Supercharged Solar for Renters
A rebate towards rooftop solar for eligible Queensland rental homes, paid to individual landlords living in Australia who meet the property, tenant-consent and lease conditions.
Install rooftop solar on an eligible rental home to help lower tenants' electricity costs. The rebate is paid to the landlord after final approval, with the landlord covering costs above the rebate. The payment is the lower of the eligible solar purchase-and-installation cost, including GST, and the relevant system-size cap:
| Solar capacity | Maximum rebate |
|---|---|
| At least 3 kW but less than 4 kW | A$2,500 |
| At least 4 kW but less than 5 kW | A$3,000 |
| 5 kW or more | A$3,500 |
Capacity means the lower of the inverter capacity and the total panel capacity. The rebate itself is not subject to GST. Batteries and other ineligible components must be separately itemised and receive no rebate under this programme.
The solar system must have a generation signalling device, either built into its inverter or connected separately, regardless of system size. This enables the electricity network to switch generation off briefly in an energy emergency to protect the grid; the emergency backstop is a last-resort measure directed by the Australian Energy Market Operator.
The tenant's participation is voluntary. The solar system remains the owner's property, and installation can change the tenant's electricity plan and prices. The lease must explain electricity charges and allocation, cleaning and maintenance responsibilities, and relevant metering or billing arrangements. Do not assume that installation guarantees a particular bill saving.
Eligibility
You must be an individual living in Australia and own the residence, both at conditional and final approval. Ownership includes registered ownership of the lot or an eligible home-ownership lease under the Aboriginal Land Act 1991 or Torres Strait Islander Land Act 1991. Apply as an individual, rather than a company, trust or self-managed superannuation fund.
The property must be in Queensland, currently rented under an eligible written residential-tenancy or rooming-accommodation agreement, and individually metered for electricity. It must be a Class 1a dwelling, such as a house, townhouse, duplex or granny flat. Owner-occupied rooms are excluded. The programme FAQ says an occasional stay in a secondary home may qualify if you can prove your main home is elsewhere and meet the other requirements. Residences already fitted with solar at conditional approval and properties that have already received this rebate are excluded. A broken existing solar system can be removed before applying. Obtain written body-corporate approval where applicable.
Properties in embedded electricity networks are also excluded. In this arrangement, one grid connection supplies a building or site, and the owner or manager distributes electricity through a privately operated internal network. Occupants can have individual sub-meters, so having your own meter does not by itself satisfy the separate rule excluding embedded networks.
The tenant must pay some or all of the electricity bill. For a residential-tenancy agreement, rent must be no more than A$1,000 a week. After conditional approval, all parties must sign a new or updated fixed-term lease—even if the existing lease already has eight months remaining. At final application, at least eight months must remain. In a multiple-occupancy residence, each occupied room needs an eligible lease.
Normally, the final lease's weekly rent cannot exceed the amount at conditional approval. The formal guideline allows an increase where the lease supplied at conditional approval already contained a special condition stating the increase's terms; for residential tenancies, the increased rent must still be no more than A$1,000 a week. The programme also requires rent stability over the remaining required fixed term, including if a tenant moves out and you let to someone else.
Use a New Energy Tech Approved Seller—a retailer committed to consumer-protection standards and ethical sales practices. The system must be at least 3 kW, with Clean Energy Council-approved panels and inverter. Installations incorporating recycled materials are ineligible, even if the panel or inverter model is approved. Use a currently accredited Solar Accreditation Australia designer and installer; the installer must also hold a Queensland Open Electrical Worker Licence and hold or work for a holder of an Electrical Contractor Licence. The guideline also permits another entity that QRIDA considers appropriate for design or installation.
You can seek rebates for up to three properties, each at a different street address. Having conditional approval for three other residences prevents another conditional approval.
How to apply
- Status
- Open continuously
- Round restrictions
- Applications close when funding is exhausted or on a closing date announced on the programme website, whichever occurs first.
Applications are open on a first-come, first-served basis. The programme closes when funding is exhausted or on a closing date announced on its website, whichever comes first. Apply through the official application instructions and QRIDA portal. The portal uses Australian Government myID, which is different from myGov.
- Obtain a qualifying solar quote issued after the programme opened on 12 December 2025. Prepare proof of ownership, the current lease, evidence of the tenant's electricity-payment responsibility, tenant consent and any required written body-corporate approval.
- Use the official tenant acknowledgement and consent form. All tenants on the lease must provide consent. The form permits people with domestic-violence or other privacy concerns to use “Tenant 1” and the date without their name or signature.
- Receive QRIDA's conditional approval before installing. Complete installation and connection, payment, the new or updated lease, and the final application within the programme's 150-day completion period. Follow your conditional-approval instructions and contact QRIDA on 1800 623 946 if you cannot complete the requirements in time. Notify QRIDA before changing the approved retailer, panels, inverter or quoted price, because changes can affect eligibility.
- Submit the eligible lease and invoice or receipts showing payment in full, plus requested evidence, for final approval. A finance agreement can satisfy payment requirements if QRIDA accepts the documentation showing the finance contract is in place. The rebate cannot exceed the eligible solar cost.
Agree to a free safety inspection if your installation is selected; arrange access with your tenants. Declare actual, perceived or potential conflicts of interest in business dealings with QRIDA, and immediately notify it in writing if one later arises. Applications must be truthful; fraudulent or dishonest claims can lead to penalties and recovery of funding.