- Published:
- Wednesday 20 May 2026 at 2:00 pm
Victorians have saved more than $1 billion on solar, heat pumps, EVs and batteries.
Minister D’Ambrosio today announced Solar Victoria has given out more than 500,000 rebates, slashing upfront costs for customers and helping them save on household bills long term.
Solar Victoria’s popularity extends far beyond Melbourne, with consistently high regional applications including:
- Melbourne - 334,918
- Gippsland - 26,429
- Greater Geelong - 20,469
- Greater Bendigo - 11,210
- Ballarat - 8,745
Solar Victoria provides solar rebates of up to $1,400 and interest-free loans for eligible Victorian households and rebates up to $2,800 for eligible apartments, saving families up to $1,000 a year on energy bills.
Victorians can save up to $2,030 on a locally made, energy‑efficient hot water system by combining a Solar Homes rebate with a Victorian Energy Upgrades discount.
Switching from gas hot water to an efficient heat pump can save around $400 a year. An additional 27,000 hot water rebates have been made available for the 2026-27 financial year.
Since 2018 Solar Victoria has supported the uptake of more than:
- 353,100 rooftop solar systems with 2.5 gigawatts installed capacity
- 89,400 energy-efficient hot water systems.
- 21,400 solar batteries
The Solar Homes Program has helped Victorians save more than $945 million off their energy bills and is projected to deliver over $1.48 billion in savings by 2028. Last year exceeded the 2025 renewable energy target of 40 per cent with renewables accounting for 44.6 per cent of the state’s electricity generation.
Quotes attributable to Premier and Member for Bendigo East Jacinta Allan
“Renewables are the cheapest form of energy, and Solar Victoria is making make it even cheaper for families.”
“Bendigo families can't afford Jess Wilson and the Nationals’ anti-renewable agenda which will send bills soaring.”
Quotes attributable to Minister for Energy and Resources Lily D’Ambrosio
“The Liberals and Nationals want to take energy subsidies away from working families and give it to ageing coal plants because they care more about Pauline Hanson and foreign fossil fuel companies than Victorians.”
Quote attributable to Member for Bendigo West Maree Edwards
“More than 11,000 households have said yes to Solar Victoria in Greater Bendigo and when you look at how much money you can save, the choice is easy.”