Solar Rebate Qld:
How To Claim Your Rebate (Step By Step)
Let me guess, you’re at the point where you cannot physically look at another stupidly high energy bill without screaming and crumpling it up into a ball… I’ve been there. I think a lot of us have been there before.
Of course, the most logical thing to do would be to start looking into solar panels for your home. This is a sure-fire way to slash those damned bills and start to move to a cheaper, greener lifestyle.
Look, sometimes solar can be deemed as a large investment, but remember that’s exactly what it is… An investment. This means you will make your money back from the system.
However, it’s the somewhat high upfront cost that puts a lot of homeowners into a bad mindset of ‘waiting for solar prices to come down’. Good luck with that… I could give you 100 reasons why that’s an expensive mistake but instead I suggest you read my guide on installing solar today, or waiting.
Now most importantly, there are incentives in place to help homeowners like yourself, take advantage of a solar system that is affordable for your home. Plus, more incentives to let you reap the rewards of generating clean energy in Queensland.
What am I talking about? The solar rebates in Qld.
This is a ‘financial incentive’ to help homeowners overcome the first bulk of their investment. To me, it’s a fantastic idea. Basically the government is paying you to install solar? What more could you want.
However, it’s never quite as straightforward as that, is it? So I’m going to be talking about everything solar rebates for Queensland homeowners.
If you’re interested in getting these rebates and looking for a solar engineer to design your system then please get a solar proposal from my specialists here (We don’t just do cookie cutter quotes, we offer bespoke tailored built systems designed around your roof, budget and requirements).
Table Of Contents
What Is The Queensland Solar Rebate?
So what exactly is this solar rebate I’m talking about? Well, in really simple terms when you install a solar system to your home the government will provide you with something called a Small Scale Technology Certificate (STC’s).
The way this works is that you can ‘sell’ your STC back to the government for a price of (on average) $30-40. Now of course, this price is always changing and fluctuating but as of now (2021) it’s sitting around that mark.
Now, that probably sounds quite confusing so let me clear things up a bit. What is much easier for you as a homeowner is to let your chosen solar installer claim the rebate for you.
And tah dah… This is where the magic happens.
Rather than having to claim back your deduction by ‘crediting’ your STC’s yourself, instead your solar installer can deduct the price of your STC’s off the proposal they have offered you.
Then the solar installers will claim the money back by ‘crediting’ the STC’s after they’ve installed your system.
This means that you will see a direct discount upfront which is much better for pretty much everyone right?
How Much Is The Solar Rebate Worth?
Ok, well for each homeowner it’s different. There are many things that may change how many STC’s you receive for your system. I’m going to go through all of them with you to give you a better understanding of the solar rebates you might be able to claim.
You may get more STC’s depending on your location in Queensland
So, some people who are in the north of Queensland, just above Brisbane is the Green zone. This means you will get more STC’s when you are in Zone 1 and you will be able to claim the maximum amount of the Qld solar rebate possible.
Homeowners who are living in the South East of Queensland will still be able to claim a good amount of the solar rebate but not as much as the North. This puts you in Zone 3.
The size of your system means more or less solar rebates
Of course, the bigger your system is the more STC’s you will get. This is because you are producing more clean power and using less energy from the grid. This is rewarded by the government with a larger solar rebate.
This works vice versa, if you get a smaller system then unfortunately you will have fewer solar rebates to claim.
The size of your system means more or less solar rebates
Ok, so the bad news is that the Queensland solar rebate is becoming less valuable every year. So for homeowners who take advantage of it early will get a higher value rebate.
This means people in 2017 would have got a better rebate than those in 2020. It’s the way the financial incentives are set up by the Qld government to eventually phase out the rebate by 2030.
The Value Of The Queensland Solar Rebate Will Go Down
Something to consider is that the solar rebate in Queensland is always changing in price. Just a few years ago the price of these STC rebates was dropping fast. At one point years ago, it went to as little as $17 per STC.
That’s nowhere near as good as $30-40 what you can get right now. So, in saying this it’s important to consider that the qld solar rebate cannot be relied on. It’s best to get solar now before the price of the rebate drops again.
