Australia has officially passed 500,000 home batteries installed, marking a major milestone in the country’s accelerating shift towards residential energy storage. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen marked the achievement at a Castle Hill event on Friday, 14 August 2026. Hosted by the Smart Energy Council and RKS Energy Solutions, an authorised Fox ESS retailer, the event celebrated the rapid growth of home batteries across Australia. Fox ESS Australian brand ambassador and swimming legend Ian Thorpe also attended the event.
The milestone comes amid significant growth in battery installations following the introduction of the Federal Government’s Cheaper Home Batteries Program. With the program targeting more than two million battery installations by 2030, Australia has already reached approximately one-quarter of that goal.
Cheaper Home Batteries Program drives rapid uptake
The Cheaper Home Batteries Program has helped reduce the upfront cost of eligible residential battery systems for Australian households. Originally backed by a $2.3 billion commitment, the program has since received expanded government funding of $7.2 billion over four years.
The rapid uptake demonstrates the growing appetite among Australians to store their solar energy rather than export it to the grid. For households with rooftop solar, battery storage can increase self-consumption and reduce exposure to electricity prices. It can also provide greater control over when households use, store, and export their energy.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the program was delivering benefits across households, employment, the economy, and emissions reduction.
“This has been an extraordinarily successful scheme. It’s creating jobs and generating economic activity, while also reducing power bills. And it’s making a genuine difference to climate change by cutting our emissions. Overall, this is a complete win-win.”
Australia reaches 14 GWh of household battery storage
The scale of Australia’s home battery rollout extends well beyond the headline installation figure.
According to Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen, Australian households have now installed 14 gigawatt hours of battery storage. Around 2,000 batteries are also being installed every working day across the country. The Hon Chris Bowen MP, Minister for Climate Change and Energy, stated:
“This is a story of global significance! Australian households have delivered 14 gigawatt hours of storage. We’re installing around 2,000 batteries every single working day across the country. And for many households, that has brought their power bills down to zero.”
The figures highlight how quickly residential batteries are moving into the Australian energy mainstream.
Australia has long been a global leader in rooftop solar adoption. Growing battery uptake represents the next stage of that transition, allowing more households to retain the renewable energy generated on their roofs.
Fox ESS expands its Australian presence
Fox ESS has supported the growing Australian battery market through an expanding local presence. The global energy technology manufacturer now operates offices in Sydney and Melbourne. Its Australian service team includes more than 50 experts supporting customers and industry partners.
The company also opened its second manufacturing facility in June 2026, increasing its capacity to support growing global demand for clean energy technology.
Fox ESS offers residential solar and energy storage solutions designed to help households generate, manage, store, and use renewable energy.
Ian Thorpe, Olympian and Fox ESS Brand Ambassador in Australia, said the growth of home batteries demonstrated the opportunities available as Australia makes greater use of its renewable energy resources.
“Fox ESS is now No. 1 in the Australian market, and I’m proud to be their brand ambassador, helping Australians make the most of renewable energy at home. We’re backing a future where Australia can run on the abundant resources we have, especially our renewable ones.”
From household batteries to Australia’s ‘missing middle’
While residential batteries have dominated Australia’s recent storage growth, government attention is also increasingly turning towards larger energy storage systems. The policy focus is expanding towards the so-called “missing middle”, including commercial and industrial energy storage. Further regulatory work is underway to support larger solar and storage projects, alongside state-based programs encouraging businesses to invest in energy storage.
This emerging market represents another opportunity to expand distributed energy storage beyond Australian homes. Commercial battery systems can help businesses increase solar self-consumption, manage electricity demand, and reduce their reliance on grid electricity during higher-cost periods.
For manufacturers and the broader solar industry, the expansion also represents an opportunity to apply lessons from Australia’s residential battery rollout across larger commercial applications.
A major milestone for Australia’s energy transition
Reaching 500,000 home batteries represents more than another clean energy statistic. It signals a significant change in how Australian households think about solar energy.
Rooftop solar allowed households to become energy generators. Battery storage increasingly gives them the ability to decide when that energy gets used. With installations continuing across the country, Australia’s residential battery fleet is set to become an increasingly significant part of the national energy system.
For Fox ESS, the milestone also reflects the scale of an Australian market that continues to embrace solar, battery storage, and greater household energy independence.
As government support continues and battery adoption grows, the next challenge will be maintaining momentum while extending the benefits of energy storage across households and businesses nationwide.
