The Solar Hot Water Rebate program, administered by Sustainability Victoria, is part of the Victorian Government’s commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and increasing thes ustainability of Victoria’s energy supply and use.
Which installations attract a Victorian Government rebate under this program?
This program provides rebates for installations in households that:
1. Replace a natural gas or LPG water heater with agas-boosted solar system;
2. Add solar to an existing natural gas or LPG waterheater by installing a solar system as a preheater;
3. Add solar to an existing electric water heater byinstalling a retrofit kit;
4. Replace an existing solar, solid fuel or oil fired water heater with a solar system. Must be natural gas boosted if available in the street. Existing LPG boosted solar water heaters can only be replaced with gas boosted systems.
5. Replacing an electric water heater with gas-boosted or electric-boosted solar system (if natural gas is not available in the street) where the applicant has installed ceiling insulation under the Australian Government’s Homeowner Insulation Program
The rebate is offered until 31 December 2010, subject to the availability of funds.
How much is the rebate?
Rebates for complete solar hot water systems will vary depending on the size and performance of the system, relative installation costs, your location and other incentives available. Rebates for installations in regional Victoria range from $800 to $2350. In metropolitan Melbourne the rebates range from $300 to $1500.
Details of rebate amounts and a list of eligible solar water heaters will be on the Sustainability Victoria Online Database used by participating suppliers and available at www.resourcesmart.vic.gov.au/rebates. An additional rebate of $200 is available for eligible households replacing an electric water heater where there is gas available in the street and this is the first connection to the property
What other incentives are available?
The Victorian Energy Efficiency Target scheme (VEET) commenced on 1 January 2009 and provides financial incentives to promote household level energy savings and efficiency through the generation of Victorian Energy Efficiency Certificates(VEEC’s). Households are also able to access the Australian Government’s Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) scheme.
The Australian Government has made avaliable a $1000 solar hot water & $600 heat pump rebate for households replacing electric water heating. Refer to www.environment.gov.au/rebates. To determine which incentives are available to householders refer to the ‘Summary of incentives table’.
How do I get the rebate?
The Victorian Government rebate takes the form of a Point-of-Sale discount on the supply and installation cost and is only available through participating suppliers. The participating supplier is required to arrange installation and to provide Sustainability Victoria with a copy of the customer invoice itemising the system cost, installation cost and the Victorian Government rebate amount.
The list of participating suppliers is available at www.resourcesmart.vic.gov.au/rebates
or by calling the hotline on 1300 366 195.