Guides for homeowners
Work out what your home needs before you choose anyone.
Simple guides to help you make better decisions about heating, hot water, insulation, solar, batteries and more, including what to do first, what it may cost and which rebates could apply.
The right order to upgrade your home
Insulation before heat pump sizing, sealing before ventilation, and solar later than you would think. The dependencies nobody explains before you are quoted.
There is no single order that suits every home. This is a practical starting point, and the guide explains where it changes.
Browse by where you’re at
What are you trying to solve?
Start with the situation that best describes your home.
The right order to upgrade your home
Insulation before heat pump sizing, sealing before ventilation, and solar later than you would think. The dependencies nobody explains before you are quoted.
Your hot water just died. What now?
What to do today, what your options are, and why heat pump hot water is worth ten minutes before you replace like for like.
The ducted gas heater has finally gone
Repair it, replace it or switch to reverse cycle? What the options really cost, and what your existing ductwork means for the decision.
Why every quote mentions your switchboard
What your switchboard may need before solar, batteries, EV charging or going all electric, and why the same line keeps appearing in quotes.
Where the heat actually leaves your house
Ceiling, walls, floor, windows and gaps, in the order they matter, and what each one is worth in a typical brick veneer home.
Is a battery worth it yet, honestly?
The arithmetic in plain terms, why the answer changed, and the two households where it still does not stack up.
You sealed the house. Now it’s damp.
Why a tighter house grows condensation and mould, what ventilation actually fixes it, and the order that avoids the problem in the first place.
Double glazing, secondary glazing, or curtains
Three very different price brackets solving the same problem. What each one genuinely does, and when the cheapest option is the right one.
Getting off gas, one appliance at a time
The sequence that avoids paying two connection fees and a second electrician visit, and what the gas disconnection really involves.
No guides in that situation yet. Choose another, or read them all.
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Explore by upgrade
Browse guides by upgrade and go straight to the information that’s relevant to your home.
Rebates and incentives
Find the rebates that apply to your home
The Home Energy Rebate Tracker puts the federal, state and territory programs in one place, with the date we last checked each one and a link to the page it came from.
- Federal, state and territory programs in one place
- The date we last checked each one
- A link to the original page, so you can read it yourself
Amounts, eligibility and closing dates change, and some schemes have shut while their old numbers were still printed on the page. Always check the source before you commit to an upgrade.
A few that are open now
About 30% off
Federal home battery discount
Your installer takes it off the price of the battery up front. You do not claim it back later. The amount steps down every six months until 2030.
Up to $1,960
Heat pump hot water
Two Victorian programs stacked together, for owner occupiers swapping a gas unit for a heat pump and choosing a locally made product. Replacing an old electric system instead, the ceiling is up to $2,030.
$1,300 to $3,800
WA Residential Battery Scheme
The amount depends on who sells you your power. The battery has to join a virtual power plant. There is also a no interest loan for households under an income limit.
No published figure
Hot water, through the Energy Savings Scheme
There is a real discount here, and the government pages publish no dollar amount because it depends on the unit and the property. Your installer takes it off the quote. We checked four government pages and would rather tell you that than print a number we cannot stand behind.
When you’re ready for help
Find the right help for your next step.
Get a whole-home plan
A home energy assessor can look at your whole home, identify the biggest opportunities and help you work out what to tackle first to make it more comfortable, efficient and cheaper to run.
Find an assessor near youFind the right specialist
Once you know which upgrade you need, find a business that specialises in that type of work and services your area.
Find a specialist near you