Battery Booster (Queensland battery rebate, closed)
Queensland's Battery Booster rebate closed to new applications on 8 May 2024 and was not restarted. The federal Cheaper Home Batteries Program is now the primary battery support in QLD.
CEC (Clean Energy Council)
Australia's clean energy industry association. It used to accredit solar installers, but in 2024 the Clean Energy Regulator approved Solar Accreditation Australia (SAA) to run installer and designer accreditation instead, and installers had to transfer to SAA by 29 May 2024. The CEC still exists as an industry body.
DEBS (Distributed Energy Buyback Scheme)
WA's regulated solar export scheme for Synergy and Horizon Power customers. It pays more for power exported in the evening peak than during the day, which is why batteries suit WA. Current rates are on our WA feed-in tariff page.
DNSP (Distribution Network Service Provider)
Your local electricity network operator, the company that owns the poles and wires (different from your retailer). Solar and batteries need its approval to connect; your installer applies for it. Examples: Ausgrid, Endeavour Energy (NSW); CitiPower, Powercor (VIC); Energex, Ergon (QLD); Western Power, Horizon Power (WA).
Empowering Homes (NSW battery loan, closed)
NSW's former interest-free loan for solar and batteries. No longer open to new applications. See the Home Energy Saver 0% loan instead.
FIT (Feed-in tariff)
The per-kWh rate your electricity retailer pays you for solar power you export to the grid. Rates differ by state, network and retailer and change often, so we don't print them here. Current rates by state and retailer are on our feed-in tariff pages.
Hybrid inverter (Solar and battery inverter in one)
An inverter that handles both solar panels and a battery: it converts panel power for the house and also charges and discharges a battery. Modular batteries such as BYD Battery-Box or Fox ESS need one. All-in-one units such as Tesla Powerwall 3 have one built in.
Inverter clipping (Panels bigger than the inverter)
When panels produce more DC power than the inverter can convert, output is capped at the inverter's rating and the excess is lost. Installers often fit more panel capacity than inverter capacity on purpose: STCs are counted on panel capacity, and the rules allow the array to exceed the inverter's rating within a set limit. Clipping then only happens around midday on the sunniest days.
kW vs kWh (Power vs energy)
kW (kilowatt) is the rate of power, like the size of your tap. kWh (kilowatt-hour) is the energy, like the volume of water that flowed. A 6.6 kW system at full output produces 6.6 kWh in one hour. A 13.5 kWh battery can run a 1 kW load for 13.5 hours.
LFP (Lithium iron phosphate, LiFePO4)
A lithium-ion battery chemistry common in home batteries. It stores a little less energy per kilogram than nickel-based lithium cells, but it is more thermally stable and is usually rated for more charge cycles.
Microinverter (Per-panel inverter)
Instead of one central inverter for the whole array, microinverters put a small inverter on each panel. They cost more upfront but cope better with shaded or split-orientation roofs, because each panel produces independently.
Net metering (Single import-export meter)
A meter that records the power you import and the power you export separately, with your solar feeding the house first. It replaced the older 'gross metering' setup, where all solar generation was metered separately from household use.
Payback period (Time to break even)
How long your savings take to repay the out-of-pocket cost of a system. It depends on the price after rebates, how much solar you use yourself, your tariffs and your feed-in rate, so any payback figure should state those assumptions. Our calculator shows its workings for your postcode.
PDRS (Peak Demand Reduction Scheme)
A NSW scheme that pays an incentive when you connect a home battery to a Virtual Power Plant. The VPP provider pays it, and it stacks with the federal rebate. The separate per-kWh battery installation discount is closed. Ended 30 June 2025, replaced by the federal Cheaper Home Batteries Program. The NSW VPP incentive still applies.
SAA (Solar Accreditation Australia)
The organisation that accredits solar and battery installers and designers under the Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme, approved by the Clean Energy Regulator in 2024. Accreditation is what keeps an install eligible for STCs, so check your installer is SAA-accredited before you sign.
Self-consumption (Solar used onsite)
The share of your solar generation you use yourself rather than export. Power you use yourself saves you the full import rate, while exported power earns only the feed-in tariff, so higher self-consumption usually means bigger savings. A battery raises it by storing daytime solar for the evening.
Smart meter (Interval meter)
A meter that records electricity use in 5- or 30-minute intervals and reports it to your retailer remotely. Needed for time-of-use tariffs, and often installed or reconfigured when solar goes in.
Solar Homes (Victorian rebate program)
Solar Victoria's rebate program. Solar panel rebate: Up to $1,400 + matching $1,400 interest-free loan. Eligibility: Owner-occupier; combined household income under $150,000 (cap reduced from $210,000 on 1 July 2026). Hot water rebate: Up to $1,400 (locally-made products) / $1,000 (other). Battery loan: Closed May 2025. Federal Cheaper Home Batteries Program now the primary battery support.
STC (Small-scale Technology Certificate)
A federal certificate created when an eligible solar system or battery is installed by an accredited installer. The installer sells the certificates and takes their value off your invoice, which is the federal rebate. For solar, one STC stands for 1 MWh of deemed generation. Solar systems installed in 2026 are deemed for 5 years, falling by one each 1 January until the last year, 2030. This site values each STC at $39.65; the Clean Energy Regulator's Clearing House price is capped at $40.
STC Zone (Federal solar zone rating)
Australia is split into four STC zones based on expected sunshine. Zone 1 gives 1.622 STCs per kW per deeming year and covers remote inland Australia, with no capital city in it. Zone 4 gives 1.185, covering Melbourne and Hobart. Your zone is set by your postcode, not your state. Darwin is Zone 2, Canberra is Zone 3.
String inverter (Central inverter)
The standard inverter setup: one inverter converts DC from all the panels into AC. Cheaper and more common, but shade on one panel can drag down the output of the whole string.
TOU (Time-of-use pricing)
An electricity tariff that charges different rates at different times of day, usually most in the early evening peak and least overnight. Peak windows differ by network and retailer. A battery can store cheap solar or off-peak power and use it in the peak.
Usable capacity (Battery energy you can actually use)
The energy a battery can deliver, after any reserve the manufacturer holds back. The federal Cheaper Home Batteries rebate is calculated on usable kWh, so compare batteries on usable capacity rather than total or nominal capacity.
VPP (Virtual Power Plant)
A network of home batteries that a retailer or aggregator can dispatch together to support the grid at peak times, usually in exchange for credits or a sign-up payment. Joining is optional under the federal Cheaper Home Batteries Program: the battery only has to be VPP-capable.