Contact Information
- Solahart Central Coast
- Unit 12, 41 Accolade Avenue
- Morisset NSW 2264
- 1300 362 821
- centralcoastsolahart@bigpond.com
For a lot of Central Coast & Lake Macquarie households, the biggest thing standing between them and lower power bills is the upfront cost of going solar. You know a solar and battery system will pay for itself over time, but finding several thousand dollars in one hit is another matter. The NSW Home Energy Saver is designed to solve exactly that problem, and for homeowners across Gosford, Erina, Wyong, Terrigal and Swansea it is well worth understanding.
In this guide we explain what the NSW Home Energy Saver offers, who is eligible, which upgrades it covers, and how it works alongside the other rebates already available. The figures and rules here are based on the NSW Government guidelines current at the time of writing, so always confirm the latest details on the official NSW Home Energy Saver page before you apply.
The NSW Home Energy Saver is a NSW Government program that launched on 17 June 2026, backed by 557 million dollars in funding. It is built to help households cover the upfront cost of energy-saving upgrades, and it comes in two parts:
• A zero-interest loan of up to 15,000 dollars, repayable over up to 10 years, with no interest and no ongoing fees.
• A discount of up to 4,000 dollars for eligible lower-income households, opening later in 2026.
The program builds on the earlier Empowering Homes scheme, but with a higher loan cap and a more generous income threshold, which means many more Central Coast & Lake Macquarie households now qualify. The loans are funded by the NSW Government and delivered through approved finance providers, while the discount is delivered separately.
The loan is exactly what it sounds like. You borrow between 1,001 and 15,000 dollars to pay for approved upgrades, then repay only what you borrowed over a term of up to 10 years, with zero interest. There is no catch on the interest, which is the part that makes it so useful. On a comparable loan from a bank you could easily pay a couple of thousand dollars in interest over the same period.
For many Central Coast homes, the monthly repayment on a new solar and battery system ends up close to, or even below, the amount the system saves on the power bill each month. In other words, the system can effectively pay for itself while you own it, rather than demanding a large payment before you see any benefit. If you would rather look at other flexible ways to pay, Solahart Central Coast also offers its own interest-free finance options across the residential range.
The NSW Home Energy Saver covers a broad list of energy-saving upgrades, which is good news if you want to tackle more than one thing at once. Eligible upgrades include:
• Rooftop solar power systems
• Home battery storage
• Heat pump and solar hot water systems
• Switchboard upgrades
• Reverse-cycle air conditioning and ceiling fans
• Induction cooktops and EV chargers
• Insulation, double glazing and draught-proofing You can use the loan for a single upgrade or bundle several together, such as solar panels, a home battery and a new hot water system, as long as the combined cost stays within the loan cap. One important detail worth checking: under the current loan guidelines, a rooftop solar installation may need to be paired with an eligible battery to qualify, so a solar-only project might not meet that specific requirement. This is exactly the kind of thing a local installer can confirm for your situation.
A heat pump is an easy replacement for a conventional electric water heater, as it often can be hooked up to your existing plumbing and electrical connections. This type of water heater can only be installed outdoors as it draws energy from the surrounding air.
To apply for the interest-free loan, you generally need to:
• Own the NSW property where the upgrade is being installed, as either an owner-occupier or a landlord
• Be an Australian citizen or permanent resident
• Have a combined taxable household income of up to 210,000 dollars
• Pass the finance provider’s standard credit assessment
Renters cannot apply for the loan directly, but they will be able to apply for the discount once it opens, provided their landlord and, where relevant, strata manager approve the upgrade. Social and community housing, along with properties used for short-stay accommodation, are not eligible. The discount, when it opens later in 2026, is aimed at lower-income households, generally those earning up to 80,000 dollars a year or holding an eligible concession card, with a minimum customer contribution of 200 dollars.
