The NSW Home Energy Saver Loan: $15,000 at 0% Interest, Explained

The NSW Government has removed the single biggest reason people put off a home energy upgrade: the price on day one.

Since 17 June 2026, eligible NSW households have been able to borrow up to $15,000 at zero interest, repayable over up to 10 years, to install things like reverse-cycle air conditioning, rooftop solar, a home battery, ceiling insulation or a heat pump hot water system. It’s called the Home Energy Saver program, and it’s part of a $557 million commitment from the NSW Government.

It’s not a rebate. It’s a loan — you repay every dollar you borrow. But you repay it without interest, over a decade, instead of finding thousands of dollars up front.

Below is a plain-English guide to what it covers, who qualifies, and how to actually apply.

What is the NSW Home Energy Saver loan?

The Home Energy Saver loan is a zero-interest loan of up to $15,000 for eligible NSW homeowners and landlords, used to pay for approved energy-saving upgrades to their property. It is funded by the NSW Government and delivered through two approved finance providers: Brighte and Plenti.

Loan applications are open now, with no current closing date.

Who is eligible for the Home Energy Saver loan?

To be eligible, you must meet all of the following:

• The dwelling is in NSW
• You are an Australian citizen or permanent resident
• Your combined annual taxable household income is $210,000 or less
• You own the property — as either an owner-occupier or a landlord
• The upgrade is on the program’s approved list (see below)

You are excluded if:

• The property has already received $15,000 of upgrades under a Home Energy Saver loan
• The property is social or community housing
• The property is used for short-stay rental accommodation

If you live in a strata property, you can still apply — but the strata or owners corporation must approve the upgrade first, and getting that approval is your responsibility.

If you rent, you can’t take out the loan yourself. Your landlord can.

Final eligibility is assessed by your chosen finance provider. They’ll ask for evidence of household income — typically your Notice of Assessment from the last completed financial year — plus proof you own the property.

What upgrades does the loan cover?

The program covers 13 approved upgrade types.

You can combine upgrades within your $15,000 — for example, a reverse-cycle system plus a switchboard upgrade.

One important limit: the loan covers the upgrade and its installation only. It doesn’t cover any remedial work your home might need to be ready for the install. If your property needs extra work, ask for it to be quoted separately so it’s clear what’s inside the loan and what isn’t.

Does the loan cover air conditioning?

Yes — reverse-cycle air conditioners are on the approved list. This is one of the most common questions we get, and the answer is a clean yes, with conditions.

To qualify, the system must:

• Be reverse-cycle — not cooling-only, not heating-only
• Fall within GEMS product classes 5–7 (unitary), 8–12 (single split-system) or 18–21 (multiple split-system)
• Use a refrigerant with a Global Warming Potential (GWP) below 700 (for most residential classes)
• Carry a minimum 5-year manufacturer’s warranty
• Be designed and installed to AS/NZS 5141:2018
• Include the decommissioning, removal and compliant disposal of the old appliance and any unused connections

In practice, that means the unit has to be a genuinely efficient, current-generation reverse-cycle system, installed to standard, by an accredited supplier. Cheap cooling-only boxes are out. So are systems on older high-GWP refrigerants.

That’s not red tape for the sake of it. The whole point of the program is to reduce what your home costs to run, and a poorly specified or poorly installed system doesn’t do that — regardless of how it was paid for.

Does the loan cover home batteries and solar?

Yes, but the battery rules catch a lot of people out.

For a home battery, the system must:

• Have more than 5 kWh of usable capacity
• Be installed by a Solar Accreditation Australia (SAA) accredited installer, to AS/NZS 5139
• Use battery and inverter components on the Clean Energy Council approved list
• Be internet-connectable and controllable by a Demand Response Aggregator, so it can join a Virtual Power Plant
• Carry a 10-year warranty, guaranteeing at least 70% of usable capacity after 10 years
• Be installed at a property that already has behind-the-meter rooftop solar

That last one is the catch. You cannot use a Home Energy Saver loan to install a battery at a home with no solar. The battery has to sit at a site that already generates.

For rooftop solar, the system must be designed and installed by an SAA-accredited installer, use CEC-approved panels and inverters, qualify as a small-scale system under the Clean Energy Regulator’s SRES, and be registered on the AEMO DER Register. Inverters must be IEEE 2030.5 CSIP-AUS compliant.

How do you apply?

The loan is not something you apply for at a bank. It runs through an approved supplier.

