Heating and cooling rebates in Australian Capital Territory
The most expensive house in Australia to heat, and the narrowest case for switching.
What you can claim towards heating or cooling in Australian Capital Territory, what the systems actually cost to run here, and the local facts that change the answer — the climate, the tariff structure and the grid.
What you can claim in Australian Capital Territory
Home Energy Support Program
Up to 50% of supply and installation, capped at $2,500, for eligible concession holders — indicatively $0 to $2,500.
- You must own and live in the home.
- The 50% rebate is for holders of an eligible concession card.
- A separate ActewAGL program discounts upgrades from ducted gas heating to reverse cycle for households generally.
- Zero-interest loans are available through the Sustainable Household Scheme for households that do not qualify for the rebate.
The ACT is the most expensive place in Australia to heat a house — the coldest capital and the second dearest electricity — so the rebate is doing more work here than anywhere else.
Administered by ACT Government. Official scheme page. Last verified 5 September 2026.
Why Australian Capital Territory is different
The ACT approaches this differently from the certificate schemes. The Home Energy Support Program pays up to 50% of supply and installation, capped at $2,500, for households holding an eligible concession card — a much deeper subsidy than anywhere else, but for a narrower group. A separate ActewAGL program discounts upgrades from ducted gas to reverse cycle for households generally, and zero-interest loans are available through the Sustainable Household Scheme for those who do not qualify for the rebate.
The rebate is doing more work here than anywhere else, because the ACT is the most expensive place in Australia to heat a house. Canberra has 1,833 heating degree days, the most of any capital, and ActewAGL electricity at 37.0c per kilowatt hour is the second dearest in the country. Heating a 160 m² pre-2005 Canberra house with ducted reverse cycle costs around $2,431 a year — about 1.8 times the Melbourne figure for the identical house and system, and $2,635 once you add the cooling.
Reverse cycle still beats ducted gas here, but by the narrowest margin in the country: about 13%, against 31% in Victoria and 53% in Western Australia. Dear electricity erodes the heat pump's advantage, and Canberra has the dearest electricity of any state with mains gas.
So the honest position for Canberra: switching is still the right call on running cost, on emissions and for the long term, but the saving is smaller here than the national story suggests and the payback is correspondingly longer. If you qualify for the concession rebate it is a straightforward yes. If you do not, run your own numbers rather than assuming the headline applies.
What it costs to heat and cool a house here
A 160 m² house built before 2005, heated and cooled for a full year at Australian Capital Territory's reference rates. On these assumptions the cheapest option in Australian Capital Territory is single split system at about $807 a year — though read the conditions column, because it is not conditioning the same amount of house as the ones below it.
| System | Conditions | Per year | Installed | 10-year total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single split system | One main living area | $807 | $2,600 | $10,670 |
| Multi-split system | Most of the house | $1,846 | $8,500 | $26,957 |
| Ducted reverse cycle | The whole house | $2,635 | $15,500 | $41,848 |
| Ceiling fans | Cools only — you would still need something for winter. | |||
| Ducted evaporative cooling | Cools only — you would still need something for winter. | |||
| Gas space heater | Heats only — you would still need something for summer. | |||
| Electric panel or fan heater | Heats only — you would still need something for summer. | |||
| Ducted gas heating | Heats only — you would still need something for summer. |
A 160 m² pre-2005 house in Australian Capital Territory — 1,833 heating and 210 cooling degree days — at 37.0c/kWh, heating and cooling for a full year. Read the conditions column: the cheap options are partly cheap because they condition less of the house.
Your own house will differ. Put your floor area, insulation and rates into the calculator and every figure recalculates.
Every state, for comparison
| State or territory | Scheme | Indicative value | Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Victoria | Victorian Energy Upgrades (VEU) | $1,000–$3,500 | Changes 30/09/2026 |
| New South Wales | Energy Savings Scheme (ESS) | $200–$2,600 | — |
| Australian Capital Territory | Home Energy Support Program | $0–$2,500 | — |
| South Australia | Retailer Energy Productivity Scheme (REPS) | $300–$1,500 | — |
| Queensland | Climate Smart Energy Savers | $0–$1,000 | — |
| Western Australia | no state scheme | — | — |
| Tasmania | no state scheme | — | — |
| Northern Territory | no state scheme | — | — |
There is no federal rebate for heating or cooling. Small-scale Technology Certificates apply to water heaters and solar panels only, so unlike a hot water upgrade there is no national floor — what you get depends entirely on your state. Every figure is indicative and delivered as a discount by an accredited installer rather than claimed back. Last verified 5 September 2026.
Frequently asked questions
What air conditioning rebate can I get in Australian Capital Territory?
Indicatively $0 to $2,500, through the Home Energy Support Program. It is delivered as a discount on your installation invoice by an accredited provider rather than claimed back afterwards, so it has to be arranged before the work is done.
Is Canberra a heating or a cooling climate?
1833 heating degree days against 210 cooling, so decisively a heating climate — the winter half of the year is where your money goes, and a system should be chosen on how well it heats.
How much does it cost to run a ducted system in Australian Capital Territory?
About $2,635 a year for a 160 m² pre-2005 house at 37.0c per kilowatt hour, heating and cooling combined. A multi-split in the same house comes to about $1,846, but it is conditioning less of the house — that is most of the difference, not better hardware.
Would insulation save more than a new system in Australian Capital Territory?
Almost certainly. Taking the same house from pre-2005 to a 6-star standard cuts heating energy to 30% and cooling energy to 60% — a bigger reduction than any system change on the market, and it applies whichever system you end up with. No scheme in Australian Capital Territory pays for it, which is precisely why it gets overlooked.