Federal – Solar Hot Water Rebate & RECs

Rebate type Renewable Energy Bonus Scheme
Eligible renewable technology/item Solar hot water systems
Applicable sector Households
Rebate amount From 20 February 2010, the rebate on solar hot water systems was reduced from $1,600 to $1,000 and the rebate on heat pump systems was reduced from $1,000 to $600.
Additional information On 19 February 2010 the Federal Government announced that a new household Renewable Energy Bonus Scheme will assist households to save money on power bills and reduce their carbon emission.
This new Scheme will replace the Home Insulation Program and the Solar Hot Water Rebate Program both of which are discontinued as of close of business today 19 February 2010.

All applications received from 20 March 2010 will be assessed for $1,000 for solar hot water and $600 for heat pump hot water systems, regardless of installation date. Program guidelines for the Renewable Energy Bonus Scheme will be available shortly.

Contact information For further details on the rebate program phone 1800 808 571 or go to http://www.environment.gov.au/energyefficiency/solarhotwater/index.html

 

Rebate type Federal Government Office of the Renewable Energy Regulator (ORER) Renewable Energy Certificates Scheme (RECs).
Eligible renewable technology/item Solar hot water systems
Applicable sector Households
Rebate amount Depends on the size, type and what the solar hot water system is replacing as well as your geography (climatic zone). This will in turn determine how many Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) you can receive from the government.RECs are certificates issued by the government which electricity retailers will buy in order to fulfill their RECs liability. These certificates represent the contribution of businesses to their greenhouse emission reductions under the Federal Government’s Mandatory Renewable Energy Act.According to the Office of the Renewable Energy Regulator (ORER), you can expect anywhere between 10 and 64 RECs per solar hot water system. Buy-back price for RECs is dependant on who you sell your RECs to and what sort of system you are purchasing. This can vary the values of your individual RECs from $10- $50 each.
Additional information Eligibility for RECs on a solar hot water systems only include systems that replace electrically heated hot water systems. Each REC is representative of 1MWh (megawatt-hour) of displaced electrical hot water generationThe RECs is a certification system administered by the federal government designed to displace electrically heated hot water systems, hence the RECs system is not strictly a rebate program. You are required to register to create RECs through ORER and you are to negotiate a price through the retailer you are selling them through. Often this will be streamlined such that when eligible for RECs you can sell your certificates (effectively) back through the manufacturer of your solar hot water unit.
Contact information For further details and to assess your eligibility for RECs please visit the Office of the Renewable Energy Regulator: www.orer.gov.au/index.html