This is where the NSW Home Energy Saver becomes genuinely powerful for Central Coast & Lake Macquarie homeowners. It is designed to work alongside the other incentives already on offer, not
instead of them. The key principle is that the other rebates come off the price first, and then the loan covers whatever is left. In practice, the order looks like this:
• The federal Cheaper Home Batteries Program reduces the price of an eligible battery
• Small-scale Technology Certificates (STCs) reduce the price of a solar system or Hot Water Heat Pump
• Energy Saver Certificates reduce the price of a Hot Water Heat Pump further when replacing an eligible electric or gas hot water system
• The NSW Peak Demand Reduction Scheme incentive applies if you join a Virtual Power Plant with a compatible battery
• The NSW Home Energy Saver loan then covers the remaining balance, interest-free
To put rough numbers on it, a solar and battery system priced around 16,000 dollars might come down to somewhere in the region of 9,000 to 11,000 dollars once the federal battery discount and solar STCs are applied. A Home Energy Saver loan can then cover that remaining balance with nothing to pay upfront. These figures are indicative only, and your actual numbers depend on the system and your circumstances, but they show why stacking the incentives correctly matters so much. You can also check the current solar offers available through Solahart Central Coast to see what else can bring the price down.
To use the NSW Home Energy Saver, the work has to be carried out by an installer who meets the program’s accreditation standards, including holding New Energy Tech Consumer Code accreditation. This is the same consumer-protection standard used for the federal battery rebate, and it exists to protect you.
Solahart Central Coast is a New Energy Tech Approved Seller and has been installing and servicing systems across the Central Coast and Lake Macquarie for over 30 years. That local track record matters when you are making a long-term investment, because you want an installer who will still be around to support the system and handle any warranty questions years down the track. A good local installer will also prepare an itemised quote that clearly shows the products, the installation cost, the incentives you qualify for, and your final out-of-pocket cost, so you know exactly what you are financing.
The process is more straightforward than most people expect, because a good installer handles much of the paperwork with you. In broad terms, you check your eligibility on the official NSW Government page, decide on the right system for your home, get an itemised quote from an accredited local installer, and apply through one of the approved finance providers.
The most important step is getting the system design and the sequencing right, so that every rebate you are entitled to is applied before the loan is calculated. That is where local advice pays off. If you would like a clear, honest assessment of what your home qualifies for and what the numbers look like, get in touch with the Solahart Central Coast team for a free, no-obligation quote. We can walk you through the right system for your home, the incentives you can access, and how the NSW Home Energy Saver fits on top.
It is a NSW Government program that launched on 17 June 2026 to help households afford energy-saving upgrades. It offers eligible households a zero-interest loan of up to 15,000 dollars, and from later in 2026 a discount of up to 4,000 dollars for lower-income households.
The main offer is an interest-free loan, not a cash grant, so you repay the amount you borrow over up to 10 years without any interest. A separate discount of up to 4,000 dollars is available for eligible lower-income households and does not need to be repaid.
Yes. Rooftop solar and home battery storage are both supported. Under the current loan guidelines a solar system may need to be installed together with an eligible battery to qualify, so it is worth confirming this for your project with a local accredited installer.
NSW property owners, both owner-occupiers and landlords, who are Australian citizens or permanent residents with a combined taxable household income of up to 210,000 dollars, and who pass the finance provider’s credit assessment. Renters can access the discount instead, with landlord approval.
Yes. The federal Cheaper Home Batteries Program, solar STCs and the NSW Virtual Power Plant incentive are applied first to bring the price down, and the Home Energy Saver loan then covers whatever is left. Applying the rebates in the right order is important, which is where a local installer can help.
You can borrow between 1,001 and 15,000 dollars, repayable over a term of up to 10 years, with zero interest and no ongoing fees.
Check your eligibility on the official NSW Government Home Energy Saver page, get an itemised quote from an accredited local installer such as Solahart Central Coast, then apply through one of the approved finance providers. Your installer can help you get the quote and paperwork right.
This article provides general information based on the NSW Government’s published Home Energy Saver guidelines current at the time of writing. Program terms, eligibility and funding availability may change, so always confirm the current details on the official NSW Climate and Energy Action website before applying. It is not financial advice.
Bellevorg Pty Ltd (ABN 37 133 510 531), trading as Solahart Central Coast, operates the Solahart dealership in the region covering from the Hawkesbury River, Bucketty, Dooralong, Cooranbong, and across to Caves Beach. NSW Contractor Licence No. 210883C, Electrician Licence No. 211340C, Plumber Licence No. 379864C.
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