Solar for pensioners and retirees.

Why being home in the day matters

Solar earns the most when its power is used in the house as it is generated, because each of those kilowatt-hours saves the full price you pay your retailer, while exported power earns only the feed-in tariff. Households that are home during the day, as many retired households are, can run the dishwasher, washing machine, pool pump and air conditioning off the panels. How much that saves depends on your tariff and habits; our solar cost calculator shows the assumptions it uses.

Pensioner and concession programs by state

Checked on each program page on 10 October 2026.

• ACT, Home Energy Support: for homeowners who live in the home and hold a Pensioner Concession Card, DVA Gold Card or Health Care Card. Rebates of 50% of the cost of rooftop solar up to $2,500, plus 50% up to $2,500 for heat pumps, efficient heating and cooling, electric cooktops or insulation: $5,000 in all. Approved households can also borrow up to $10,000 interest-free. The home's unimproved value must be $750,000 or less ($300,000 for a unit-titled multi-storey apartment). ACT Climate Choices, Home Energy Support: rebates for homeowners.
• NSW, Home Energy Saver: a discount of up to $4,000 for households on up to $80,000 a year or holding an eligible concession card, Pensioner Concession Card included, is coming soon: applications not yet open; you contribute at least $200. The zero-interest loan is open now (see the loans below). NSW suggests waiting for the discount if you want both on the same purchase. NSW Climate and Energy Action, Home Energy Saver, page updated 7 August 2026.
• VIC, Solar Homes solar panel (PV) rebate: up to $1,400 off panels, plus an optional interest-free loan of up to $1,400 over 4 years, for owner-occupiers whose combined household taxable income is under $150,000 a year (from 1 July 2026) with a property valued under $3,000,000. It isn't pensioner-specific; many retired households meet the income test. Solar Victoria, solar panel (PV) rebate, page updated 1 July 2026.
• SA, Switch for Solar: check current status. South Australia trialled a scheme that gave some concession holders a solar system in exchange for giving up their energy concession for a period. It was a limited trial, not an open offer to every concession card holder. We tried to confirm whether it is taking applications on 10 October 2026, but the SA Government page refused our request, so we can't say it is open. Check the SA Department for Energy and Mining, Switch for Solar page or call the department before counting on it.
• Other states: no pensioner-specific solar program that we found. The federal STC discount applies everywhere; see your state rebate page.

Government solar and battery loans open today

These are the state loans on our finance data, each read off the program page on the date shown. A loan has to be repaid and needs a credit check by the lender; this is general information, not a recommendation to borrow. We aren't a lender or a broker. Compare the full cost on our solar finance page.

• NSW, Home Energy Saver loan: Up to $15,000, zero interest. Repayment: Repayable over up to 10 years. Covers: Energy saving upgrades where the upfront cost is the barrier, rooftop solar and home batteries included. A separate Home Energy Saver discount of up to $4,000 is listed as coming soon. Who can apply: You must own the property. Open to homeowners and landlords with a combined household income of up to $210,000. The forthcoming discount targets homeowners and renters on up to $80,000 or an eligible concession card. NSW Climate and Energy Action, Home Energy Saver, checked 21 September 2026.
• VIC, Solar Homes interest-free loan: Matches the rebate, up to $1,400, interest-free. Repayment: 4 years. Covers: The household's share of a solar panel (PV) install, taken alongside the Solar Homes rebate of up to $1,400. From 1 May 2026 the loan must be selected when you apply, and no collateral is required. Who can apply: Combined household taxable income of all owners under $150,000 a year, and property value under $3 million. Solar Victoria, solar panel (PV) rebate, checked 21 September 2026.
• WA, WA Residential Battery Scheme no-interest loan: Up to $10,000, no interest. Repayment: Up to 10 years. Covers: A home battery installed under the scheme, alongside the rebate of up to $1,300 for Synergy customers or up to $3,800 for Horizon Power customers. Who can apply: Households with a combined annual income under $210,000, an approved battery, an accredited installer from the scheme vendor directory, and a commitment to join a Virtual Power Plant product. Energy Policy WA, WA Residential Battery Scheme, checked 21 September 2026.
• ACT, Sustainable Household Scheme loan: Up to $20,000, 3% interest, no upfront costs or fees. Repayment: Up to 10 years. Covers: Household battery storage, electric heating and cooling, hot water heat pumps, solar hot water, electric cooktops, electric vehicles and charging, ceiling insulation and electric cargo bikes. Rooftop solar panels are not on that product list; solar loans run through the Home Energy Support Program below. Who can apply: ACT residents who own a home (or hold a current driver licence, for an EV loan), with good credit history and the ability to repay without hardship. A free one-hour live workshop is part of the process. ACT Government, Climate Choices, Sustainable Household Scheme, checked 21 September 2026.
• ACT, Home Energy Support zero-interest loan and rebates: Rebates up to $5,000, plus a zero-interest loan up to $10,000, zero interest. Repayment: Through the Sustainable Household Scheme; early repayment carries no penalty fee. Covers: Rooftop solar at 50% of supply and installation cost up to $2,500, plus another 50% up to $2,500 towards reverse-cycle heating and cooling, a hot water heat pump, evacuated-tube solar hot water, an electric cooktop or oven, or ceiling insulation. Batteries are not covered as a stand-alone item. Who can apply: ACT homeowner-occupiers holding a Pensioner Concession Card, DVA Gold Card or Health Care Card, who attend a free workshop and meet the property value thresholds (up to $750,000 unimproved value for most homes, $300,000 for multi-storey apartments). ACT Government, Climate Choices, Home Energy Support, checked 21 September 2026.

Closed, so don't count on these

Older guides still list these loans as open. They are not.

• NSW, Empowering Homes battery loan: closed. Not among the loans NSW lists today. The NSW loan on offer on 21 September 2026 is Home Energy Saver, above. NSW Climate and Energy Action, Home Energy Saver, checked 21 September 2026.
• TAS, Energy Saver Loan Scheme: closed. Closed at 11:59pm on 1 September 2025 with funding exhausted, after supporting $62 million across 7,500 loans since October 2022. No replacement has been announced. ReCFIT (Tasmanian Government), scheme closure notice, checked 21 September 2026.

What size system suits a retired household?

Size it to your bill, not to the roof. Our size data matches a 6.6 kW system to bills of $300-$600 / quarter and a 5 kW system to bills under $300 / quarter. A 6.6 kW system generates about 26 kWh a day averaged over the year, at the national average yield our size pages use (9,570 kWh a year). Before the STC discount it costs $6,900 to $9,200 installed; after the discount in Sydney, $5,116 to $7,416. See the 6.6 kW system page and the 5 kW page.

Whether a battery is worth adding depends mostly on how much power you use after dark. The battery rebate page covers the federal discount.

Will solar affect the Age Pension?

The Department of Social Services set out the rule for feed-in payments in May 2010: feed-in credits paid as a credit on your electricity bill are not assessed as income under the pension income test, but power sold back to the grid for cash, cheque or direct deposit is counted as income. Department of Social Services, media release of 14 May 2010 on pension rules for household solar panels. That is the most recent published statement we found; confirm with Services Australia how your situation is assessed before you rely on it. This is general information, not financial advice.

Common questions

Sources

• 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.
• Solar Victoria, solar panel (PV) rebate , page updated 1 July 2026, checked 10 October 2026.
• ACT Government, Climate Choices, Sustainable Household Scheme , checked 21 September 2026.
• SA Department for Energy and Mining, Switch for Solar (status not confirmed) , checked 10 October 2026.
• Department of Social Services, media release of 14 May 2010 on pension rules for household solar panels , 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.