There’s a particular flavour of pain reserved for renters (yes thats me: $400pw for a garage) who cop the full electricity bill, while staring at a perfectly good roof they’re not allowed to touch.
Queensland’s Supercharged Solar for Renters program is a rare attempt to fix that: it pays eligible landlords a rebate to install solar panels on rental properties, with rules designed to make sure tenants actually see the benefit.
The program opened on 12 December 2025 and offers up to $3,500 depending on system size.
What’s the point?
The Government’s pitch is cost-of-living relief, delivered the only way that really sticks: lower bills. The expectation is around 6,500 renting households could save roughly $700 per year on electricity, depending on location and system size.
Landlords also get a carrot: solar can make a property more appealing, help differentiate it in the rental market, and potentially lift value.
Who can apply (and what kind of rentals qualify)?
This is a landlord rebate, not a tenant rebate. The landlord applies, and the rebate is paid to the landlord once the process is completed.
Landlords must:
- live in Australia
- own the rental property and not live in it
- get tenant consent (and body corporate consent if relevant).
Rental property must be:
- in Queensland
- a Class 1a dwelling (house/duplex/townhouse) or a secondary dwelling like a granny flat
- currently rented with an eligible lease in place
- rented for $1,000 per week or less
- individually metered (its own electricity meter).
Not eligible if:
- it already has a solar system installed (working or not)
- it’s part of an embedded network.
Also: one rebate per property, and if you own multiple rentals you can apply for up to three properties.
The tenant protection bit (the part that stops it being a “nice story”)
If you’ve been around the rental market for more than five minutes, you’ll know why this exists.
To safeguard tenant savings, landlords must:
- not increase the weekly rent immediately following the solar installation, and
- ensure that the fixed-term lease after installation has at least 8 months remaining with no increase in rent.
In other words: the program is trying to prevent the classic move where the tenant pays for the upgrade via a rent hike, then gets handed a pamphlet about “sustainability”.
How much is the rebate?
The amount depends on the solar system’s capacity, measured as the lower of:
- the inverter capacity, or
- the total panel capacity.
Rebate tiers:
- 3 kW to < 4 kW: $2,500
- 4 kW to < 5 kW: $3,000
- 5 kW or more: $3,500
The process: two stages, and you can’t skip the boring step
This is the bit people will try to “just get on with”, and then wonder why nothing lines up.
You must get conditional approval from QRIDA before you install (or even properly commit).
High-level steps:
- Get quotes
- Get the tenant’s consent
- Apply for conditional approval
- Receive conditional approval
- Update the tenancy agreement (lease)
- Install the solar system and pay in full
- Submit the final application for the rebate
Two important “don’t stuff this up” details:
- The quote for conditional approval must be dated after 12 December 2025.
- The system must not be installed before conditional approval is granted.
What solar systems qualify?
This program is clearly trying to avoid the race-to-the-bottom stuff that looks cheap today and becomes a support nightmare tomorrow.
To be eligible, the system must:
- be supplied by a New Energy Tech Approved Seller
- use panels and inverters listed on the Clean Energy Council (CEC) approved product lists
- be at least 3 kW
- include a generation signalling device (GSD)
- be designed and installed by Solar Accreditation Australia (SAA) accredited people, with appropriate Queensland electrical licencing.
Inspections and the “we don’t endorse anyone” disclaimer
Some installations may be selected for a free safety inspection, chosen at random by the Queensland Government’s appointed inspectorate.
And—very plainly—the Queensland Government doesn’t endorse, approve, or warranty suppliers/installers/products. You’re contracting directly with independent approved sellers, and you’re expected to do your own checks.
Scam alert (because of course)
There’s an explicit warning to watch for third-party websites pretending to be about the program, including misleading or phishing pages. The advice is to stick to legitimate Queensland Government information that includes qld.gov.au in the web address.
Article adapted from: qld.gov.au - Supercharged Solar for Renters
