Most Perth households are leaving money on the table. Synergy and the WA Government offer at least six separate concessions and rebates that reduce your electricity bill, and several of them stack on top of each other. If you also add solar and battery incentives, the total value can be substantial.
The problem is that nobody lists them all in one place, explains who qualifies for what, and then connects the dots to solar. This article does that. If you hold a concession card, a WA Seniors Card, or simply pay a Synergy residential bill, there is almost certainly something here you are either claiming or should be.
Contents
Here is every current rebate and concession available to Synergy residential customers in Western Australia, ranked by how many households can claim them.
Energy Assistance Payment (EAP)
The EAP is the single most valuable ongoing concession for eligible households. It provides $342.85 per year, credited directly to your Synergy bill.
You qualify if you hold a Centrelink Pensioner Concession Card, Health Care Card, or Department of Veterans’ Affairs Gold Card. The payment was previously called the Cost of Living Allowance (CoLA) and is administered by the WA Government. If your concession card remains valid, the EAP rolls over each year without reapplication.
If you are not billed directly by Synergy (for example, you live in a retirement village, apartment, or caravan park), you can still receive this payment through the Energy Concession Extension Scheme (ECES) via RevenueWA.
If you hold an eligible concession card and have dependent children listed on it, the Dependent Child Rebate reduces the amount you owe on your Synergy bill. The rebate is calculated daily based on the number of dependent children. It cannot put your account into credit, but it directly reduces what you pay.
Eligible cards are the Pensioner Concession Card, Health Care Card, and DVA Gold Card. Apply by calling Synergy on 13 13 53 or through My Account online.
This is a separate payment for WA Seniors Card holders. It is not tied to a concession card and does not require you to hold a pension. For 2025–26, singles receive $110.07 and couples receive $165.10 per year, paid directly into your bank account.
To receive it, you must hold a valid WA Seniors Card and apply before 31 May each year. The application is through the WA Seniors Card Centre, not through Synergy. Once registered, you do not need to reapply each year (but you do need to keep your details current).
This is separate from the EAP. If you hold both a WA Seniors Card and a Pensioner Concession Card, you can receive both payments.
The Australian Government’s Household Energy Bill Relief Fund provides a $150 credit applied directly to eligible Synergy residential accounts. The 2025 round was applied from 11 October 2025 to accounts that were active on 30 September 2025.
Synergy customers did not need to apply. The credit was applied automatically. ECES-registered households received the payment into their nominated bank account.
This is a one-off credit that the federal government has renewed annually in recent budgets. Whether it continues beyond the current financial year depends on future budget decisions. It is not guaranteed to recur, so treat it as a bonus rather than a structural reduction.
HUGS is not a regular concession. It is a one-off grant for households in genuine financial hardship who have already tried payment arrangements and still cannot manage their bill. If eligible, HUGS can cover up to 85% of the outstanding amount on your Synergy account, to a maximum of $640 per financial year for Perth households (south of the 26th parallel).
You must work with Synergy to apply. The process involves a budget assessment over the phone to confirm eligibility. You are entitled to one normal grant per 12month period, with the possibility of a second grant if you engage with a financial counsellor.
HUGS is a safety net, not a regular benefit. But if you are behind on your bill and considering whether solar is affordable, knowing HUGS exists matters.
This one applies to a smaller group. If you hold both a WA Seniors Card and either a Pensioner Concession Card or Commonwealth Seniors Health Card, or if you have dependent children and an eligible concession card, you may qualify for the Air Conditioning Rebate. It ranges from $77.62 to $327.50 per year, depending on your location within WA.
The catch: you need to live in a designated area of high heat discomfort, generally north of the 26th parallel or north of the 50-day Relative Strain Index line. Most Perth metro households will not qualify. But if you are in Geraldton, Carnarvon, Karratha, or further north, check your eligibility.
Two additional subsidies exist for households with specific medical needs.
The Life Support Equipment Electricity Subsidy covers part of the cost of running prescribed medical equipment at home. Amounts range from $51 to $1,315 per year depending on the equipment type. You need a means-tested concession card and a specialist’s prescription for the equipment.
The Thermoregulatory Dysfunction Energy Subsidy provides $810 per year to eligible people who need heating or cooling equipment to manage a medical condition affecting their ability to regulate body temperature. This requires medical certification and a concession card.
These are not mainstream concessions. But for the households that need them, they are significant, and they stack with the EAP and other rebates.
