Solar Hot Water Rebates

10  things you should know about solar hot water rebates.

1. While many states and the federal government no longer provide rebates for solar hot water installations, one solar hot water rebate remains. These are called the small-scale technology certificates (STC) for solar water heater or air source heat pump systems.
2. Every solar hot water system model must be registered and classified by the Clean Energy Regulator before STC’s can be claimed. This is a long and expensive  process which every manufacturer must go through.
3. The number of STC’s given to  each system is directly proportional to the tonnes of carbon prevented from entering the atmosphere over the expected life of the system.  The higher the number of STC’s a system is given, the less boosting it is likely to require.  A system with a high number of STC’s should be cheaper to run and get a higher solar hot water rebate.
4. In general domestic installations, Glycol-filled roof-mounted flat panel systems get the lowest number of STC’s, Heat pumps are the second lowest.  Electric boosted split system flat panel and evacuated tube solar hot systems are second highest.  Gas boosted split systems get the highest number of STC’s.
5. The installer is likely to give you a point of sale discount and claim the STC rebate for themselves at a later date.  This is quite an acceptable practice as it makes the process work smoothly.
6. The value of each STC can rise and fall. This is because they are sold via STC clearing houses (such as Greenbank) to polluters. When there is demand from the polluters the price of an STC rises. When there is lower demand the price will fall. It is risky gambling on STC prices. Many business that have tried to predict STC price changes have been liquidated and no longer exist. Envirofreindly Products the local Hills solar Distributor is a prime example
7. Government policies change regularly and we are not always kept informed. Before installing a solar hot water system it is best to check with your local authorities to see if you are eligible for any other solar hot water rebates.
8. Applying for the STC rebate is easy taking 2 minutes to do the paper work. Your installer should do all of the paper work for you during the installation. You are just required to sign the form. As a reputable installer we help with the STC rebate forms.
9. You can choose whether to claim the STC rebate for yourself or assign it to the installer or retailer, as part of a point of sale discount. You can even choose not to not claim or assign the STC rebate all. This will prevent it from being sold to the polluters. You must tell the installer or retailer of your plans before you accept a quote as it is likely to have already been built in as a point of sale discount.
10. Before buying a solar hot water system ask the retailer or installer precisely how many STC’s the model you are buying has been given. Sometimes the number of STC’s will not be disclosed to buyers as the retailers are trying to hide the fact that they are selling you an inefficient system.