Strata solar grants open now
Both grants go to the owners corporation, not to individual owners or renters, and both fund shared systems that supply the apartments themselves. Checked on each program page on 10 October 2026.
| Program | What it pays | Buildings | Closes |
|---|---|---|---|
| NSW Solar for Apartment Residents | 50% of eligible cost after STCs, excluding GST, to $150,000 a project. Boost stream in listed suburbs: 80%, to $200,000. | 3 to 55 residential lots, strata scheme | 4 December 2026, 5 pm EDST, or earlier if the funds are fully allocated |
| VIC Solar for Apartments | Up to $2,800 per apartment, to $140,000 a property | 3 to 50 occupiable lots (exemptions up to 150) | 30 June 2027, or when rebates run out |
NSW: Solar for Apartment Residents
The grant co-funds shared rooftop solar on apartment buildings and other multi-unit dwellings. It pays 50% of the eligible cost of buying and installing the system, worked out on the price after the STC discount and excluding GST, up to $150,000 a project from a $25,000,000 pool. In the suburbs NSW lists for the Boost stream the share rises to 80%, up to $200,000 a project.
- Who applies: the owners corporation, or a strata managing agent, building manager, consultant or nominated resident it authorises. Individual residents and renters can't apply.
- Which buildings: Class 2 apartment buildings, or strata-managed attached Class 1a dwellings such as townhouses, with a shared roof that is common property; 3 to 55 residential lots (buildings with more than 55 but fewer than 100 lots can ask the program); no solar installed in the last 10 years.
- What the system must do: pay back within 10 years and send at least 60% of its electricity to the residential lots, so the saving reaches every household.
- Before stage 2: the owners must pass a sustainability infrastructure resolution at a strata meeting.
- Deadlines: applications close 4 December 2026 (5 pm EDST, or earlier if the funds are fully allocated); installation is expected to be finished by 30 April 2027.
As of September 2026, NSW says it has funded 219 projects covering 3,705 households, 1,316 of them rented, and expects those projects to save households over $1,100 a year on average. That is the government's estimate for the funded projects, not a figure for your building. NSW Climate and Energy Action, Solar for Apartment Residents, page updated 16 September 2026; program FAQs.
Victoria: Solar for Apartments
Solar Victoria pays up to $2,800 per apartment, up to $140,000 per property, until 30 June 2027 or until the rebates run out. Changes announced in September 2026 removed the property value cap and opened the door to larger buildings.
- Who applies: a tier three or tier four owners corporation (3 to 50 occupiable lots) that hasn't had this funding before. Buildings over 8 storeys, or with 50 to 150 lots, can request an exemption first. Anyone, including a renter, can run the initial eligibility check.
- What the system must do: supply at least 5 residential lots directly, behind the meter; give the common area no more than 20% of the output; pay back within 10 years on the cost after STCs; and share the savings fairly among residents.
- What it won't fund: a system that only powers common areas, a third-party power purchase agreement, or a building supplied through an embedded network.
- How it's paid: the rebate is worked out on the total cost including GST, net of STCs, and paid to the authorised solar retailer after installation; the owners corporation pays the balance.
Solar Victoria, Solar for Apartments, page updated 15 September 2026, checked 10 October 2026.
ACT: concession card holders in apartments
The ACT has no strata grant, but its Home Energy Support rebates cover apartment owners who live in the unit and hold a Pensioner Concession Card, DVA Gold Card or Health Care Card: 50% of the cost of rooftop solar up to $2,500, plus up to $2,500 for other upgrades, $5,000 in all. For unit-titled multi-storey apartments the unimproved value must be $300,000 or less. A zero-interest loan of up to $10,000 can cover the rest. The same page notes that ACT body corporates can no longer refuse a unit owner's request to install sustainability infrastructure for purely aesthetic reasons. ACT Climate Choices, Home Energy Support: rebates for homeowners, checked 10 October 2026.
Everywhere else
In the other states an apartment system gets the federal STC discount and nothing strata-specific that we found. Two programs are worth knowing about. NSW's Home Energy Saver works in strata if the owners corporation agrees to the upgrade, with a zero-interest loan for owners and a discount for lower-income households that is coming soon: applications not yet open. Queensland's renters rebate does not cover apartments: Class 2 buildings are excluded. See the rebates by state for the full list.
Three ways to put solar on an apartment building
A shared system that supplies the units
One array on the common roof feeds each participating apartment behind its meter, either through solar-sharing equipment or as several small systems wired to individual lots. This is what both state grants pay for, and it is how renters in the building get the saving.
Common-area solar
The owners corporation owns a system that offsets the common-property bill: lifts, lobby lights, car park ventilation. The saving shows up in strata levies rather than on each household's bill. Victoria won't fund a system that only does this, and NSW requires at least 60% of the output to go to the residential lots.
