You may be able to receive assistance with the cost of installing a solar water heater or an electric heat pump water heater in your home.
Two forms of assistance are available:
Different criteria apply to each of these rebate schemes and you may be eligible for both.
If you intend to claim a rebate make sure you have read and fully understood each of the rebate criteria before committing to a new water heater.
South Australian Government's solar hot water rebate
A rebate of $500 is available to low-income households who install a solar water heater or an electric heat pump water heater into a new or existing home.
To qualify you must be the owner-occupier and hold one of the following concession cards:
- Centrelink Health Care Card
- Centrelink or Department for Veterans' Affairs Pensioner Concession Card
- Department of Veterans' Affairs Gold Card - Totally and Permanently Incapacitated
- Department for Veterans' Affairs Gold Card - War Widow
- Department for Veterans' Affairs - Extreme Disablement Adjustment
For full eligibility criteria and how to apply see solar hot water rebate.
Small-scale technology certificates (STCs)
Installing an eligible solar or electric heat pump water heater entitles you to small-scale technology certificates (STCs), which can be sold to registered agents or traded individually.
Each STC represents an amount of renewable energy generated, so the more renewable energy your water heater can produce, the more STCs you will get.
You can either:
- receive a point of sale discount by assigning your STCs to the retailer or installer when you buy your water heater - this is the most common option.
- register your STCs and sell them through the STC market or STC clearing house yourself.
The dollar value of the STC offered by retailers and installers varies day to day. If you choose to trade your STCs yourself through the STC clearing house the price is fixed at $40 per certificate.
For further information and to find out how many STCs you could receive see solar water heater owner's guide from the Office of the Renewable Energy Regulator.
Australian Government solar hot water rebate
Please note that on 30 June 2012 this rebate closed in full. Applications received by the Australian Government after 30 June 2012 will not be eligible.
For more information see Australian Government Solar Hot Water Rebate.
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