Take a retired couple in Perth. Both hold Pensioner Concession Cards. One holds a WA Seniors Card. No dependent children. Here is what they can claim:
Energy Assistance Payment: $342.85 per year. Seniors Cost of Living Rebate (single rate for the card holder): $110.07 per year. Household Energy Bill Relief (if renewed): $150 one-off. That is $602.92 in the current financial year, or roughly $453 in ongoing annual support even if the federal credit is not renewed.
Now take a single parent with two dependent children, holding a Health Care Card. They receive the EAP ($342.85), the Dependent Child Rebate (calculated daily based on two children), and the Household Energy Bill Relief ($150). The total ongoing value is lower than the pensioner couple’s on the EAP alone, but the Dependent Child Rebate adds meaningful daily reductions that compound across the year.
These are real dollars off the bill. And they apply regardless of whether you have solar.
Here is the part nobody else connects. Every concession listed above reduces your bill from the consumption side. Solar reduces it from the generation side. They are not mutually exclusive. Having solar does not disqualify you from any Synergy concession or rebate.
A household receiving the EAP still gets $342.85 credited to their bill. If they also have a 6.6kW solar system generating around 28kWh per day in Perth, their grid consumption drops dramatically. Instead of paying for 20–25kWh per day at 32.37c/kWh, they might draw 5–10kWh from the grid, with the rest covered by solar. That shifts a $2,300–$2,900 annual electricity cost down to perhaps $700– $1,200 (including the daily supply charge, which solar does not eliminate). Layer the EAP on top, and the net cost of electricity for that household approaches a few hundred dollars per year.
The Seniors Cost of Living Rebate still arrives in the bank account. The Dependent Child Rebate still reduces whatever remains owing. The federal credit, if it continues, still applies.
Solar does not replace concessions. It multiplies their effect.
Solar panels attract an STC discount at the point of sale. Perth sits in STC Zone 3, which means a 6.6kW system generates a meaningful number of certificates that the installer uses to reduce the upfront price. This is not a government rebate in the traditional sense; STCs are tradeable certificates under the Renewable Energy Target, and their value fluctuates with market conditions. But the practical effect is a reduction of several thousand dollars off the installed price.
For batteries, two programs stack in 2026:
The WA Residential Battery Scheme provides up to $1,300 for Synergy customers ($130 per kWh of usable capacity, capped at 10kWh). This requires VPP (Virtual Power Plant) enrolment through Synergy, which means your battery occasionally exports stored energy to the grid during peak demand. VPP participation also generates ongoing income, typically estimated at $130–$350 per year.
The federal Cheaper Home Batteries Program provides an additional discount through enhanced STC values. For a 10kWh battery, the combined state and federal incentives currently reduce the upfront cost by roughly $5,000. The federal component steps down from 1 May 2026, so the current combined value is the highest it will be.
A no-interest loan of up to $10,000 is also available for eligible households with a combined income under $210,000, administered through Plenti as part of the WA Residential Battery Scheme.
Without a battery, a solar household exports surplus generation during the day and buys it back from the grid in the evening. Synergy’s DEBS pays 10c/kWh for exports between 3pm and 9pm, and 2c/kWh at all other times. The grid import rate is 32.37c/kWh. That is a 22–30c/kWh gap between what you sell and what you buy back.
A battery closes that gap. It stores daytime solar for evening use, so instead of selling at 2c and buying at 32c, you use your own stored energy. For a household already receiving the EAP and other concessions, a battery can bring the annual electricity cost close to zero (excluding the daily supply charge, which currently sits at 116.05c/day or approximately $424 per year).
The annual supply charge is the floor. No amount of solar or battery eliminates it. But $424 per year for electricity, with concessions potentially covering a portion of even that, is a fundamentally different financial picture from the $2,500+ that most WA households currently pay.
This is the question the article exists to answer. The honest response: it depends on your situation, but the barriers are lower than most people assume.
A 6.6kW solar system in Perth typically costs between $4,500 and $7,500 after the STC discount, depending on the panel and inverter brands. If you add a 10kWh battery with both the state and federal incentives applied at the point of sale, the battery adds roughly $7,000–$9,000 after rebates (depending on brand and configuration).
For a solar-only system at the lower end, the payback against a $2,500 annual bill is roughly two to three years. After that, the savings compound every year for the 25-year warranted life of the panels. That is the equivalent of paying two years’ worth of electricity bills upfront and then paying almost nothing for the next 23 years (excluding the daily supply charge and any remaining evening grid consumption).
The no-interest loan through the WA Battery Scheme can cover part of the cost for households earning under $210,000. And the ongoing concessions (EAP, Seniors Rebate, Dependent Child Rebate) continue to apply to whatever grid charges remain.