Embedded networks
In an embedded network the building has one parent connection to the grid and an operator on-sells electricity to each unit. Solar on the roof can feed that network, but residents buy their power from the operator rather than choosing a retailer, and Victoria's grant excludes buildings supplied this way. Ask who owns the system and who sets the price before anyone signs.
Solar payback period for apartments: a worked example
Take a 20 kW shared system on a 12-lot block in Sydney. Our system price data puts a 20 kW install at $21,000 to $27,800 including GST. That is a standard install: solar-sharing equipment, cabling between floors and roof access add to it. The arithmetic is planning maths, not a quote.
| Step | Low end | High end |
|---|---|---|
| Installed price, before rebates (gross) | $21,000 | $27,800 |
| Federal STC discount (138 STCs at $39.65) | $5,472 | $5,472 |
| Price after STCs | $15,528 | $22,328 |
| NSW grant: 50% of the after-STC price excluding GST | $7,058 | $10,149 |
| Owners corporation pays (net) | $8,470 | $12,179 |
| Per lot, across 12 lots | $706 | $1,015 |
Payback is that net cost divided by the yearly bill saving across the building, and the saving depends on how much of the output the units use during the day versus export. We don't publish a payback year for apartments because it turns on that split. The grants set the bar instead: NSW and Victoria both fund only systems that pay back within 10 years, and NSW expects its funded projects to save households over $1,100 a year each on average. A GST-registered owners corporation can usually claim the GST back, which lowers its cost further; ask the strata manager or accountant.
Getting the owners corporation to vote yes
The roof is common property, so the owners decide. In NSW the grant needs a sustainability infrastructure resolution at a strata meeting before the full application. In Victoria the owners corporation approves the final quote on Solar Victoria's approval form, signed by two representatives after its resolution process. The vote you need depends on your state's strata law, so check with your strata manager early.
What wins the vote is the arithmetic above for your building: the price after STCs and the grant, the cost per lot, and the program's own payback test. A building champion who books the item for the next meeting, and gets the strata manager on side, does most of the work.
Does the federal STC discount apply to apartment solar?
Yes. Rooftop systems up to 100 kW earn STCs whoever owns them, provided an SAA-accredited installer (Solar Accreditation Australia) puts them in. Whoever owns the system, the owners corporation for a shared array or the unit owner for a lot's own system, receives the discount, which the installer shows as a reduction on the quote. See how the STC discount is worked out.
Common questions
Is there a government grant for solar on apartment buildings?
Yes, in NSW and Victoria. NSW's Solar for Apartment Residents grant pays 50% of a shared system's cost after STCs and excluding GST, up to $150,000 a project, for buildings with 3 to 55 lots; applications close 4 December 2026. Victoria's Solar for Apartments rebate pays up to $2,800 per apartment, up to $140,000 a property, until 30 June 2027. Both are applied for by the owners corporation. Checked 10 October 2026.
Can I install solar on my apartment?
Usually not on your own. The roof is common property, so the owners corporation decides and normally owns the system. The common route now is a shared system that supplies each apartment, which is what the NSW and Victorian grants fund. If you rent, ask your property manager to raise it with the owners corporation.
Can renters in an apartment benefit from strata solar?
Yes, through a lower bill, though renters can't apply. NSW's grant requires at least 60% of the output to go to the residential lots, and Solar Victoria recommends systems that connect every lot, rentals included. As of September 2026, 1,316 of the 3,705 households in NSW-funded projects were renting.
What is the solar payback period for an apartment building?
It depends on the building's daytime use, so we don't quote a single figure. Both state grants only fund systems that pay back within 10 years, and NSW expects its funded projects to save households over $1,100 a year each on average. On our price data, a 20 kW shared system in Sydney costs the owners corporation about $8,470 to $12,179 after STCs and the NSW grant.
What is an embedded network?
A building with one connection to the grid where an operator on-sells electricity to each unit. Residents buy from the operator instead of choosing their own retailer. Rooftop solar can feed the network, but Victoria's Solar for Apartments rebate excludes buildings supplied through one, so check before you plan around it.
Sources
- NSW Climate and Energy Action, Solar for Apartment Residents , page updated 16 September 2026, checked 10 October 2026.
- NSW Climate and Energy Action, Solar for Apartment Residents FAQs , checked 10 October 2026.
- Solar Victoria, Solar for Apartments , page updated 15 September 2026, checked 10 October 2026.
- ACT Climate Choices, Home Energy Support: rebates for homeowners , checked 10 October 2026.
- NSW Climate and Energy Action, Home Energy Saver , page updated 7 August 2026, checked 10 October 2026.
- Queensland Treasury, Supercharged Solar for Renters , page updated 4 March 2026, checked 10 October 2026.
General information only, not financial, tax or credit advice. We match you with one SAA-accredited installer; we are not a lender or a broker.