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Solar feed in tariffs
In 2023 3.3 million homes or nearly a third of all homes in Australia have a rooftop solar system. The average size of new installations is a whopping 8 kW. An 8kW system gives exports of 5,800 kWh based on exporting 50% of the solar electricity produced for a home in Sydney. Even for smaller installations, getting the best feed in tariff is important. But beware, often the plan with the best solar feed in tariff has higher rates for the energy that you use. It sounds a great deal to get the best solar feed in tariff, right? Read on to find out if it really is a good deal or not.
We explain how to get the best deal for your home when you have solar panels in VIC, NSW, QLD, SA or the ACT.
By the way, if you have a premium feed in tariff, don’t worry, you keep it when you switch.
How we compared Solar feed in tariffs
The comparison is based on the average usage of a 3 person household in different towns across the Victoria, Queensland, NSW, SA and ACT sourced from Government studies. There are differences between different distribution areas, particularly within Victoria and NSW, but because the picture is similar in those areas, we have shown results in one distribution area to illustrate the results in these 2 States. We used 2 different solar system sizes, 3kW which was a common size among older systems and 6kW which is more typical of systems installed more recently.
We compared using a Benchmark Price
There are more than 30,000 electricity plans, and we selected the applicable plans in each area and compared every single one of them. To compare them all on the same basis, we compared the cost of the plan over the year with the benchmark price. The benchmark used is the average price charged by the big 3 energy companies, AGL, Origin Energy and Energy Australia. We’ve found that this price is a good reflection of the price paid by customers.
Summary of results
Over the 5 locations, the cheapest electricity plan costs $437 less than the benchmark price. If instead we chose the highest feed in tariff, the cost to the customer equally uncompetitive with the cheapest plan: $253 extra for a 3 kW system and $176 extra for a 6 kW system.
Choosing the best solar feed in tariff in isolation turns out to be a poor strategy in all States and disastrous financially in VIC and the NSW.
How much can I save per year?
Check the results for your State below.
Compare Plans with Solar
Comparing solar plans is not a simple matter. Solar production and power usage is very seasonal so the calculations are not easy. There are usage tariffs, daily charges and export rates to consider. Increasingly Energy Companies are making solar rates more complex with either export rates that vary with time or amount exported each day. For some plans additional exports above say 5 kW you receive nothing or just a pittance.
That’s where Energy Umpire come in. If you just want the best price for you, go to Energy Umpire now. We compare all energy plans and calculate how much you could save.
Most importantly, Energy Umpire does not take commissions or inducements of any kind from energy companies. It’s free to find out how much you could save and it only costs $10 to get the best price and keep getting the best solar plan for a full year. It’s easy and quick to check your savings and switch. Ready to check how much you can save? It’s quick and easy.
Best Solar Feed in tariff VIC
The Victorian Government mandate a minimum solar feed in tariff each year, unlike in other States where the is no minimum. Most power companies apply the minimum tariff as set by the Government, but some set a higher rate with a view to attracting solar customers. We set out to investigate whether getting the best solar feed in tariff in VIC was a good deal or not.
Solar customers in the Powercor area in Victoria could save $501/year on their electricity by getting the best provider. We compared with our benchmark price being the average of AGL, Origin and EnergyAustralia. Choosing the best solar feed in tariff in VIC proved to be a less attractive strategy with either the 3 kW solar system or the 6 kW solar system. This plan costs $455 and $371 more respectively.
| Victoria (Powercor) | Solar 3 kW system | Solar 6kW system | Average savings | |||
| Yearly cost | Savings versus Cheapest | Yearly cost | Savings versus Cheapest | |||
| Cheapest plan | $1156 | $1058 | ||||
| Benchmark plan | $1657 | $501 | $1559 | $501 | $501 | |
| Highest feed- in plan | $1611 | $455 | $1429 | $371 | $413 | |
Best Solar Feed in tariff NSW
Solar feed in tariffs in NSW are set entirely by the electricity companies without any intervention by Government. So, it’s buyer beware!
Customers with Solar in the Ausgrid area in NSW could save $326/year on their electricity by getting the cheapest provider. We compared with our benchmark price being the average of AGL, Origin and EnergyAustralia. Choosing the best solar feed in tariff in NSW proved to be a less attractive strategy with either the 3 kW solar system or the 6 kW solar system. This plan costs $339 and $278 more than the cheapest plan, respectively.
| NSW (Ausgrid) | Solar 3 kW system | Solar 6kW system | Average savings | |||
| Yearly cost | Savings versus Cheapest | Yearly cost | Savings versus Cheapest | |||
| Cheapest plan | $1406 | $1271 | ||||
| Benchmark plan | $1741 | $335 | $1588 | $317 | $326 | |
| Highest feed- in plan | $1745 | $339 | $1548 | $278 | $309 | |
Best Solar Feed in tariff QLD
Solar feed in tariffs in QLD are set entirely by the electricity companies without any intervention by Government. So, it’s buyer beware!
Customers with Solar in the Energex area in Queensland could save $277/year on their electricity by getting the cheapest provider. We compared with our benchmark price being the average of AGL, Origin and EnergyAustralia. Choosing the best solar feed in tariff in QLD proved to be a poor strategy with either the 3 kW or 6 kW solar system which cost $161 or $113 more, respectively.
| QLD(ENERGEX) | Solar 3 kW system | Solar 6kW system | Average savings | |||
| Yearly cost | Savings versus Cheapest | Yearly cost | Savings versus Cheapest | |||
| Cheapest plan | $1478 | $1343 | ||||
| Benchmark plan | $1750 | $272 | $1627 | $282 | $277 | |
| Highest feed-in plan | $1639 | $161 | $1456 | $113 | $137 | |
Best Solar Feed in tariff SA
Solar customers in the SA could save $349/year on their electricity by getting the cheapest provider. We compared with our benchmark price being the average of AGL, Origin and EnergyAustralia. Choosing the best solar feed in tariff in SA proved to be a poor strategy with either the 3 kW or 6 kW solar system which cost $311 or $119 more, respectively.
| SA (SAPN) | Solar 3 kW system | Solar 6kW system | Average savings | |||
| Yearly cost | Savings versus Cheapest | Yearly cost | Savings versus Cheapest | |||
| Cheapest plan | $2096 | $2096 | ||||
| Benchmark plan | $2520 | $424 | $2369 | $273 | $349 | |
| Highest feed- in plan | $2407 | $311 | $2215 | $119 | $215 | |
Best Solar Feed in tariff ACT
Solar customers in the ACT could save $733/year on their electricity by getting the cheapest provider. We compared with our benchmark price being the average of AGL, Origin and Energy Australia. In the ACT, the best plan is the highest feed-in plan plan as well.
| ACT (Evoenergy) | Solar 3 kW system | Solar 6kW system | Average savings | |||
| Yearly cost | Savings versus Cheapest | Yearly cost | Savings versus Cheapest | |||
| Cheapest plan | $1350 | $1119 | ||||
| Benchmark plan | $2050 | $701 | $1882 | $764 | $733 | |
| Highest feed- in plan | $1350 | $0 | $1119 | $0 | $0 | |