Solar Victoria rebate vs the NSW Sustainable Home Loan: which one is yours?

We get this question constantly, and it makes complete sense why: Echuca and Moama are the same town in every practical sense — same river, same main street basically, five minutes apart — but one is Victoria and the other is New South Wales, and that single fact decides which solar incentive you get. It's not a choice you make. It's whichever side of the Murray your address sits on.

Solar Victoria — the rebate + loan combo

• A $1,400 upfront rebate, applied at point of sale — you never pay it and claim it back later, it's just off the price.
• On top of that, an optional further $1,400 as an interest-free loan, repaid over 4 years through your electricity bill savings.
• Combined: up to $2,800 off your solar system.
• Eligibility: Victorian owner-occupier, combined household income under $210,000/year, property under the program's value cap, installed by an authorised retailer — which we are.

The NSW Sustainable Home Loan — bigger, but loan-only

• Up to $15,000 as an interest-free loan, repaid over 10 years through your council rates.
• No upfront rebate component — the whole benefit is interest-free finance, not free money.
• Covers more than solar: batteries (including GoodWe ESA), solar panel systems, heat pump hot water, and other energy-efficient upgrades.
• Eligibility: NSW owner-occupier, income-tested with priority given to low-to-moderate income households.

The real difference, side by side

Victoria's scheme is smaller in dollar terms ($2,800 vs up to $15,000) but part of it is genuinely free money you never pay back — the NSW scheme is entirely a loan, just an interest-free one. NSW's cap is far higher and covers a broader range of upgrades in one facility, which matters if you're doing solar, a battery and heat pump hot water together. Victoria's income test is a straightforward cap; NSW's is a priority-based means test, which can mean a longer or more involved application for higher-income NSW households.

Which towns get which

If you're in Echuca, Rochester, Kyabram, Tongala, Shepparton, Bendigo, Kerang, Cohuna, Gunbower or Yarrawonga, you're in Victoria — Solar Victoria applies. If you're in Moama, Mathoura, Deniliquin, Barham, Womboota, Finley or Mulwala, you're in NSW — the Sustainable Home Loan applies. Full list of everywhere we service: service area.

What if you're not sure, or you're right on the border?

You don't need to work this out yourself. Tell us your address and we'll tell you exactly which scheme applies and handle the entire application — Solar Victoria paperwork or NSW loan paperwork — as part of your quote. Both stack with the federal STC rebate already built into every price we quote, and if you're adding a battery, both currently stack with the federal Cheaper Home Batteries Program too.

Further reading: our full Solar Victoria rebate and NSW interest-free loan posts go deeper on each scheme individually.

Ready to find out which one's yours? Call Brooke on 0408 258 298 or use our Quote Builder.