How to set up Solar Victoria Home Rebate and Interest Free Loan?

Summary

This article guides you through how to set up and apply the Victorian Solar Homes Rebate and Interest-Free Loan within OpenSolar. The Victorian Government offers up to $1,400 or 50% of the system price (after STC discount) as a rebate, and eligible customers may also apply for a matching interest-free loan repayable over four years. This article covers:

• How to configure both incentives in the Control zone

• How to apply them to a specific project

• How to create and apply a loan repayment schedule

 This article builds upon How to Set Up Incentives, which outlines general incentive configuration options.

Overview of the Victorian Solar Homes Program

• Rebate: Up to $1,400 or 50% of the system price (after STC discount), whichever is lower.

• Interest-Free Loan: An optional loan equal to the rebate amount, repayable over 4 years, offered to eligible homeowners and rental property owners.

Configuring Incentives in the Control Zone

Navigate to:
Control > Other > Incentives

Victorian Solar Home Rebate

If the rebate already exists, click Edit to verify or update its configuration. If not, click Create and input the following:

Victorian Solar Interest-Free Loan

Follow the same steps and input the following:

Applying the Incentives to a Project

In the Design zone of the project:

1. Complete your system design.

2. Go to the Incentives tab in the left-hand sidebar.

3. Click Override Default Incentives.

4. Apply the following incentives in this exact order:

   1. STC Point of Sale Discount

   2. Victorian Solar Home Rebate

   3. Victorian Solar Interest-Free Loan (if applicable)

 Order matters—ensure STC is applied first, then the rebate, then the loan.

 Configuring the Loan Repayment Schedule

Loan repayments aren’t factored into OpenSolar’s built-in financials, but you can show them as a recurring cost to the customer by configuring a custom component.

Step-by-Step: Create a Loan Repayment Component

Go to:
Control > Design & Hardware > Other Components > + Add from Database

Enter the following details:

Adding the Repayment Component to a Project

1. Go to the project’s Design zone.

2. Click on Other Components.

3. Click the + Component icon. 

4. Select the Vic 0% Loan Repayment component.

5. It will now be added to the system and appear in the customer proposal.

Proposal Visibility

Once both the incentives and loan repayment component are applied:

• The quotation table in the Online Proposal will display:

  • STC discount

  • Rebate

  • Interest-free loan

  • Recurring repayment as a line item

• The same will reflect in the PDF proposal, ensuring clarity for the customer.