount, you must install additional solar capacity within 90 days before or after the battery.
Find out if you’re eligible for this discount by speaking to an installer offering this discount. Installers will be able to check your eligibility. The installer will also discuss the options available and provide you with a quote, showing the discount applied, for the battery and its installation.
How to get the discount and install a battery
Important information
We want to ensure you are always protected. Before you begin, it’s important to know that you have basic rights when buying a product or service in Australia. These basic rights are called consumer guarantees and are protected under Australian Consumer Law. Learn more at the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission website.
Please also read our terms of service.
You will need to work with an installer who is providing this discount.
You should get multiple quotes from different installers to ensure you’re getting the best deal suited to your individual circumstances and needs. Make sure you ask each installer whether they’re offering this discount and that the discount is included in the quote they give you.
Installers can provide advice on what battery model is best suited for your circumstances.
Important to know when choosing your battery
While you can do your own research:
- not all battery models are eligible for this discount
- not all battery models eligible for this discount are offered by all installers
- not all installers will offer the same discount on the same battery models and sizes.
Ways to find and choose an installer
Use a comparison website
These comparison websites can be used to find local installers, get quotes and compare products. Be sure to check the installers you talk to are offering the discount. They may also provide support to you throughout the quoting and installation process.
Important information about comparison websites:
These comparison websites have been provided as a tool for searching for installers only. The listing of these comparison websites should not be considered as an endorsement of these services or a recommendation to use them, or the installers that provide quotes through these comparison websites. These comparison websites may be listed for an undetermined period, and we may remove them at any time.
Comparison websites should be used at your own risk. It is your responsibility to find the right installer, check they are suitably qualified, and find a quote and product that suits your specific needs and individual circumstances. The NSW Government does not take responsibility for any interactions or outcomes experienced by using the comparison websites listed.
For other comparison websites interested in being listed on this website please contact us by emailing [email protected]
Use your own licensed tradesperson
You can find local licensed tradespeople by searching for them online, using business directories or getting recommendations from friends and family. Make sure you check that your chosen tradesperson holds a valid licence by checking the NSW Government’s Contractor and Tradespeople Register.
If you’d like to use your own licensed tradesperson and they aren't already working with an Accredited Certificate Provider (ACP), they will need to partner with one and make a commercial arrangement to do the work under the Peak Demand Reduction Scheme. Accredited Certificate Providers can be found on the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART)’s website.
Once you have several options for batteries and installers, your apartment building’s owner’s corporation will need to vote on which option to proceed with as part of a sustainability infrastructure resolution. This must be voted on by your building’s owner’s corporation, and not only strata committee members.
You may need to work with your strata manager to put this vote on the agenda at an annual general meeting, or to organise an extraordinary general meeting.
You may also need to check if:
- potential changes to your apartment building’s insurance policy after installing the battery and/or solar are needed
- home building compensation (HBC) cover is required during the installation works.
Before your meeting, you should share details of each of the installation options with your owner’s corporation, including:
- quotes from installers
- your plan to finance the installation, which may include using your strata’s capital works fund or special levies
- the different battery and/or solar installation options.
Before the meeting, you may want to discuss these options with other owners to allow time to answer questions and understand how these will work. Make sure to ask installers questions to check your understanding before your owner’s corporation votes.
At the meeting, the owner’s corporation will need to vote on passing a sustainability infrastructure resolution on the preferred installer option. To be successful, the vote to proceed with the installation must be 50% or greater from those present at the meeting.
NSW Fair Trading has more information about sustainability infrastructure resolutions.
Once your owner’s corporation has chosen a quote to proceed with, let your installer know so they can organise for it to be installed.
Your chosen installer will provide you with:
- a nomination form, which must be signed and returned for them to secure the discount on your installation under this discount. This must be completed before the installation begins as you won’t be reimbursed for work already completed.
- a quote for you to agree to, detailing the work to be completed, the discount you will receive and the total cost.
You may also be required to provide documentation proving your eligibility to claim this discount.
Once you have completed the paperwork, you can proceed with the installation and receive your discount. If you have any issues or questions, contact your installer for assistance.
