Significant changes to Western Australia’s upcoming home battery rebate were announced by the Cook Government late Tuesday afternoon – here’s what’s happening.
First, a very brief history of the evolution of the scheme to date.
That Was Then …
In February this year — a few weeks before Western Australia’s state election — Premier Roger Cook pledged WA Labor would roll out a $387 million program to provide one-off home battery rebates of up to $5,000 for Synergy customers ($500 per kWh of battery capacity up to 10 kWh) and up to $7,500 for Horizon Power customers ($750 per kWh of capacity up to 10 kWh).
In addition to the rebate, new, additional and replacement solar panels would also be eligible for no-interest loans of up to $10,000 where installation is occurring as part of a solar + storage package purchase. Loan eligibility would be based on household income, the details of which wasn’t provided at the time.
Moving ahead with the scheme hinged on WA Labor regaining power after the state election. And it did.
Then in March, further details about the WA Residential Battery Scheme were revealed, indicating the program would be initially launched on or before 1 July 2025.
At that point, the rebates were expected to benefit up to 19,000 Synergy and up to 1,000 Horizon Power customers.
But after federal Labor won the federal election in early May 2025 — helped along by its commitment to a national solar battery rebate — it wasn’t clear if the both the WA and federal rebates could claimed.
… And This Is Now
On Tuesday, the Cook Government revealed some substantial rejiggering to the state incentive. Among it:
Battery Rebate Reduction
The WA Residential Battery Scheme rebate will be reduced to up to $1,300 for Synergy customers ($130 per kWh of battery capacity up to 10 kWh) and up to $3,800 for Horizon Power customers ($380 per kWh of capacity up to 10 kWh). Approved batteries above 10 kWh capacity will only be eligible for the maximum WA rebate levels.
It’s a big drop that will no doubt anger some potential battery buyers who were budgeting based on the previous levels, and there are reports some had already put down deposits on systems.
Number Of Rebates Boosted
While the state rebate has been slashed, the number of rebates will be expanded to provide support for up to 100,000 households; which is a huge jump. Not only does this mean many more households can benefit, as will the broader electricity system, but some of the potential chaos associated with the original limited numbers might be avoided.
Rebate ‘Stackability’ Confirmed
It’s also been confirmed the state and federal rebates will be stackable, the end result being the two combined would be around the same amount as the state incentive on its own for up to a 10- kWh battery prior to these changes.
VPP Participation *Compulsory*
Another major change is whereas previously eligible batteries would need to be Virtual Power Plant (VPP) *capable*, now beneficiaries will be *required* to participate in a VPP program. Among the VPP programs will be Horizon Power’s Community Wave for regional WA (details to come) and Synergy’s Battery Rewards program for Synergy customers.
While Horizon customers won’t have a choice of VPP programs, those with Synergy will be able to choose an alternative VPP product. According to the SolarQuotes VPP comparison table, the other choices are none; but there is another player we’ll need to add (along with Synergy): Plico — and hopefully more choices will become available as time goes on.
“With the Scheme now extended to support an estimated 100,000 batteries, it may contribute around 1GWh of storage to the grid,” states the WA Government. “For home batteries to reliably deliver benefits to the system they need to work together. This can only be achieved through VPPs, and this is how households receiving the rebate will help secure our clean energy future.”
This new VPP condition will no doubt see strong reactions as well. You can learn more about what a VPP is and the pros and cons of Virtual Power Plants here.
Interest-Free Loans
As for the no-interest loans aspect, up to $10,000 will still be available to households with a combined annual income of less than $210,000. Rather than just being for solar panels, the loans can be used for home batteries and inverters, or other new/ upgraded related equipment. The repayment period will be 10 years.
You can learn more in our WA Residential Battery Scheme rebate explainer, or by visiting the Western Australian Government’s official information pages here.
Commenting on the changes, Premier Cook stated:
“I’m thrilled to see the Albanese Labor Government work with my government to expand the WA Household Battery Rebate so it can now benefit around 100,000 households – ensuring it potentially reaches five times as many families than under the State-only scheme. “This will do more than lower emissions. It may also support local battery manufacturing, which is crucial to my vision for a future that’s Made in WA.”
More Detail To Come
There’s still some important missing details regarding Western Australia’s scheme, and only a few weeks before it is meant to start. For example, approved equipment, battery suppliers/installers are yet to be confirmed.
What is clear for Western Australians considering jumping the starter’s gun is batteries installed before the scheme commences will *not* be eligible for state rebate or loan funding.
We’re keeping a close watch on developments — you can stay updated with what’s happening by subscribing to the SolarQuotes weekly newsletter. And while you’re here, check out our home battery guide for everything you need to know about residential energy storage.
