Our Guide to the Government Solar Rebate WA

What are the government solar rebates in WA?

The West Australian government offers a number of financial incentives for households, schools and not for profit organisations that invest in solar power.

By investing in solar in WA, you could save money in three ways:

• Discounts when you buy solar power systems and solar technology. This is called the Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme (SRES).
• Reduced electricity bill. Solar power is free energy from the sun. By using solar power, you can cut down your reliance on electricity from the grid and dramatically reduce your electricity bill.
• Sell excess solar electricity back to the network. This is called the Distributed Energy Buyback Scheme (DEBS).

What is the Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme (SRES)?

The Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme allows households and small businesses to purchase renewable energy technology at a lower upfront price. That includes solar photovoltaic (PV) panels and solar water heaters.

How does the solar rebate work?

The SRES works by creating small-scale technology certificates or STCs.

• STCs are created when an eligible solar system is installed, and can be redeemed by selling them or assigning them to a solar provider.
• Each STC is worth a dollar value. The exact amount varies with market prices.
• Different systems may be allocated different numbers of STCs depending on the amount of solar power the system produces and the climate where it’s installed. Bigger solar systems will be allocated more STCs, representing a higher financial incentive.

As a homeowner or small business owner, you can redeem your STCs by selling them yourself. But the most common way to redeem your STCs is by assigning them to a solar installer such as iBreeze. What that means is when you purchase and install a solar system with us, we’ll pass the savings onto you as an upfront discount.

How much can you save on upfront costs?

Install a solar panel system on your roof and you could be saving:

• Up to $1,500 for smaller solar systems (1.5KW – 2.5KW)
• Up to $2,700 for mid-range residential solar systems (3KW – 4KW)
• Up to $4,000 for large solar systems (5KW – 6KW)

Note: the value of small-scale technology certificates changes with the market. The exact amount you’re eligible for is calculated when we create your quote. Contact us today for the most accurate rebate savings.

Who is eligible for the government solar rebate in WA?

Most households and small businesses are eligible for the SRES rebate. But there are a few requirements you’ll have to meet to qualify. These include:

• Your solar panel installation must be done by a fully qualified installer
• You must be connecting your solar system to the grid (it can’t be a stand alone system)
• You must get approval from Synergy and Western Power (iBreeze can handle this for you)

What is the Distributed Energy Buyback Scheme (DEBS)?

The Distributed Energy Buyback Scheme (DEBS) allows you to sell excess electricity your solar PV system generates back to your electricity provider. The DEBS also provides buyback payments for home batteries and electric vehicles. DEBS was launched in August 2020 and replaced the previous energy buyback scheme REBS.

How does the buyback scheme work?

The DEBS offers ‘time of export’ payments. That means the electricity you sell back to the grid is worth more during peak hours (between 3pm and 9pm).

Current payback rates for Synergy customers are:

• 10c per kWh between 3pm and 9pm
• 2.5c per kWh between 9pm and 3pm

Note: these payback rates are accurate as of August 2022. Rates may change. Check with your energy supplier for up to date payback rates.

Who is eligible for the buyback scheme?

The Distributed Energy Buyback Scheme is available to eligible households, not for profit organisations and education institutions.

You could be eligible if:

• You’re installing a new rooftop solar system, battery or electric vehicle.
• You’re upgrading your current PV system.
• You’re moving into a property with an existing renewable or distributed system.
• You’re an existing REBS customer wanting to switch to DEBS.

Residential customers must use less than 50MWh of electricity per year to be eligible, and solar power systems must have a capacity of between 500W and 5kW to be eligible. Other requirements may apply. Check the WA Government website for more information.

Is solar power a good investment?

Like most good investments, solar power requires a higher upfront cost, but has the ability to reap significant long term savings. Rooftop solar systems typically pay themselves off in 3-5 years. In other words, the savings you make from using solar power will pay off the cost of your system in a matter of years. Any savings on your energy bills after that stays in your bank account.

To maximise your return on investment, read our guide to getting the max out of solar in Mandurah.

How much money can you save with solar?

The amount you can save with a renewable energy system depends on how much electricity you use, how much power your system generates and what government solar rebates you’re eligible for.

As a rough guide:

• Let’s say you purchase a 6kW solar panel system. You could be saving up to $4,000 in government rebates when you purchase the system.
• Let’s say you previously spent $3,200 per year on electricity. Now your solar system meets 75% of your electricity needs. This represents a saving of $2,400 per year.

In this scenario, you would have saved $6,400 in the first year of purchase. Plus, don’t forget any excess electricity you feed back into the electricity grid will attract more savings.

Of course, the amount you can save varies greatly. It can be quite a complex process to calculate the total savings, with lots of variables in the mix. The best way to get an accurate solar savings estimate is to contact the iBreeze team. We can provide a clear cost and savings breakdown based on your unique energy usage and needs.

Find out how much you can save with solar in Mandurah today. Call us on (08) 9534 9491.