Queensland · Social housing energy upgrades
Queensland social housing energy upgrades 2026: the $97.1 million expansion, who gets what and how to register
On 22 September 2026 the Australian Government announced a further $97.1 million for energy upgrades to around 8,000 more Queensland social housing homes: about 7,000 public housing and 1,000 community housing properties, with installations starting this year. This page explains what is being installed, why tenants do not apply, how the separate $4,500 per dwelling community housing rebate works (closing 30 October 2026), and what private Queensland households can still get.
Independent information and enquiry service · Not a government website · Not a delivery partner for the program
Public housing upgrades are selected and delivered by the Queensland Department of Housing and Public Works. If you are a tenant, contact your local Housing Service Centre or your community housing provider. This page is here so you know what exists, and so community housing providers and private property owners can ask us for quotes.
What was announced on 22 September 2026
The Social Housing Energy Performance Initiative (SHEPI) is a federal fund, matched by each state, that pays for energy upgrades in public and community housing. Queensland's first round was $116 million for up to 32,000 homes, delivered mainly through the state's Thermal Comfort Program (cooling, fans, insulation) and the Queensland Community Housing Energy Upgrades rebate. More than 15,000 Queensland homes have already been upgraded under it.
The September expansion adds $97.1 million of Commonwealth money, bringing the Queensland partnership to roughly $213 million, and targets around 8,000 additional properties. The funding agreement between the two governments is executed and published, so this is committed money rather than a proposal.
- Homes: about 7,000 public housing and 1,000 community housing properties, on top of the first round.
- Upgrades that may be installed: ceiling insulation, energy efficient ceiling fans, electric stoves replacing gas, efficient hot water systems including heat pumps, and rooftop solar. Earlier rounds also fitted split system air conditioning under the Thermal Comfort Program.
- Timing: installations under the expansion are scheduled to begin during 2026. The broader Queensland rollout runs to 2027.
- Selection: Queensland chooses properties based on location, climate and property condition. Newly built social housing is excluded because it already meets efficiency standards.
Three different situations
Which path applies to you
The program treats public housing tenants, community housing providers and private households completely differently. Find yours before you fill anything in.
Public housing tenant
You do not apply. Queensland Housing decides which homes are upgraded and sends a letter when yours is scheduled. Work is done by the department's contracted installers, and there is no way for an outside company to move your home up the list.
What to do: contact your local Housing Service Centre and ask whether your property is included in the current or expanded rollout. You can also register below so we can tell you if a Queensland program you can apply to yourself ever opens.
Community housing provider
This is the part of the program that has a rebate rather than a rollout. The Queensland Community Housing Energy Upgrades (QCHEU) rebate pays registered providers up to $4,500 ex GST per dwelling they own for eligible upgrades. You get a quote, apply to QRIDA for conditional approval, install within six months, then claim.
Deadline: the current round closes 30 October 2026. Guidelines for the 1,000 extra community homes in the expansion have not been published yet.
What we can do: quote and install heat pump hot water and split system air conditioning for provider owned dwellings between Brisbane and the Gold Coast, with the paperwork in the shape QRIDA expects. Register below or email hello@energyrebatecheck.com.au.
Private homeowner or landlord
The social housing money does not reach private homes, and Queensland has no household scheme like the NSW ESS. What you do have is the federal STC discount on heat pump hot water, rooftop solar and home batteries, applied at the point of sale by the installer.
What we can do: arrange a heat pump hot water quote with the STC discount already taken off, or an air conditioning quote, through an accredited provider working Brisbane to the Gold Coast. Elsewhere in Queensland we tell you honestly whether an installer is available.
How the community housing rebate works, step by step
- Check you qualify. The applicant must be a registered community housing provider on the National Register or the Queensland Register of State Community Housing Providers, and must own the dwelling. Properties managed but not owned are not eligible under the current round.
- Get a quote dated after 2 February 2026. Quotes issued before the program opened do not count. One application per dwelling.
- Apply to QRIDA for conditional approval before any work starts. Upgrades started or finished before conditional approval are not funded. QRIDA can be reached on 1800 623 946.
- Install within six months of conditional approval, using installers who meet the measure's requirements (for example, ceiling insulation must be fitted by an Energy Efficiency Council certified installer; hot water and air conditioning need licensed plumbers and electricians).
- Lodge the final approval claim with invoices. Installation costs that are directly part of the upgrade are eligible; project management, admin fees and maintenance are not. Installations may be inspected afterwards by the state appointed inspectorate.
Rules summarised from the Queensland Government applicant guidelines as at 29 September 2026. Confirm current terms with QRIDA before committing to any purchase.
Register
Register your interest in Queensland energy upgrades
Tell us which of the three situations you are in. Community housing providers and private property owners get a call within one business day. Tenants get the right government contact and a note from us if a program you can apply to opens.
Your details are handled under our privacy policy. Energy Rebate Check is not part of any government program and cannot guarantee any rebate.
FAQ
Queensland social housing upgrade questions
No. If you are a public housing tenant, Queensland Housing chooses which properties are upgraded, based on location, climate and the condition of the home, and writes to you when your home is scheduled. If you live in community housing, your provider decides whether to claim the rebate for your home. There is nothing for a tenant to apply for, and no outside company can arrange the upgrade for you.
The Australian Government says the additional 8,000 homes may receive ceiling insulation, energy efficient ceiling fans, electric stoves in place of gas, efficient hot water systems such as heat pumps, and rooftop solar. Earlier rounds also included split system air conditioning under the Queensland Thermal Comfort Program. What a particular home gets depends on its condition and what is already installed.
The Queensland Community Housing Energy Upgrades rebate pays registered community housing providers up to $4,500 excluding GST per dwelling they own for eligible upgrades: ceiling insulation, draught proofing, DC ceiling fans, electric cooktops and ovens, heat pump hot water, split system air conditioners and rooftop solar. The provider gets a quote after the program opened, applies to the Queensland Rural and Industry Development Authority (QRIDA) for conditional approval, has the work installed within six months, then lodges the final claim. The current round opened on 2 February 2026 and closes on 30 October 2026.
Not from the state. Queensland has no household energy efficiency scheme like the NSW ESS or Victorian VEU. A heat pump hot water system still attracts the federal Small-scale Technology Certificate discount at the point of sale, and rooftop solar and home batteries get their federal discounts. Air conditioning has no rebate for private homes in Queensland. Our register lets you ask for a quote with the federal discount applied and be told if anything changes.
The social housing program does not. The federal STC discounts apply to any property, but the owner has to agree to the installation. Queensland also runs Supercharged Solar for Renters, which is covered on our Queensland energy rebates page.
No. We are an independent information and enquiry service, not a government website, and we are not a delivery partner for the Social Housing Energy Performance Initiative. We explain the program, and we take enquiries from community housing providers and private property owners who want quotes for upgrades. Tenant enquiries are answered with the right government contact.
Other Queensland rebates
Bill concessions, the federal solar and battery discounts and Supercharged Solar for Renters are covered on the state page.
Queensland energy rebates QLD battery rebate Heat pump hot water rebatesLast reviewed 29 September 2026. Sources: DCCEEW, Queensland Department of Housing and Public Works, Queensland Treasury, QRIDA.