1. Check your eligibility. Read the NSW Government’s loan guidelines, or use the Energy Savings Finder on energy.nsw.gov.au.
2. Choose your upgrade.
3. Choose a finance provider — Brighte or Plenti.
4. Get a quote from an approved supplier. Each finance provider publishes its own list of approved suppliers on its website. Your supplier must hold the right accreditations and licences and be a New Energy Tech Consumer Code (NETCC) approved seller.
5. Apply. Your supplier sends you a referral link from your chosen finance provider, pre-populated with the product and the total supply-and-install cost. You provide proof of ownership and household income, and complete a serviceability assessment.
6. Install and settle. The finance provider pays the approved supplier directly on completion. Your repayments start under your loan agreement.

Two things worth knowing about the process:

• Geo-tagged before-and-after photos are required on every install, to prove the quality of the work and the safe decommissioning of anything removed.
• An electrical safety inspection is required before work begins if anyone needs to enter higher-risk areas like a roof space.

Can you combine it with other rebates?

Yes, and you’re actually required to.

Before a Home Energy Saver loan is issued, approved suppliers must first apply any other Commonwealth or NSW incentives you’re entitled to — including the Energy Savings Scheme (ESS), the Peak Demand Reduction Scheme (PDRS), and the federal Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme (SRES). The loan then covers what’s left.

That means the price on your quote should already have the other incentives stripped out of it before the loan amount is set. If it hasn’t, ask why.

One warning worth taking seriously

Programs like this attract scammers. The Home Energy Saver guidelines explicitly prohibit door-to-door sales and cold calling by approved suppliers.

If someone knocks on your door or cold-calls you offering a “free government solar” or “free air conditioning” deal under this scheme, they are, by definition, breaching the program’s ethical marketing rules. Don’t sign anything. You can report it to NSW Fair Trading on 13 32 20.

Where Alliance fits

Alliance Climate Control is a NSW-based, accredited installer of the systems this program is built to fund — reverse-cycle air conditioning, home batteries, EV chargers and switchboard upgrades. We hold a 4.9-star rating across more than 2,500 Google reviews, and every install is backed by our Lifetime Workmanship Warranty and 7-year parts and labour warranty.

The Home Energy Saver loan doesn’t change what makes an installation good. It just changes when you pay for it. The system still has to be correctly sized, correctly specified and correctly installed — because a 10-year interest-free loan on the wrong system is still the wrong system.

If you’d like to talk through whether an upgrade makes sense for your home, and how the Home Energy Saver loan would apply to it, our team is here.

Call 1300 343 595 or book a consultation.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much can I borrow under the NSW Home Energy Saver loan?

Up to $15,000 per property, at 0% interest, repayable over up to 10 years.

Who is eligible for the NSW Home Energy Saver loan?

Australian citizens or permanent residents who own a property in NSW (as an owner-occupier or landlord) with a combined annual taxable household income of $210,000 or less. Social housing, community housing and short-stay rental properties are excluded.

Does the Home Energy Saver loan cover air conditioning?

Yes. Reverse-cycle air conditioners are an approved upgrade. The system must be reverse-cycle (not cooling-only), use a refrigerant with a GWP under 700 in most residential classes, carry a minimum 5-year manufacturer warranty, and be installed to AS/NZS 5141:2018 by an approved supplier.

Can I get a home battery without solar under the Home Energy Saver loan?

No. A home battery funded by the loan must be installed at a property that already has a behind-the-meter rooftop solar system, and must have more than 5 kWh of usable capacity.

Is the Home Energy Saver a rebate or a loan?

It is a loan. You repay the full amount you borrow, but with no interest, over up to 10 years.

Who provides the Home Energy Saver loan?

Two NSW Government-approved finance providers: Brighte and Plenti. You apply through an approved supplier, who refers you to your chosen provider.

Can renters use the Home Energy Saver loan?

No — the borrower must own the property, either as an owner-occupier or a landlord.

How do I find an approved supplier?

Approved supplier lists are published on the websites of the participating finance providers, Brighte and Plenti.

Does the loan cover the cost of getting my home ready for the install?

No. The loan covers the upgrade and its installation only. Any remedial work your property needs must be quoted and paid for separately.

Can I use the Home Energy Saver loan more than once?

Not beyond the cap. Once a property has received $15,000 of upgrades under a Home Energy Saver loan, it is excluded from further loans.