How we work out the rebate, and how we make money

How the rebate is calculated

We use the rules the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water publishes for the Cheaper Home Batteries Program: the STC factor for the date the battery is certified, applied in full to the first 14 kWh of usable capacity, at 60% from 14 to 28 kWh and at 15% from 28 to 50 kWh, then rounded down to whole certificates. Dollars are certificates times the price per certificate, $40 by default, which is the fixed STC Clearing House price excluding GST.

We test the calculator against the Clean Energy Regulator’s own STC calculator. On 3 October 2026 we asked it for 56 combinations of battery size (5 to 60 kWh) and install date (October 2026 to January 2031), and our calculator gives the same number of certificates for every one. That test runs on every change to the site.

Sources: DCCEEW program page, CER solar batteries page and the REC Registry STC calculator.

Where battery figures come from

Every battery’s nominal and usable capacity, certificate number and listing end date come from the Clean Energy Council’s approved batteries list, the list the program requires a battery to be on when it is installed. We take a snapshot of the list, check every size on the site against it in our tests, and link to it from each battery page with the date we checked. Usable capacity is what sets the certificates, so we never use the nominal figure in its place.

Where the maker’s own datasheet or product page gives chemistry, warranty or how the battery connects, we quote it and link it. A battery stays off the site until it is on the approved list.

We compare only the 19 batteries listed here, not the whole market. Other products may be available that suit you better.

How batteries are listed and judged

Rebate Clock ranks providers by brand name, A to Z; the verdicts on each battery page come only from how its sizes fall across the rebate's 14, 28 and 50 kWh steps. Commission is never an input: a provider that pays us is ranked exactly where it would be if it paid nothing, and providers that pay nothing are still included when they fit.

We don’t say which battery is best for your home. That depends on your usage, your solar and your tariff. What we judge is narrower: how much of a battery’s capacity earns the full rebate, and how much each extra module is worth.

How we make money

Rebate Clock is free to use because some providers pay us a commission when you click through to them and sign up or buy. It costs you nothing extra. Commission never changes which providers we include, the order we list them in, or what we say about them.

The one installer we link to, VoltX Energy, runs a referral programme that pays a small fee when a reader who clicks through asks for a quote, and a larger one if they go on to install a battery. We have not joined it yet, so today those links earn us nothing. Where a link could earn us money, a note sits right beside it. Links go through an address on this site starting with /go/, which lets us switch a link to a tracked referral in one place and keeps search engines from treating it as an endorsement.

We don’t collect your details or pass them to anyone. If you ask an installer for a quote, you do it on their site, under their privacy policy.

Keeping it current

The rebate changes every six months, and the department reviews the settings at least once a year. We re-check the schedule, the certificate price and every state incentive before each step-down, and each page shows the date it was last checked. If you find something out of date, email hello@rebateclock.com.au and we will correct it.

General information only

Rebate Clock provides general information only. It does not take your circumstances into account. Check prices, terms and suitability with the provider before you buy or sign up.