Queensland Business Energy Saving and Transformation Rebates
The Queensland Business Energy Saving and Transformation (QBEST) Rebates scheme provides rebates to eligible small and medium-sized Queensland businesses to install energy-efficient equipment.
The energy-efficient equipment you purchase and install must reduce the energy consumption and lower energy bills of your business, as well as contribute to the Queensland Government's carbon reduction targets.
Program key details | |
---|---|
Eligible business size | Small to medium-sized businesses with 2 to 199 full-time employees |
Status |
Round 1: Open 90% of budget allocated |
Opening date | 9am, 5 October 2023 |
Closing date | 30 June 2025 or when program funding is exhausted |
Available funding | A rebate of up to 50% of the purchase and installation costs (GST exclusive) of eligible equipment, up to a maximum of $12,500. A minimum spend of $8,000 (GST exclusive) is required. |
Co-contribution | 50% of the purchase and installation costs (GST exclusive) |
Available funding
Rebates of up to $12,500 are available for eligible businesses which purchase (and install if required) eligible energy-efficient equipment. Eligible businesses must spend a minimum of $8,000 (GST exclusive) on the purchase and installation of the equipment.
The rebate is 50% of the purchase and installation costs (GST exclusive) of the eligible equipment. For example, if you spent $10,000 (GST inclusive) on eligible equipment, you can claim 50% of the GST exclusive amount ($9,090.90 ex GST) and would receive a rebate payment of $4,545.45.
Only 1 rebate is available for each eligible business. However, a rebate application can consist of multiple, eligible energy-efficient equipment items, provided the total rebate amount does not exceed $12,500.
Applications will be processed in order of lodgement date.
View examples of how a business may benefit from the rebate.
Eligibility criteria
To be eligible, your business must:
- meet the requirements of an eligible business
- and
- purchase (and install if required) eligible equipment, after the rebate opening date.
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).
Demonstrated energy saving
You must demonstrate that the eligible equipment will lead to savings on the energy use and bills of your business, as well as contribute to the Queensland Government's carbon reduction targets. There is no minimum savings amount – all improvements in energy efficiency help.
Use the energy rebate and savings calculator to show your savings – you will need to keep a copy of the estimated savings results. You can also use the calculator to see which energy-efficient equipment may provide you with the greatest savings before you purchase your equipment.
Application process
Applications will be processed in order of lodgement date.
Read the application guideline (PDF, 542KB) for more information on the application process.
Step 1: Confirm you are an eligible business
Confirm your eligibility above.
Step 2: Confirm your eligible equipment item
Check you are applying for eligible energy-efficient equipment that achieves a positive energy saving.
Research energy-efficient equipment for your business or use the energy rebate and savings calculator below to see which equipment may save you the most money.
It is recommended to use the calculator before committing to a purchase to ensure your equipment is eligible and achieves a positive energy saving.
Step 3: Purchase your eligible equipment
Check the status of the rebate (in the table at the top of this page) before purchasing the equipment.
Purchase the eligible equipment and retain evidence of the purchase (including payment) and installation (if required). Evidence must provide the following minimum information:
- evidence of purchase
- name, address, and ABN of the business that issued the receipt
- clear itemisation and description of item(s) purchased (all items need to meet the eligible equipment criteria)
- date of purchase
- evidence of installation date of installation
- name and licence number of licensed contractor who carried out the installation
- description of equipment that was replaced, where applicable.
*If you also purchase ineligible items, these should be invoiced separately.
Step 4: Energy rebate and savings calculator
Use this calculator to check the energy savings and potential rebate.
Print a copy of the calculator results to include with your application.
Disclaimer: The results provided by the calculator are indicative only and real-life savings may vary. The Department of Energy and Public Works makes no statements, representations or warranties about the accuracy or completeness of the results, and you should not rely upon the results as a reason to select a particular appliance or equipment. If you are considering the purchase of an appliance or equipment, please visit the manufacturer's website for further information.
Energy rebate and savings calculator
Enter details of your energy efficient equipment purchase to determine your eligible rebate, future energy use and bill savings, and your impact on reducing carbon emissions.
Select an energy efficiency opportunity
Enter a description for the equipment
Enter in the total capital cost of the installed equipment
A minimum spend of $8,000 is required to be eligible for the rebate.
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Total minimum carbon emissions avoided per year:{{formatAndRoundNumber(totalMinimumCarbonEmissionsAvoided)}} kgCO2e
The results provided by the calculator are indicative only and real-life savings may vary. The Department of Energy and Public Works makes no statements, representations or warranties about the accuracy or completeness of the results, and you should not rely upon the results as a reason to select a particular appliance or equipment.
If you are considering the purchase of an appliance or equipment, please visit the manufacturer’s website for further information.
The QBEST energy rebate and savings calculator assumes a discount rate of 12%; electricity costs of $0.25/kWh and emissions intensity of the grid of 0.88 kgCO2e. Energy and cost savings are based on minimum values.
Step 5: Apply for the rebate
Before applying, make sure you have:
- confirmed your eligibility (including that you have purchased eligible equipment)
- checked the status of the allocated funding
- your itemised receipt for your purchase (and installation)
- details of your installer (if install is required)
- a copy of your rebate and energy savings from the calculator.
Example rebate application scenarios
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.
Additional resources
We have developed a range of resources to help you generate business by promoting the Queensland Business Energy Saving and Transformation (QBEST) Rebates scheme to your customers.
- Fact sheet (PDF, 554KB)
- Social Media post (PDF, 81KB)
- Social media tiles
- Newsletter article (PDF, 173KB)
Contact us
For more information about the rebates, phone 13 43 87.
Also consider…
- Learn more about the Queensland Energy and Jobs Plan.
- Read about energy options and opportunities for your business.
- Research energy efficient equipment.
- Access and explore Business Chamber Queensland's Energy Efficient Action Toolkit.
- Read Queensland's Manufacturing Energy Efficiency Grant Program for eligible businesses.
- Learn the benefits of EQL's Solar Pump program for farmers and station owners.
- Last reviewed: 30 Jun 2024
- Last updated: 22 Aug 2024