The verdict

One deadline is imminent: Victoria, 30 September 2026, when the VEU minimum co-payment on ducted systems triples from $1,000 to $3,000. Nothing else in the country has a dated change announced. Queensland's household scheme has already closed, and two of the schemes commonly listed as aircon rebates do not pay for an installation at all.

Every scheme, and what it actually does

The word "rebate" covers three different things here, and conflating them is where most advice goes wrong. Some schemes discount your installation quote. One subsidises what the unit costs to run. One is a concession on an electricity bill tied to a medical condition. Only the first kind changes what you pay an installer.

State Scheme What it does Status
VIC Victorian Energy Upgrades (VEU) Discounts the install, funded by certificates. You pay a minimum co-payment. Changing 30 Sept 2026
NSW Energy Savings Scheme (ESS) Upfront discount on the quote, roughly $340–$730. Not a cashback. Live, no dated change
SA Retailer Energy Productivity Scheme (REPS) Discount delivered through participating retailers. No fixed amount. Live, targets set to 2030
ACT Home energy support Rebate for replacing gas heating with reverse cycle. Live
QLD PeakSmart Paid households to allow demand-response control of the unit. Closed 31 Dec 2025
WA Air Conditioning Rebate Running cost only. Subsidises electricity in high heat-discomfort areas. Live — not an install rebate
TAS Medical Cooling or Heating Concession Not a rebate. Daily electricity concession tied to a medical condition. Live — not an install rebate

Checked 2 September 2026 against each scheme's own published material. Amounts in NSW vary with system efficiency, size and whether you are replacing an existing unit.

What changes next

Victoria, 30 September 2026 — finalised.

The VEU minimum co-payment rises from $1,000 to $3,000 on ducted reverse-cycle and multi-splits of 10kW or more. Residential multi-split incentives are capped at 20kW of capacity. Single splits under 10kW are untouched at $200.

The deadline runs on completion, not signature. The installation must be completed and accredited before the date to attract the current co-payment. A contract signed in September for a job finished in October falls under the new $3,000 minimum. Full breakdown of the Victorian change.

Victoria, later in 2026 — not yet dated.

DEECA has said it will publish a further consultation paper on the space heating and cooling activity, aimed at system sizing practices. No date and no draft has been released. If you are planning a Victorian install into 2027, this is the next thing that could move the numbers, and it is not being reported anywhere else yet.

Three things other pages get wrong

Queensland's PeakSmart is closed

PeakSmart stopped accepting new applications on 31 December 2025. It is still listed as available on a number of installer and comparison sites. Queensland households currently have no direct equivalent: the Q-CHEU program pays up to $4,500 to community housing providers, not to homeowners.

Western Australia's rebate does not touch your quote

WA's Air Conditioning Rebate helps eligible households in areas of high heat discomfort with the cost of running an air conditioner. It appears on your electricity account. It will not reduce what an installer charges you, and any page listing it alongside the NSW or Victorian install discounts is comparing two different things.

Tasmania's concession is medical, not general

The Medical Cooling or Heating Concession is a daily concession on the electricity bill, tied to someone in the household having a medical condition requiring heating or cooling. There is no Tasmanian install rebate for the general public.

What to do with this

If you are in Victoria and considering ducted, the decision is time-boxed: get a completion date before 30 September in writing, or budget an extra $2,000. If you are in NSW or SA, the discount is applied by the installer on the quote — so it is worth asking each quoting installer to show the discount as a line item, because a quote that does not mention it may not include it.

Everywhere else, price the job on its merits. There is no scheme waiting to make a bad quote a good one.

Frequently asked questions

Which rebate change is closest?
Victoria, 30 September 2026. The VEU minimum co-payment on ducted systems and multi-splits of 10kW or more rises from $1,000 to $3,000, and residential multi-split incentives are capped at 20kW. It is finalised, not proposed.
Can I still get the Queensland PeakSmart rebate?
No. PeakSmart closed to new applications on 31 December 2025. If you find a page offering it, that page has not been updated. Queensland households currently have no equivalent install rebate; the Q-CHEU program pays community housing providers, not homeowners.
Does Western Australia pay for an air conditioner?
Not for the installation. WA’s Air Conditioning Rebate subsidises the cost of running an air conditioner for eligible households in areas of high heat discomfort. It reduces your electricity bill, not your install quote. Most national rebate lists get this wrong.
Is there a federal air conditioning rebate?
No national scheme pays for a household air conditioner. The programs that matter are state-run energy efficiency schemes, and they work differently in each state — an upfront discount in NSW, a certificate-funded discount with a minimum co-payment in Victoria, a retailer-delivered discount in South Australia.
How often is this page checked?
Every entry carries the date it was last verified against the scheme’s own material. Schemes change without much notice, so treat the checked date as the useful part and confirm anything you are about to spend money on directly with the scheme or your installer.