Customer hardship support

Who can seek help?

We are providing support to Solar Victoria applicants and existing customers impacted by the 2026 Victorian bushfires.

You might be a customer:

• with a Solar Homes loan, located in a bushfire-affected area and experiencing financial hardship as a result
• with an open or approved solar panel or hot water application with Solar Victoria requiring further documentation, or your system is awaiting installation
• who has installed a system with a Solar Victoria rebate, for either solar (PV) or hot water, and your property, business or system has been destroyed or damaged due to bushfires.

You might be a retailer or supplier:

• whose business has been damaged or destroyed
• who is not able to work as a result of the bushfires
• working in a bushfire-affected area and unable to continue at this time
• impacted by bushfire events that have disrupted installation scheduling or access to qualified installers and may require extensions to installation timeframes.

If your specific situation is not listed above, we encourage you to call our Customer Service team on 1300 376 393 - Monday to Friday 9:00am-5:00pm (except public holidays) to discuss your circumstances and find out what help is available.

What kind of help is available?

Some of the most immediate measures that we can take include pausing the repayment of Solar Homes loans up to six months for customers located in affected areas and providing extensions for applications and installations.

For customers

We are:

• offering to pause interest free loan repayments for six months for Solar Homes customers experiencing disruption or financial hardship because of fire related impacts including damage to property or loss of income. If you are affected and looking to pause loan repayments, you can call us on 1300 376 393 from 9:00am – 5:00pm Monday - Friday (except public holidays)
• providing, if requested, to Solar Victoria customers a 60-day extension to the installation timeframe for applications expiring between 1 January and 31 March 2026 by 60 days
• providing previous customers without insurance cover with further access to rebates to replace solar panel or hot water systems that have been damaged due to bushfires
• allowing customers who are unable to obtain certified documentation due to loss or damage alternative methods to apply for rebates
• providing exceptions to new or returning Solar Homes customers applying for a rebate to replace an existing solar panel or hot water system due to damage beyond repair. This includes exemptions on income and property value eligibility requirements
• allowing customers who reside on properties zoned as ‘farming’ to apply for Solar Homes incentives.

For retailers

We are:

• extending, if requested, the timeframe between application approval and installation completion from the current 120 days to 180 days
• allowing additional time to submit payment claims
• supporting cashflow by processing payments within 5-10 business days.

How to seek help from Solar Victoria

If you are looking to pause your loan repayments or discuss rebates, call us on 1300 376 393 from 9:00am – 5:00pm Monday - Friday (except public holidays).

Information on our hardship policy is available at: Hardship support for customers.

More help?

Information on relief and recovery support available to people, businesses and communities affected by the fires, including emergency assistance, financial help, recovery services and how to access ongoing support is available at: January 2026 Victorian bushfires.

For information on how to prepare for power outages or for information about the Prolonged Power Outage Payment (PPOP), please visit: Energy outages.

Affected Victorians can also access a support coordinator by contacting their local council, visiting a recovery centre or calling 1800 560 760.