Solar feed-in tariffs: the highest rate is not the cheapest plan

On the Ausgrid network the highest published feed-in tariff is 40c per kWh on Flow Power Happy Hour Plus, but for a home using 4,000 kWh and exporting 2,000 kWh a year the lowest combined bill is 1st Energy 1st Quartz - Time of Use at $1,144 a year, against $1,502 on the highest-tariff plan, read 8 November 2026.

Rory Davis · Perth

Updated today · 8 November 2026, 11:02 am AEDT · published 31 October 2026

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What a feed-in tariff is

The rate, in cents per kilowatt-hour, a retailer credits for electricity your solar system exports to the grid. It is published with the plan in the regulators' feeds, and it sits beside the supply and usage rates, which are what you pay for the electricity you draw.

Highest feed-in tariff and lowest combined bill, at 4,000 kWh used and 2,000 kWh exported a year

Ausgrid: highest tariff 40c on Flow Power Happy Hour Plus ($1,502 a year combined); lowest combined 1st Energy 1st Quartz - Time of Use at $1,144 a year (feed-in 1c); 231 plans state a feed-in rate. CitiPower: highest tariff 35c on Flow Power Happy Hour Plus ($1,099 a year combined); lowest combined Origin Energy Origin Battery Earner - Oct'26 (Time of Use) at $890 a year (feed-in 26.5c); 322 plans state a feed-in rate. Energex: highest tariff 44c on Nectr Home Buzz TOU - October 2026 ($345 a year combined); lowest combined Nectr Home Buzz TOU - October 2026 at $345 a year (feed-in 44c); 299 plans state a feed-in rate. SA Power Networks: highest tariff 44c on 1st Energy 1st Emerald - Time of Use ($792 a year combined); lowest combined 1st Energy 1st Emerald - Time of Use at $792 a year (feed-in 44c); 207 plans state a feed-in rate. Evoenergy: highest tariff 12c on Origin Energy Origin Solar Partner Plus ($1,570 a year combined); lowest combined ActewAGL Smart Saver plan time-of-use at $862 a year (feed-in 3.5c); 115 plans state a feed-in rate. TasNetworks: highest tariff 11c on Solstice Energy Standard Residential Time of Use + Off Peak Night ($1,123 a year combined); lowest combined Solstice Energy Standard Residential Time of Use + Off Peak Night at $1,123 a year (feed-in 11c); 75 plans state a feed-in rate. Read 8 November 2026.

Ausgrid: 1st Energy 1st Quartz - Time of Use$1,144 a year combined, feed-in 1c
CitiPower: Origin Energy Origin Battery Earner - Oct'26 (Time of Use)$890 a year combined, feed-in 26.5c
Energex: Nectr Home Buzz TOU - October 2026$345 a year combined, feed-in 44c
SA Power Networks: 1st Energy 1st Emerald - Time of Use$792 a year combined, feed-in 44c
Evoenergy: ActewAGL Smart Saver plan time-of-use$862 a year combined, feed-in 3.5c
TasNetworks: Solstice Energy Standard Residential Time of Use + Off Peak Night$1,123 a year combined, feed-in 11c

Go to 1st Energy Feed-in tariffs in New South Wales

Why the highest rate misleads

A feed-in credit is earned only on the kilowatt-hours exported, while the usage rate is paid on everything drawn. The combined figure above is arithmetic on published rates: twelve months of the plan's usage estimate at 4,000 kWh, less the feed-in rate on 2,000 kWh exported. Plans whose eligibility excludes an ordinary solar household, demand-priced plans and wholesale-linked plans are left out, as on the answer pages.

Your own exports

The bill check takes the kilowatt-hours exported from your bill and credits them at every plan's own rate: check your bill.

Questions this guide answers

Which plan has the highest feed-in tariff on the Ausgrid network?

Flow Power Happy Hour Plus at 40c per kWh, read 8 November 2026; its combined bill at 4,000 kWh used and 2,000 kWh exported is $1,502 a year.

Is the highest feed-in tariff the cheapest plan for a solar home?

Not on Ausgrid, CitiPower, Evoenergy tonight: the lowest combined bill there comes from a plan with a lower feed-in rate and lower usage rates.

How many plans state a feed-in rate?

231 on Ausgrid, 322 on CitiPower, 299 on Energex, 207 on SA Power Networks, 115 on Evoenergy, 75 on TasNetworks, read 8 November 2026.

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