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Blog › Heat pump rebates: who is eligible
Rebates
If you own and live in your Victorian home, you may qualify for the Solar Victoria hot-water rebate if your combined owners’ taxable income is under $150,000, the property is valued below $3 million, and the other eligibility conditions are met.1
By Laura Sweeney
12 Nov 2026 ·
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Though renters and landlords are not currently eligible for that owner-occupier Solar Victoria hot-water rebate, private rental properties can access heat-pump discounts through the Victorian Energy Upgrades (VEU) program.
Pensioners can also qualify: there is no separate pensioner heat-pump rebate, but a Pensioner Concession Card can be accepted as proof of income for a Solar Victoria application.2
Here’s how the rules apply to each household type.
| Your situation | Solar Victoria hot-water rebate | VEU heat-pump discount |
|---|---|---|
| Owner-occupier | Potentially eligible | Eligible subject to upgrade rules |
| Renter | Not directly eligible for Solar Victoria hot-water rebate | Potentially eligible, usually with landlord involvement |
| Landlord or rental provider | Not eligible for Solar Victoria hot-water rebate for a tenanted property | Potentially eligible |
| Pensioner homeowner | Potentially eligible under normal owner-occupier rules | Potentially eligible |
| New-build homeowner | Solar Victoria hot-water rebate not available | Depends on the VEU activity; standard household replacement requires an existing system |
| Owners corporation | Not covered by the standard owner-occupier Solar Victoria hot-water rebate | VEU may apply depending on building classification |
Before purchasing a heat pump hot water system for your Victorian home, keep in mind that Solar Victoria and VEU are different programs with different eligibility rules.
For how those incentives affect the final price, you can check What You’ll Really Pay for a Heat Pump After Rebates rather than treating eligibility as a guarantee of a particular dollar saving.
Yes, provided you meet the current Solar Victoria requirements.
As of August 2026, Solar Victoria says an owner-occupier can potentially receive the hot-water rebate when all of these conditions are met:
Eligibility requirements
However, from 1 July 2026, the income limit changed from $210,000 to $150,000, so any households applying after 30 June 2026 will be assessed under the $150,000 limit.
Receiving a Solar Homes incentive previously does not automatically rule you out in every situation.
Solar Victoria says customers who received a rebate or loan and later moved house can apply for another incentive at their new owner-occupied address if that property has not already received the relevant rebates.
The exact interaction between incentives can be confusing, so it’s better to check the property’s rebate history before making assumptions.
A renter cannot personally claim the current Solar Victoria owner-occupier hot-water rebate because one of its core requirements is that the applicant owns and occupies the property.
However, renters are eligible for upgrades under the Victorian Energy Upgrades program.
The Victorian Government advises renters to speak with their landlord first because permission may be required depending on the modification and tenancy arrangements.
That means renting does not necessarily rule out a subsidised heat-pump upgrade; it changes which program and who needs to organise the work.
If you are living in a rented apartment, start by asking the rental provider whether they are willing to replace the existing gas or inefficient electric hot-water system with an eligible heat pump.
If they agree, the installation should be organised through a VEU-accredited provider, so eligibility and the discount can be confirmed before work proceeds.
Yes, landlords can access heat pump rebates through VEU.
The Victorian Government confirms that private rental properties are eligible for VEU hot-water upgrades, and landlords can use the program when planning an upgrade or when a hot-water system fails unexpectedly.
For a standard household VEU hot-water upgrade, the property must have an existing hot-water system in a house or building that is at least two years old, and the replacement must be an approved product with at least a five-year warranty.3
The Solar Victoria hot-water rebate is different: its current eligibility page requires the applicant to be an owner-occupier.
Therefore, landlords should not assume the Solar Victoria component is available for a tenanted property.
Yes, being a pensioner does not prevent you from claiming the rebate.
A pensioner who owns and lives in the property is assessed under the same Solar Victoria requirements as other owner-occupiers.
