Batteries for Apartments: How BESS3 Is Opening Up Battery Savings for Strata Communities

If you live in an apartment or sit on a strata committee, you've probably noticed that battery rebates aren’t readily available. 

Now, a new NSW Government incentive called BESS3 has opened up battery rebates to apartment buildings for the very first time, giving strata communities a genuine, government-backed way to bring down shared energy costs. 

Why apartments have missed out on battery rebates until now 

Apartment buildings carry some of the highest peak demand charges in NSW, largely because of how shared services like lifts, common area lighting and car park ventilation draw power. Yet because batteries have traditionally been sized and incentivised for single-metered homes, strata buildings have had little practical access to the rebates that owner-occupier houses have enjoyed for years. 

What the BESS3 incentive offers strata buildings 

BESS3 is available to Class 2 apartment buildings with a minimum of four individual dwellings, and it's designed with shared buildings in mind: 

• A shared battery system that cuts energy costs across the whole building, not just one unit 

• A meaningful upfront discount, cutting thousands of dollars off the cost of installing a battery 

• The option to combine incentives, including stacking with the federal Cheaper Home Batteries Program where eligible, for an even larger saving 

Nectr can also help building managers navigate the process of bundling PDRS with federal rebates, so strata committees aren't left working out the eligibility maze on their own. 

What BESS3 means for your building 

For strata committees, this is a chance to bring a real, tangible saving to every resident in the building. Getting solar and battery-ready now, ahead of summer, means your building is better positioned to manage costs when demand rises.  

Note: Nectr recommends strata committees seek independent advice to confirm which incentive combinations apply to their specific building and circumstances. 

Curious whether your building qualifies for BESS3? Reach out to the Nectr team to find out what's possible for your strata community.