Set a date for installation with your chosen installer. A licensed electrician from your chosen installer will:
- install your new battery
- show you how to use it
- assist with any issues for the duration of the product’s warranty. In some cases, the warranty on parts may be provided by the equipment manufacturer and not the installer.
Following the installation, your installer will:
- require you to sign a Post Implementation Declaration, declaring that the installation requirements have been met
- take photos of the installation as proof that it took place.
Contact and support
If you have any questions about the discount or have issues with your installed battery or solar system, you should contact your installer. Alternatively, you can contact the Accredited Certificate Provider (ACP) listed on the nomination form you signed when agreeing to the installation.
If you have questions about your battery or solar system’s warranty, please contact the system’s manufacturer directly.
If you are unable to resolve matters about the work you contracted to be done, you may seek the assistance of NSW Fair Trading. Complaints about unlicensed work or licensing matters may be referred to the Building Commission NSW.
If you are unable to identify the Accredited Certificate Provider or if you have concerns about the conduct of an Accredited Certificate Provider or their representatives with respect to this discount, you should contact the scheme administrator, the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART).
Installers wanting to participate
If you are an installer that wants to offer discounts to your customers under this incentive, you must be partnered with an Accredited Certificate Provider (ACP). These businesses work independently from the NSW Government and have been accredited by the incentive's administrator, the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART), to provide this incentive. Accredited Certificate Providers will also assist you with the incentive requirements.
If you are an installer looking to partner with an Accredited Certificate Provider operating in your area, Accredited Certificate Providers can be found on the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART)’s website.
Please contact [email protected] if you require further information.
Frequently asked questions
To be eligible for this discount, the total battery capacity for your apartment building must be between 20 kWh and 200 kWh. Batteries smaller than 20 kWh and larger than 200 kWh are not eligible to receive this discount.
To be eligible for this discount, batteries at apartment buildings must be installed in an outdoor location. This approach is helping ensure batteries can be safely installed while supporting residents to store and use more renewable energy.
We are currently investigating and consulting industry on other installation options.
The size of the discount is dependent on whether both solar and battery are being installed at the same time, or only a battery is being installed.
You receive a smaller discount if you don’t install new or additional solar capacity.
When businesses install adequate solar capacity, batteries are more likely to have enough charge to last them through times of peak demand on the electricity grid.
We also recognise that batteries connected to smaller solar systems, or having no solar connected at all, still provide benefits during times of peak electricity demand. We provide a smaller discount in these cases, to reflect that the contribution to reducing peak demand is more variable.
This discount aims to encourage and support businesses that would otherwise not install solar nor batteries.
If your apartment building doesn’t have a solar system installed, you can still receive a discount when installing only a battery.
The size of the discount is smaller when only installing a battery. The discount is larger if installing both solar and a battery within 90 days of each other.
To find out the exact size of the discount you’ll receive, you will need to find installers offering these discounts and ask for quotes. The discount should be included as a line item in the quotes provided.
You may be eligible to receive a larger discount when adding extra solar capacity and a battery to existing solar. The additional solar capacity must be installed within 90 days before or after installing a battery.
Yes, if your apartment building already has a battery installed you may be eligible for this discount. You must not have already claimed this discount to install a battery at your apartment building.
Yes, if your apartment building meets the eligibility requirements of both the NSW and Australian Government battery discounts you can combine them.
Find out more about the Australian Government’s Cheaper Home Batteries Program.
Yes, you may be eligible to use this discount to install a battery at your apartment building. If you would like to receive a larger discount, you will need to install a battery as well as solar capacity that is additional to what was installed using the Solar for Apartment Residents grant.
The additional solar capacity must be installed within 90 days before or after installing a battery.
Your apartment building must have at least 4 units to be eligible for this discount. There is no upper limit on how many units can be in your apartment building to be eligible for this discount.
Discuss with your installer what technology solutions are available to help distribute battery capacity and solar energy fairly across your apartment building.
Renters in apartment buildings can benefit from lower energy bills if there is a battery installed. If you want to install a battery at your apartment building, you will need to discuss with your landlord whether they are happy to install a battery on your behalf. You may also like to discuss with other owners in your apartment building if installing a battery and solar is the right choice for all residents.
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