A higher feed-in rate can still pay less.

Start with the network and retailer on your bill

In South East Queensland, retailers set voluntary market feed-in offers. The Queensland Government points customers to Energy Made Easy and advises comparing the overall electricity arrangement. Read the SEQ guidance.

Outside SEQ, an eligible property may receive the regulated regional tariff. Check with Ergon Energy Retail on the Ergon network, or Origin Energy on the Essential Energy network. Eligibility includes system, consumption and approved-connection conditions; being in a regional town alone does not establish entitlement. Check regional eligibility and the QCA’s 2026–27 determination.

Ask a proposed retailer to confirm availability at your supply address before using its advertised price in a solar quote. Keep that confirmation with the offer’s date and conditions.

Test a capped offer against a flat offer

These two offers are invented to demonstrate the calculation. They are not available plans or a statement of Queensland’s current rates.

• Offer A: 10c/kWh for the first 10 exported kWh each day, then 2c/kWh.
• Offer B: 6c/kWh for every exported unit.

On a 12kWh export day, A pays (10 × $0.10) + (2 × $0.02) = $1.04. B pays 12 × $0.06 = $0.72.

On a 30kWh export day, A pays $1 + (20 × $0.02) = $1.40. B pays 30 × $0.06 = $1.80. The lower headline rate wins on that day.

Above A’s 10kWh cap, its credit is $0.80 + $0.02 × exported kWh. Setting that equal to B’s $0.06 × exported kWh gives a crossover at 20kWh/day. This compares export credits only; it does not determine the cheaper electricity plan.

A monthly export total can hide the result

Consider two days exporting 40kWh in total. If you export 20kWh on each day, A pays $1.20 twice: $2.40. If the split is zero on one day and 40kWh on the other, A pays nothing on the first day and $1.60 on the second: $1.60 overall. B pays $2.40 in either pattern.

The difference comes from resetting the cap each day. Averaging exports before applying the cap can overstate the credit. Use the same calculation period and reset rules as the actual offer; some conditions may work differently from this illustration.

Build the comparison from daily records

1. Download daily or interval export readings for the same period you will use to compare imports.
2. For each day, allocate exported units to the offer’s eligible tiers. Keep any time windows separate.
3. Sum the credits after applying those rules, rather than multiplying total exports by the highest rate.
4. Add import charges, daily supply charges and relevant fees; subtract the calculated export credits.
5. Record eligibility conditions, expiry dates and whether a discount depends on another product or service.

Keep missing readings visible. Do not replace them with sunny-day averages. If a quote forecasts future exports, ask for the daily pattern and the offer rules used, not just a single annual credit.

Carry the right export price into a battery assessment

With a capped offer, storing one extra unit may displace a low-tier export on one day and a high-tier export on another. A fixed feed-in assumption can miss that difference. Ask the installer how the model values the exports the battery would replace.

Use the battery upgrade assessment as an initial estimate, then check complex offer conditions against a detailed proposal. Prepare a quote brief when you know the work you want priced.

Solvetted may receive a referral fee. These examples are original arithmetic illustrations, not measured customer savings or retailer recommendations. Confirm current terms and availability before changing plans.