Heating and cooling rebates in the Northern Territory
No heating season at all, and cooling that costs more than most people's whole bill.
The short answer is that there is nothing to claim, and half the usual question does not apply either — Darwin has no heating season at all. So this page is about cooling, which in the Territory is not a summer expense but a year-round one. Below: what it costs, why the evaporative advice that suits Perth is actively wrong here, and what to do about it without a rebate.
What you can claim in the Northern Territory
Nothing — and half the question does not apply here anyway
There is no Northern Territory rebate for heating or cooling and no federal scheme covering it. But the Territory is also the one place in Australia where the heating half of the question is moot: Darwin records zero heating degree days. Nobody there is buying a system for winter.
So the practical question is only ever about cooling, and it is a bigger question than it is anywhere else — 3,508 cooling degree days, more than twice Brisbane's, spread across the whole year rather than concentrated in a summer.
The one piece of national advice to actively ignore here is evaporative cooling. It works in Perth and Adelaide because their summers are dry; it does very little in Darwin's humidity. In the Territory it is refrigerated cooling, and the saving comes from the building and the thermostat rather than from a discount.
Why Northern Territory is different
The Northern Territory has no state rebate for heating or cooling and no federal one, so nothing is available.
It is also the only Australian jurisdiction with no heating season whatsoever — zero heating degree days against 3,508 cooling. Every dollar of space conditioning in Darwin is cooling, which makes it the mirror image of every southern capital and means most national advice about heating systems is simply irrelevant here.
Two consequences worth acting on. Evaporative cooling does not work in Darwin's humidity, so the dry-climate advice that suits Perth and Adelaide is actively wrong here — it is refrigerated cooling or nothing. And because cooling runs almost year-round rather than for a season, the efficiency star rating on the unit matters more in the Northern Territory than in any other market. A one-star difference compounds over 3,508 degree days rather than a few hundred.
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 Northern Territory's reference rates. On these assumptions the cheapest option in Northern Territory is single split system at about $569 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 | $569 | $2,600 | $8,287 |
| Multi-split system | Most of the house | $1,295 | $8,500 | $21,450 |
| Ducted reverse cycle | The whole house | $1,858 | $15,500 | $34,079 |
| Electric panel or fan heater | Heats only — you would still need something for summer. | |||
| Gas space heater | There is no reticulated natural gas in the Northern Territory. | |||
| Ceiling fans | Cools only — you would still need something for winter. | |||
| Ducted gas heating | There is no reticulated natural gas in the Northern Territory. | |||
| Ducted evaporative cooling | Cools only — you would still need something for winter. |
A 160 m² pre-2005 house in Northern Territory — 0 heating and 3,508 cooling degree days — at 31.7c/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 heating and cooling cost calculator and every figure recalculates.
Every state, for comparison
| State or territory | Scheme | Indicative value | Changes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Victoria | Victorian Energy Upgrades (VEU) | $1,000–$3,500 | Co-payment rose 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
Does the Northern Territory have an air conditioning rebate?
No — no Territory scheme and no federal one either. Darwin sits alongside Western Australia and Tasmania as the three places in Australia with nothing currently on offer.
Does anyone in Darwin actually need to think about heating?
No — genuinely 0 heating degree days, the only Australian capital where that is true, against 3508 cooling degree days, more than double Brisbane's. Every dollar of space conditioning in the Territory is cooling.
What does a ducted system cost to run in Darwin?
About $1,858 a year for a 160 m² pre-2005 house at 31.7c per kilowatt hour, run almost year-round rather than for a summer. A multi-split covering less of the house comes to roughly $1,295.
Does evaporative cooling work in Darwin, the way it does in Perth?
No — and this is the one piece of national advice worth actively ignoring here. Evaporative needs dry air to work; Darwin's humidity defeats it. Refrigerated cooling is the only real option, and with 3508 cooling degree days to run through, the unit's efficiency star rating matters more here than in any other market on this site.