Queensland Business Energy Saving and Transformation Rebates

Your business must:

• hold an Australian Business Number (ABN)
  • businesses with multiple locations under 1 ABN can only apply for 1 location
  • businesses with multiple locations with different ABNs for each location (e.g. franchise business) may apply for each location
• be registered for GST
• not be a public company within the meaning of the Corporations Act 2001
• have its headquarters in Queensland and be operating from premises in Queensland
• employ at least 2, but no more than 199 full-time (or equivalent) employees (including the business owner)
• not have received funding for this equipment under a previous round of this scheme or any other government funding (meaning financial assistance, other than a loan, provided by federal, state, or local government).

Your business must already be operating—you are not eligible for the rebate if you have purchased equipment to start a business.

Your purchase must:

• be made on or after 5 October 2023
• have been paid in full and you have a receipt for the purchase, or purchase and installation
• be at least 1 of the items in the following list (noting there is no limit to the number of items you purchase, providing the total rebate does not exceed $12,500).

Note: If you spend more than $25,000 on the eligible equipment, you will need to fully cover additional costs, because you will only receive a rebate of up to $12,500.

To qualify for the rebate, your purchase must be from the following list:

• energy efficient appliances – 4-star energy rating or better
  • air conditioner
  • clothes dryer
  • clothes washer
  • computer monitor
  • dishwasher
  • heat pump hot water system, if the installation is to replace an electric or gas storage hot water system
  • electric-boosted solar hot water system, if the installation is to replace an electric storage hot water system
  • refrigerator or freezer
  • pool pump
  • television
• commercial refrigerator or freezer (e.g. walk-in refrigerator, refrigerated display case, refrigerated vending machine)
• an electronically commutated fan motor, if the installation is to replace another type of fan motor
• LED lighting
• a motion sensor, light level sensor or timer for lighting appliance
• a motor classified in the IE3 or IE4 category under the IEC standard, if the installation is to replace the EI1 or EI2 category under this standard
• a variable-speed air compressor
• a variable-speed chiller, if the installation is to replace a fixed-drive chiller
• a variable-speed drive unit for a pump or fan.

You are not eligible if you purchase equipment that is not on this list, even if it’s energy efficient.

Eligible equipment requiring installation must be installed by a licenced contractor (a person who holds a licence under the Electricity Safety Act 2002 and/or the Plumbing and Drainage Act 2018 and/or the Queensland Building and Construction Commission Act 1991 and who is appropriately qualified to install the eligible equipment).

Alicia's Fish n Chip Shop, a small business in central Brisbane, relies heavily on refrigeration to keep their fish fresh.

Alicia, the owner, learns that the Queensland Government provides rebates to cover up to 50% of demonstrated energy efficient equipment costs for small and medium-sized businesses.

Alicia researches eligible equipment she can get the rebate back on. She decides to purchase a new commercial fridge cabinet, replace the kitchen exhaust fan with a variable speed drive fan, replace the old washing machine and drier and install a new reverse cycle air conditioning system. Before purchasing, she makes sure that all of these are covered under the QBEST rebate, and there is still time to apply before the round closes.

From the QBEST energy rebate and savings calculator, Alicia learns that this equipment upgrade may result in total minimum annual energy savings of 5,700kWh; a number that translates into 5,000 kgCO2e avoided annually.

The total capital costs, which include equipment and installation costs, amount to $9,404 on all refits combined.

Following application and approval, Alicia's Fish n Chip Shop receives a rebate of $4,702, or half of the businesses' refit expense. Moreover, after a year, energy savings from the retrofits result in $1,142 that the shop can now use to spend on other important business aspects.

Maverick Auto Shop, an automotive repair workshop in outer Brisbane, has long been looking to install a variable speed drive (VSD) air compressor and IE4 motor to improve productivity. Bob, the business owner, learns that the Queensland Government provides rebates to cover up to 50% of demonstrated energy efficient equipment costs for small and medium-sized businesses.

Bob checks the QBEST page on Business Queensland website, finding what equipment he can get the rebate back on. After making sure the rebate scheme is still open, Bob decides to purchase and install a VSD air compressor and IE4 motor, covered under the QBEST rebate.

From the QBEST energy rebate and savings calculator, Bob learns that this equipment upgrade may result in total minimum annual energy savings of 17,500kWh for the VSD and 720kWh for the IE4 motor; numbers that translate to 15,300 kgCO2e avoided annually.

The VSD capital costs, which include equipment and installation costs, amount to $20,000 plus $1,842 from the IE4 motor for a total of $21,842.

Following application and approval, Maverick Auto Shop receives a rebate of $10,921, or half of the businesses' refit expense. Moreover, after a year, energy savings from the refits result in $3,517 that the shop can now use to spend on other important business aspects, like employing additional workers.