With over 70 per cent of Australians naming cost-of-living as a priority issue, the Clean Energy Council has welcomed the additional $150 energy bill rebate for all Australian families and small businesses in this years’ Federal Budget, while reinforcing its call for a national home battery program to deliver long term reductions in power prices.
Clean Energy Council Chief Executive Officer, Kane Thornton, said while this short-term relief will be welcomed by Australians, a national home battery rebate program would assist in overcoming the upfront costs of a home battery, helping to lower power prices for all Australians.
“Four million Australians have rooftop solar, but only around 180,000 are doubling their savings with access to a home battery. That means that 95.5 per cent of solar households, already saving $1500 on average on their power bills thanks to their panels, could be saving even more through home energy storage,” Mr Thornton said.
The Clean Energy Council has been advocating for a national home battery rebate scheme of up to $6500 per household to assist with the upfront cost of purchasing a battery. We again call on all major parties to support this initiative and help Australians lower their power bills.Kane Thornton Clean Energy Council Chief Executive
Mr Thornton said last year’s Budget delivered significant investment and programs to aid the transition of our national energy market to clean energy, necessary with the pending retirement of ageing coal-fired power stations.
“Since the 2024-25 Budget, which was historic for our sector, around 46 per cent of our energy needs are now being met by clean energy generation and storage. That’s rooftop solar and home batteries, large scale solar and wind, community batteries and pumped hydro, with new technologies coming online every day and more which will become available in the future, including offshore wind and new long-duration storage solutions,” Mr Thornton said.
“These clean energy solutions are already putting downward pressure on power bills, while sharing the job and economic opportunities throughout our cities and the regions. But Australia’s energy prices are still being driven by unreliable coal plants with unscheduled disruptions, coupled with high gas peaking prices.
We know that the economics and the physics don’t lie about the cost of any delay to Australia’s essential clean energy transition. Australian households cannot afford the risk of either relying on old coal-power stations being extended well past their shelf life or spending even more to ‘flood the market’ with increasingly expensive gas, which we know is in short supply, while capping renewables and waiting 20 years for nuclear power.Kane Thornton Clean Energy Council Chief Executive
“Instead, getting as much of the lowest-cost renewables - solar, wind, batteries and pumped hydro, online in our energy system sooner is the only way we can bring long-term energy bill relief to all Australians,” he said.
ENDS
For more information or to arrange an interview, please contact:
Liam Straughan
Clean Energy Council Media Officer
+61 409 470 683
Latest news
Budget 2025-26: Short-term energy bill relief with renewables on track to lower future power bills
Green light to unlock Australia's green hydrogen potential
Rooftop solar uptake booms in 2024 - New report sparks call for national home battery rebate
Rooftop solar and storage biannual report
Response to the 2025-26 Default Market Offer (AER)