It’s important to ensure that you have done your research before rushing into getting your solar rebate though. Remember, you can only claim the rebate once so don’t waste it on crap solar installation… You can see the difference between good and bad panel installation here.
Now More Than Ever, The Queensland Solar Rebate Is Your Best Friend…
Right now, solar demand has absolutely skyrocketed. Not only has that happened, but also the prices for solar panels have seriously shot up, and when I mean shot up, I mean increased by around 4X the original price.
This means that now more than ever you are going to need to take advantage of the solar panel rebate available in Queensland, or else you might be investing a bit more into your system.
But don’t be afraid, remember solar is an investment. You’re always going to make the money back from your system.
Are You Eligible For The Solar Rebate Qld?
To be honest, pretty much all homeowners living in Queensland will be eligible for this solar rebate. They haven’t made it very hard to get access to this rebate at all which is good.
Now there are just a few requirements you must meet to be able to claim your STC’s. I’ve listed these below:
- You must install a solar system less than 100kW in size
- The installation MUST be carried out by a CEC accredited solar installer
- All components of your system must be NEW and also approved by the Clean energy council.
Some of the best sellers we find are those panels such as SunPower modules, we also sell a lot of Jinko modules and of course Longi and LG. These are all on the list of approved solar products in Australia.
How To Claim Your Solar Rebate (Step By Step)
Step 1. Start off with a solar design proposal…
I cannot stress enough how important it is to look for solar design proposals instead of a ‘quote’ for solar. There is a huge difference here.
High-quality solar engineers have experience in designing a bespoke system for your home based around your roof, budget and goals for going solar. When you have finished your consultation our solar design engineers will give you a proposal of the best-suited system and design for your home.
Companies that offer quotes are doing cookie-cutter solar. They’re trying to slap the same system on every home. C’mon… Everyone’s roof is different and everyone’s reasons for going solar are different. This stuff is a recipe for disaster.
Your house is your biggest asset, why not design a system that aligns with you and not just because a salesman with no experience thinks it’s a ‘good fit’.
Step 2. Get the solar rebate deducted from your solar proposal
Once you’ve gone through the design of your system the easiest way to claim the rebate is through your solar installer. This way you can see a deduction on the upfront cost of solar. It also saves the hassle of you having to deal with your STC’s and claiming them back from the Queensland government yourself.
So, step 2 is pretty easy. Just let your installer know that you would like them to claim the rebates on your behalf in exchange for a deducted price on the solar proposal.
Step 3. Sit back, relax and enjoy the savings…
After this, you can finally relax. Sit back, and enjoy the lower household bills and the upfront discount from the government. How easy was that?
When Does The Qld Solar Rebate End?
The Queensland solar rebate is expected to end in 2030. And yes, like I mentioned before every year the value of this rebate becomes less and less. This is exactly why it’s a good idea to start looking into solar now.
I’ve covered this in another article which explains why you shouldn’t wait to install solar.
So, don’t think that these rebates are going to be around forever. They won’t be… And the more and more people who get solar, the fewer incentives there will be. This is because the Queensland government has met their goals for the renewable sector.
Conclusion:
That’s exactly how to claim the solar rebate in Qld. Hopefully, we’ve helped you understand what they are, how much they’re worth and exactly how to claim them.
Just remember the biggest thing, you can only claim the solar rebate once. Make it count… Don’t install a cheap system with a company that cuts costs by subcontracting out the work.
This means your system might not even last 2 years, and you’ll be left without a system and unable to claim the rebate again… Seriously… Make it count!
If you’re looking for a quality solar design proposal, get in touch with my specialist solar engineers here.
And please, share your thoughts with the rest of us in the comments below. If you have any helpful insights or experiences, we’d all love to hear them 😁.
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Written By:
Luke Cove
Managing Director
Lightning Solar & Electrical
1 thought on “Solar Rebate Qld: How To Claim Your Rebate (Step By Step)”
Hi.
I’ve had a 32 K/W system fitted to my house by Arise Solar Last Year.
Could you please give me Email address. So I can forward all relevant documentation.
Thank you