Though there is not currently a separate higher hot-water rebate specifically for pensioners, they may use documents such as a Centrelink Payment Summary, Pensioner Concession Card or Commonwealth Seniors Health Card as acceptable evidence of income.4
Solar Victoria also allows self-funded retirees who do not receive Centrelink payments to provide a signed statutory declaration that includes their total income, including superannuation, for the financial year.
So the key question is not “Do I have a pension card?” but “Do I meet the normal owner-occupier eligibility rules?”
Even though the two programs are similar, they have slightly different requirements.
For the Solar Homes hot-water rebate:
The standard hot-water rebate is therefore not intended for installing the first hot-water system in a new-build home.
For the standard household VEU heat-pump discount, there must be an existing hot-water system to replace in a house or building at least 2 years old.
VEU says Victorian households and private rental properties are eligible; its hot-water eligibility criteria do not list a household income or property-value cap.
In Victoria, the eligibility applies to both the product and the customer.
The exact model must appear on Solar Victoria’s current eligible hot-water product list.5 It says all heat-pump products on that list have:
The list changes as products are assessed, so check the exact model number rather than assuming that every heat pump from a particular brand qualifies.
VEU likewise requires an approved product with at least a five-year warranty.
Not sure which rebates your home qualifies for? We’ll check before you book.
For a Solar Victoria hot-water application, expect to provide:
If there is more than one owner, Solar Victoria requires income evidence for each owner from the same financial year.
Solar Victoria recommends obtaining the quote first but not accepting it in writing or paying a non-refundable deposit until eligibility is confirmed.
Once approved, you receive a QR code that the installer normally scans before installation begins.
Solar Victoria has an emergency-installation pathway.
If the existing system has broken down or become unsafe, an authorised retailer can arrange an eligible replacement before rebate approval, but you must still prove that you meet the eligibility rules afterwards.
However, if you later turn out to be ineligible, the rebate may not be paid.
Before booking your heat pump installation, confirm the following:
If all five line up, the next useful step is an eligibility-checked quote from an authorised or accredited provider.
For more information on rebate values, installation costs, and payback, see our guide on What You’ll Really Pay for a Heat Pump After Rebates.
In simple terms, homeowners have the clearest pathway to the Solar Victoria hot-water rebate, provided they satisfy the income, property, previous-rebate and existing-system rules.
Renters and landlords can still benefit through VEU, but the landlord normally needs to be involved in approving and organising a permanent hot-water upgrade.
Pensioners are assessed under the normal owner-occupier rules rather than receiving a separate pensioner rebate.
The safest next step is to have the property, the old system, and the proposed heat pump model checked before installation, so that the quote reflects the incentives you can actually claim from your retailer.
Laura specialises in hot water heat pump systems, helping customers select the right system size, maximise rebates, and achieve long term energy savings.
Talk to an expert
Tell us a little about your home and what you’re keen on. We’ll come back with your options, and the rebates you could get. No sales pressure, no cookie-cutter systems, no jargon.
We’ll confirm what you’re eligible for before you commit to anything.
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More answers in the FAQ hub →
For Solar Victoria hot-water applications submitted after 30 June 2026, the combined taxable income of all owners must be less than $150,000 per year.
Renters do not qualify for the owner-occupier Solar Victoria hot-water rebate, but rental properties can access VEU heat-pump upgrades. Speak with the landlord before arranging permanent changes.
No separate pensioner hot-water rebate is currently listed. Eligible pensioner homeowners can claim under the standard rules, and a Pensioner Concession Card may be used as evidence of income.
The standard Solar Victoria hot-water rebate applies to owner-occupiers of existing properties replacing an existing system, not a first system in a new build.
Yes. Solar Victoria requires the system being replaced to be at least three years old. VEU’s household activity requires an existing system in a house or building that is at least 2 years old.
No. The exact model must meet the relevant program requirements. Solar Victoria requires products from its current eligible list.
Possibly. Previous rebate history is assessed by property and incentive type; for example, Solar Victoria allows some existing customers who move house to apply again at an eligible new owner-occupied address.
Laura Sweeney
11 Nov 2026
Laura Sweeney
11 Nov 2026
