{"id":101977,"date":"2025-03-03T07:30:00","date_gmt":"2025-03-02T20:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/au\/?p=101977"},"modified":"2025-03-02T23:46:07","modified_gmt":"2025-03-02T12:46:07","slug":"household-energy-revolution-battery","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/au\/household-energy-revolution-battery\/","title":{"rendered":"Household Energy Revolution: Labour\u2019s Battery Scheme Aims to Cut Bills and Emissions"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>The Labour government is expected to introduce a new household battery incentive scheme as part of its efforts to address rising cost-of-living pressures and promote climate action. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The initiative, which is likely to be a key component of <strong>Anthony Albanese<\/strong>\u2019s re-election campaign, could expand existing renewable energy support to include home battery storage. The move comes as both major parties seek to position themselves on energy policy, with the Coalition also considering a home battery scheme. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The competing proposals reflect growing political momentum around household electrification, as governments look for long-term solutions to reduce energy bills and cut greenhouse gas emissions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Expansion of Renewable Energy Support<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The most likely policy under Labour\u2019s plan is an expansion of the Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme (<a href=\"https:\/\/cer.gov.au\/schemes\/renewable-energy-target\/small-scale-renewable-energy-scheme\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">SRES<\/a>), which currently subsidises solar panels, heat pumps, and other renewable technologies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>According to the Clean Energy Regulator, more than 300,000 solar systems have been installed annually under the SRES since 2020, saving <a href=\"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/au\/spin-wont-save-you-grim-economic-warning-for-australian-households\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"100178\">households <\/a>an estimated $1,500 per year. However, the scheme is set to <strong>expire in 2030<\/strong>, prompting calls for an updated approach that includes battery storage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Several state and territory governments already provide subsidies for home batteries, with Western Australia\u2019s premier, Roger Cook, recently announcing rebates of between $5,000 and $7,500 for battery installations.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The federal government has also allocated $800 million to upgrade 100,000 social housing properties with energy-efficient appliances and has funded suburb-wide electrification trials through the Australian Renewable Energy Agency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Clean energy advocates argue that battery storage is essential for households looking to maximise their solar energy use. Without storage, many <strong>homeowners <\/strong>are forced to sell excess electricity back to the grid at <a href=\"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/au\/rba-expected-cut-interest-rates-as-inflation\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"101432\">lower rates<\/a> while still relying on the grid during peak demand periods.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>John Grimes, chief executive of the Smart Energy Council, described battery incentives as the \u201cbest way to address cost-of-living pressures\u201d, helping families cut their energy costs while reducing reliance on fossil fuels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Political Competition Over Household Electrification<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The Coalition has signalled its own home battery policy, with shadow climate change and energy minister <a href=\"https:\/\/www.liberal.org.au\/team\/ted-obrien\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Ted O\u2019Brien<\/a> confirming that battery storage remains on the agenda.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Coalition\u2019s energy platform currently centres on nuclear power proposals, with plans for reactors by 2035, but a household battery scheme could provide an alternative approach to energy resilience and affordability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Independent MPs, including Allegra Spender and Helen Haines, have also been pushing for loan-based schemes to help households transition to electric appliances. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/au.linkedin.com\/in\/francisvierboom\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Francis Vierboom<\/a>, CEO of Rewiring Australia, has advocated for a <strong>HECS-style loan model<\/strong>, calling it an \u201ceconomically efficient\u201d way to ensure battery storage benefits lower-income households.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With energy policy set to be a decisive factor in the upcoming election, both major parties are under pressure to present clear solutions.&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Labour is backing household battery incentives as part of its strategy to cut energy bills and boost clean energy adoption. The plan could expand renewable energy subsidies, but the Coalition has signalled it may introduce a competing scheme. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":101979,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[39],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-101977","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-energy","generate-columns","tablet-grid-50","mobile-grid-100","grid-parent","grid-33","no-featured-image-padding"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/101977","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=101977"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/101977\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":102005,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/101977\/revisions\/102005"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/101979"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=101977"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=101977"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=101977"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}