Battery rebate calculator: Australian Capital Territory
By Sithum Imarsha Last reviewed
A 13.5 kWh battery in the Australian Capital Territory gets about $3,367 off if it is installed between 1 May and 31 December 2026, and pays back in about 8.4 years at our default ACT rates.
Your result
Federal rebate
$3,367
13.5 weighted kWh × 6.8 = 91 STCs × $37
Batteries must be 5–100 kWh nominal.
- Price before rebate
- $12,150
- Cost after rebate
- $8,783
- Saving in year one
- $1,046
- Simple payback
- 8.4 years
- With battery wear
- 10 years
- Rates used
- 32.1c/kWh import
5c/kWh feed-in
Next change 1 January 2027. The same battery gets $2,812 (−$555).
Fix the highlighted field to update.
How we calculated this
- The rebate is the certificates (STCs) the battery earns, times the certificate price.
- The certificates come from the usable capacity that counts and the factor for the install date.
- Payback divides the cost after the rebate by the first-year saving at the electricity rates on this page.
Check the battery qualifies
13.5 kWh qualifiesdoes not qualify
Find the STC factor
May – Dec 2026: 6.8
Weight the capacity
13.5 kWh
Count the certificates
91 STCs(not eligible)
Value the certificates
91 × $37 = $3,367
Work out payback
$8,783 ÷ $1,046 = 8.4 years
This version starts with our default ACT rates. Change any number to match your own bill.
Battery schemes in the Australian Capital Territory
Sustainable Household Scheme
Loan · Open · ACT Government
It is a low-interest loan of $2,000 to $20,000 at 3% interest, repaid over up to 10 years. Household battery storage systems are a listed product. The unimproved value of the property must be at or below $750,000 in any year from 2022 for a house, or at or below $300,000 for a unit in a multi-storey apartment building. The $20,000 maximum applies only to applications made on or after 1 July 2026. The source we read does not say if it can be used with the federal battery discount.
Official source. Checked 1 October 2026.
The calculator on this page shows the federal discount only. It adds nothing from this ACT scheme.
| Usable size | Saving in year one | Simple payback | Payback with battery wear |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 kWh | $388 | 8.4 years | 10 years |
| 8 kWh | $620 | 8.4 years | 10 years |
| 10 kWh | $775 | 8.4 years | 10 years |
| 13.5 kWh | $1,046 | 8.4 years | 10 years |
| 16 kWh | $1,240 | 8.5 years | 10 years |
| 20 kWh | $1,550 | 8.8 years | 10 years |
| 30 kWh | $2,325 | 9.2 years | 11 years |
| 40 kWh | $3,100 | 9.7 years | 11 years |
Each row is for a battery installed between 1 May and 31 December 2026, at our default price of $900 per usable kWh before the rebate. Each row assumes 0.8 cycles a day, 90% round-trip efficiency and 2% battery wear a year: the defaults of the calculator on this page. Our default ACT rates are 32.1c/kWh to buy power (Dated third-party source: Canstar market average, 4 Sep 2026) and 5c/kWh for the solar you export (Estimate: WattMaths rounded pick. We found no source for an ACT figure). The Australian Capital Territory has the fourth highest first-year saving of the 7 states and territories in our calculator, each at its default rates.
New to the rebate? Read the full guide on the main battery rebate calculator.
Questions
How long does a home battery take to pay back in the ACT?
About 8.4 years for a 13.5 kWh battery installed between 1 May and 31 December 2026, or 10 years once battery wear is counted. That is at our default price of $12,150 before the rebate, and at our default ACT rates: 32.1c/kWh to buy power and 5c/kWh for the solar you export. The feed-in rate is our own pick, as we found no source for an ACT one, so type the rates from your own bill.
Is the battery rebate different in Canberra and Sydney?
The federal discount is not. It is the same in every state. For the same 13.5 kWh battery installed between 1 May and 31 December 2026, it is about $3,367 in both cities, and the payback is what moves: 8.4 years at our default ACT rates and 8.1 years at our default NSW rates. State help is separate: the ACT has its Sustainable Household Scheme loan, and NSW runs its own programs.
What does a battery save a year in the ACT?
About $1,046 in the first year for a 13.5 kWh battery cycled 0.8 times a day. Each kWh it stores is one you do not export at 5c/kWh, and each kWh it gives back is one you do not buy at 32.1c/kWh. If it is installed between 1 May and 31 December 2026, that battery costs about $8,783 after the rebate, at our default price.
Is there an ACT battery rebate?
The ACT help we found when we looked on 1 October 2026 is a loan, not a rebate: the Sustainable Household Scheme. It is a low-interest loan of $2,000 to $20,000 at 3% interest, repaid over up to 10 years. Household battery storage systems are a listed product. The unimproved value of the property must be at or below $750,000 in any year from 2022 for a house, or at or below $300,000 for a unit in a multi-storey apartment building. The $20,000 maximum applies only to applications made on or after 1 July 2026. We read that on an archive copy of the official page. The source we read does not say if it can be used with the federal battery discount.