If your household budget is tight, solar-only (without battery) often makes the strongest financial case. It has the fastest payback, lowest upfront cost, and longest asset life. A battery can come later when the incentives, budget, and circumstances align.
First, check what you are already claiming. Call Synergy on 13 13 53 or log into My Account to confirm your concession registrations are current. Many households are eligible for the EAP or Dependent Child Rebate and have never registered.
Second, if you hold a WA Seniors Card, confirm your Cost of Living Rebate registration before 31 May. This is a separate process from Synergy, handled through the WA Seniors Card Centre.
Third, if you are considering solar, get a quote that accounts for the STC discount and, if you want battery, both the state and federal rebate. A good installer will apply these at the point of sale so you see the net price, not the gross price.
Perth Solar Warehouse can walk you through the full picture. We install across the Perth metro area from our Bibra Lake and Neerabup locations, and we handle the STC, battery rebate, and VPP paperwork as part of every installation. If you are on a concession card and wondering whether solar makes sense, that is exactly the conversation we are set up to have.
All figures sourced from the WA Government, Synergy, and the Clean Energy Regulator unless noted. Amounts are current as at April 2026 and subject to change.
Item | Detail |
|---|---|
Energy Assistance Payment (EAP) | $342.85/yr. Credited to Synergy bill. Requires
Pensioner Concession Card, Health Care Card, or DVA
Gold Card.
|
Seniors Cost of Living Rebate
(2025–26) | $110.07 singles, $165.10 couples. Paid to bank account.
Requires WA Seniors Card. Apply before 31 May.
|
Dependent Child Rebate
| Calculated daily based on number of dependent
children on concession card. Reduces bill; cannot put
account into credit.
|
Household Energy Bill Relief
(federal, 2025 round)
| $150 one-off credit. Applied automatically to eligible
Synergy accounts from October 2025. Renewal subject
to future federal budgets.
|
HUGS (Hardship Utility Grant
Scheme)
| Up to 85% of outstanding bill, capped at $640/yr south
of 26th parallel. One grant per 12-month period.
Requires application through Synergy.
|
Air Conditioning Rebate | $77.62–$327.50/yr. Location-dependent (designated
heat discomfort zones). Requires concession card +
WA Seniors Card or dependent children.
|
Thermoregulatory Dysfunction
Energy Subsidy | $810/yr. Requires medical certification and meanstested concession card.
|
Life Support Equipment Electricity
Subsidy | $51–$1,315/yr depending on equipment type. Requires
specialist prescription and concession card.
|
ECES (Energy Concession
Extension Scheme)
| Extends EAP, Dependent Child Rebate, and Air
Conditioning Rebate to embedded network customers.
Apply via RevenueWA.
|
Synergy A1 tariff (effective 1 July
2025) | 32.3719 c/kWh. Supply charge 116.05 c/day. Subject to
annual review by WA Government.
|
DEBS peak export rate (3pm–
9pm)
| 10 c/kWh. Subject to change.
|
DEBS off-peak export rate (all
other times)
| 2 c/kWh. Subject to change.
|
STC discount (solar panels) | Perth: Zone 3. Certificate value fluctuates with market.
Applied as upfront discount at point of sale.
|
WA Residential Battery Scheme
(Synergy)
| Up to $1,300 ($130/kWh usable, capped at 10kWh).
VPP enrolment required. |
Federal Cheaper Home Batteries
Program
| ~30% discount via enhanced STCs. STC Factor
reduces from 8.4 to 6.8 on 1 May 2026.
|
Combined battery rebate —
10kWh system (Synergy, to 30
April 2026) | ~$4,320 (state + federal).
|
Combined battery rebate —
10kWh system (Synergy, from 1
May 2026) | ~$3,820 (state + federal, reduced STC Factor).
|
No-interest loan (WA Battery
Scheme)
| Up to $10,000. Household income under $210,000. 3–
10 year repayment via Plenti. Stackable with rebate.
|
Typical annual bill — 25kWh/day,
no solar (2025) | ~$3,250 (including supply charge).
|
Typical annual bill — 25kWh/day,
with 6.6kW solar at 60%
utilisation
| ~$1,330 (including supply charge, excluding DEBS
credits).
|
EAP + Seniors Rebate + federal
credit (pensioner couple, 2025–
26) | ~$603 combined in current financial year.
|
Concession amounts are reviewed annually as part of the WA State Budget. Solar and battery rebate values move with STC market pricing and government policy settings. This article is updated when rates change. It is not financial advice.
