Thousands of NSW households are enjoying lower energy bills thanks to the strong early adoption of the Minns Labor Government's household battery incentive, which delivers thousands of dollars off the cost of installation.
Since the incentive was launched in November, more than 7,800 batteries have been installed in homes and businesses across NSW.
By using the incentive scheme, eligible homeowners and businesses get an upfront discount on the cost of battery installation through installers working with government-accredited suppliers.
The discount amount is related to the size of the battery, meaning larger batteries attract bigger discounts. For a typical household battery with 13.5 kilowatt-hours of capacity, this is a discount of more than $2000 on average and is available for both new and existing solar systems.
A typical household with an $1850 annual electricity bill can save around $1500 per year by installing solar and a battery.
More than half of the 7,800 installations have taken place outside the Sydney Region, including 23 in the City of Broken Hill. The scheme has reached more than 90% of all Local Government Areas in NSW, with more than 600 installers taking part across the state.
The top 15 Local Government Areas for installations so far are:
| Northern Beaches | 402 |
| Central Coast | 337 |
| City of Blacktown | 286 |
| City of Shoalhaven | 280 |
| Sutherland Shire | 270 |
| City of Lake Macquarie | 241 |
| City of Penrith | 236 |
| City of Wollongong | 214 |
| The Hills | 208 |
| Ku-ring-gai | 178 |
| City of Parramatta | 173 |
| City of Blue Mountains | 172 |
| Camden | 166 |
| City of Campbelltown | 166 |
| Tweed | 163 |
With more than one-third of NSW homes now equipped with rooftop solar systems, the ability to store this solar energy in batteries for later use offers significant benefits for household budgets and energy reliability.
Households will also be able to receive an extra discount and generate revenue by signing their new and existing batteries up to a Virtual Power Plant. This will allow excess energy that households have stored in batteries to be sold back into the grid.
The household battery incentive is part of the NSW Government's Peak Demand Reduction Scheme, reducing peak electricity demand in NSW, maintaining grid stability during periods of high electricity demand and reducing the grid's reliance on fossil fuels.
The Minns Labor Government is delivering cost of living relief through $435 million in annual energy bill rebates, $200 million to support the roll-out of public EV charging stations and $175 million to make energy savings upgrades for 24,000 social housing homes.
Find out more information about the NSW Government's household battery incentive program.
Premier Chris Minns said:
"More than a third of NSW homes already have rooftop solar, and now we're helping thousands of them connect a battery so they can store the energy produced when the sun is up, and use it around the clock.
"We know there is a lot more work to do to reduce cost of living pressures but schemes like this are putting money back in people's pockets in a way that is good for energy reliability and good for the environment."
Minister for Climate Change and Energy Penny Sharpe said:
"NSW has set a cracking pace for battery adoption across the country, and we only see this momentum picking up.
"These installations are providing cost of living relief through lower energy bills and are making a valuable contribution to a more sustainable and secure energy system."
