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Solar sharing, heat pump hot water and government rebates have transformed what's possible for Victorian apartment buildings. We've done it at Brunswick — we can do it for you.
Around 12% of Victorian households live in apartments. The majority are renters. For years, the benefits of rooftop solar — lower bills, reduced emissions, energy independence — were simply out of reach for this group.
Shared rooftops. Multiple meters. Owners Corporation approvals. Competing interests between owners and renters. These structural barriers made apartment solar seem too hard.
But the landscape has fundamentally changed. New solar sharing technology, updated government rebate programs, and a clearer pathway for Owners Corporations have removed most of those barriers.
"We're now running the hot water system on solar — saving thousands a year while slashing our carbon footprint. The upgrade pays for itself in under 2 years."
— Apartment resident, 76 Edward Street, BrunswickThe lesson from Brunswick — and from dozens of similar projects we've completed across Victoria — is that the biggest obstacle isn't technical. It's knowing where to start.
Victorian apartment buildings can access a combination of state and federal incentives. The programs are designed to stack — meaning most buildings access multiple rebates simultaneously.
At 76 Edward Street in Brunswick, an 18-unit apartment block recently completed a whole-building hot water electrification. Not by installing complex solar sharing infrastructure or undertaking extensive renovations — but by focusing on the single highest-energy-use item in the building: a shared gas hot water system costing nearly $19,300 a year.
Working with All Electric Homes, the Owners Corporation installed a solar-supported heat pump hot water system: 11.88 kW of solar (25 × 475W Jinko panels) paired with 2 × 400L Reclaim Energy CO₂ heat pumps, supported by a 50L finishing tank. The heat pumps draw primarily from the solar PV during daylight hours.
The result was a communal hot water upgrade that cut bills by over $17,000 a year, slashed emissions by 86%, and is on track to deliver a complete return on investment in under two years.
Rather than trying to electrify every element of the building at once, the Owners Corporation took a whole-of-system view: where is the most energy going? For most older apartment buildings, the answer is hot water.
By targeting that single communal service and designing a solar-aligned system around it, the result was technically simple, financially compelling, and operationally low-effort for the OC committee.
"This case study shows the power of whole-of-system thinking — proving that designing interconnected systems may lead to the most efficient outcome." — Yarra Energy Foundation
| Projected | Actual | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual energy spend | $2,705 | $1,339 |
| Annual savings | $16,580 | $17,944 |
| CO₂e reduction | 25.9 tonnes | Confirmed |
| Payback period | 1.9 years | 1.9 years |
| Installed cost (after rebates) | $34,478 | $34,478 |
Actuals reflect four months post-installation covering summer months (highest solar production). Figures expected to stabilise over a full 12-month period. Source: SpendWatt / Yarra Energy Foundation.
The Solar for Apartments program has specific eligibility criteria for both buildings and solar systems. Most older Victorian apartment buildings qualify.
| Criteria | Requirement | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Building type | ✓ Class 2 apartments or horizontally attached townhouses/row units | Covers the vast majority of Victorian strata buildings |
| Building height | ✓ Maximum 8 storeys from ground level | Some exemptions may apply |
| Number of lots | ✓ Minimum 5, maximum 50 occupiable lots | Some exemptions for upper limit may apply |
| Owners Corporation tier | ✓ Tier 3 or Tier 4 under the Owners Corporations Act 2006 (Vic) | OC must have formal governance structures |
| Property value | ✓ Median capital-improved value ≤ $950,000 | Assessed by Valuer-General Victoria. Building may still qualify even if some units exceed this |
| Existing solar | ✗ No solar PV installed in the last 10 years for participating lots | New systems must serve lots without recent installations |
| Excluded buildings | ✗ Not a retirement village, commercial building, council, developer or community housing | Must be a standard residential OC |
| System payback | ✓ Must demonstrate payback period within 10 years | Assessed after STCs, before this rebate |
| Common areas | ✓ Common-area energy use allowed (proportional to lot share) | System must directly supply participating residential lots |
Source: solar.vic.gov.au/apartments. Eligibility information current as at March 2026 — always verify on the official Solar Victoria website before applying.
We handle the complexity — from the OC resolution through to installation and rebate claiming. Here's what the journey looks like.
Apartment electrification involves a few more moving parts than a typical house install. Here are the questions we hear most often.
Not sure where to start? Call us for a free, no-obligation conversation with one of our strata energy specialists.
1800 719 873