A retailer discount scheme through Aurora Energy, a state loan subsidy for heavier energy users like cold storage and manufacturing, and federal solar and tax programs for businesses across Tasmania.
What the tags below mean
Financing & discount schemes
One of these is a loan you repay, not a grant — check the tag on each card before assuming it’s free money.
Aurora Energy Business Efficiency Support
Discounted energy efficiency upgrades and audits for small business premises, delivered through Aurora Energy’s business efficiency program — no loan or credit check involved.
Eligibility
- Tasmanian SME with annual power consumption below 150 MWh
Statewide — applies to Greater Hobart, Launceston, Burnie and elsewhere in Tasmania
Cold storage, forestry & manufacturing
For heavier energy users — cold storage, forestry processing, and manufacturers running high electrical or thermal loads. This is a repayable loan subsidy, not a grant, and has a closing date.
Business Energy Efficiency Scheme (BEES)
A Tasmanian Government scheme for larger commercial and industrial energy users — the kind of load profile common to cold storage, sawmills and timber processing, and manufacturing. Rather than a grant, it subsidises the interest on a commercial loan you arrange yourself for an approved energy efficiency or electrification investment.
Eligibility
- Tasmanian commercial or industrial customer using over 150 MWh of electricity a year
- Active ABN, and the investment installed within Tasmania
- Interest-free on the first $10,000 of the loan over 3 years, plus a 5 percentage point subsidy on amounts from $10,000 up to $60,000
- Loan arranged with your own AFSL-licensed finance provider — this scheme subsidises the interest, not the loan itself
Statewide — applies to Greater Hobart, Launceston, Burnie and elsewhere in Tasmania
Federal programs for mid-sized businesses & commercial property
Available Australia-wide, including Tasmania. One is a certificate discount for mid-scale rooftop solar; the other is a tax deduction — and it has now closed to new purchases.
Expanded SRES (commercial solar up to 1MW)
Upfront certificate discounts for mid-scale rooftop solar on warehouses, factories, farm sheds and strata buildings. Systems between 100 kW and 1 MW can now create small-scale technology certificates instead of large-scale ones.
Eligibility
- Commercial systems up to 1,000 kW (1MW) of total onsite capacity
- Reduces upfront system cost by around 20% via certificate value
- Applies to systems installed from 1 October 2026 — certificate applications open mid to late November
Federal — applies in every state, including Tasmania
Small Business Energy Incentive
A bonus 20% tax deduction on eligible depreciating assets that support electrification and energy efficiency, on top of the deduction you’d already claim. Status: it covered assets first used or installed between 1 July 2023 and 30 June 2024, so new purchases no longer qualify — ask your accountant whether it still applies to a past return.
Eligibility
- Aggregated annual turnover under $50 million
- Bonus deduction capped at $20,000 on up to $100,000 of spend
- Claimed through your tax return, not applied for separately
On an embedded network? Read this first.
If you’re in a shopping centre, office tower or industrial park, you may not have a direct account with a major energy retailer — you’re buying power through a private network run by your landlord or body corporate instead. That can mean missing out on standard bill relief, because your meter was never logged in the usual state databases. It doesn’t mean you’re ineligible — it usually means there’s a separate, secondary application form. Check with the specific program below rather than assuming you don’t qualify.
What’s the difference between BEES and Aurora Energy support?
BEES is repayable financing for larger energy users (over 150 MWh a year) — you still pay for the upgrade in full and arrange your own commercial loan, and the scheme subsidises the interest. Aurora Energy’s listed support is a more general discount for smaller businesses through your existing retailer relationship, with no loan involved.
What does “credit assessed” actually mean here?
It means the interest subsidy isn’t guaranteed just by meeting the energy threshold — the lender also checks your business’s ability to repay, the same as any commercial loan application. It’s worth talking to your accountant before applying if you’re unsure how the repayments would sit against your cash flow.
What’s the difference between a grant and a tax incentive?
A grant or rebate puts money in your pocket, or offsets a cost, directly. A tax incentive like the Small Business Energy Incentive reduces your taxable income instead — you still spend the money first and claim it back at tax time. Neither one is a loan, so neither needs to be repaid.
Can I still claim the Small Business Energy Incentive?
Not for new purchases. The 20% bonus deduction applied to assets first used or installed between 1 July 2023 and 30 June 2024. If you bought and installed something in that window, your accountant can tell you whether it was claimed on your return.
I’m on an embedded network — can I still apply?
Usually yes, but you may need a secondary application form since your meter isn’t in the standard state database. Check the specific program’s application page, or contact them directly if it isn’t obvious.
How is this different from the household rebates page?
This page is specifically for TAS businesses with an ABN. If you’re looking for rebates as a homeowner or renter, see our TAS household page instead.