Author: Donna Wentworth

Tesla VPP vs Amber comparison: a Tesla Powerwall on one home's wall and a Sigenergy SigenStor on the neighbouring home, each wired to its own meter box and the shared power line.

Tesla VPP VS Amber: Which Suits Your Battery?

Written by Donna Wentworth on October 8, 2026. Posted in Batteries & Storage, Electricity Bills, Tariffs & Energy Plans.

Tesla VPP vs Amber: same battery, same grid, two very different deals. One caps your risk and clips your earnings. The other hooks you up to the full market, meaning more potential savings but more exposure to losses.

Tesla is currently testing a new energy plan called Tesla Electric Dynamic for the Powerwall 2 or 3 today. It provides an interesting solution to the risks solar and battery systems that engage with the wholesale market, such as Amber, often encounter and could eventually be open to more than just the Tesla products.

Who can join each plan today
How each one prices power in and power out
What the rates look like for an outer Sydney home
Who controls your battery
What to check before you switch

Can you even join the Tesla plan?

The plan is called Tesla Electric Dynamic. Tesla sells the power itself through its own licensed arm, Tesla Energy Ventures Australia, and you sign up in the Tesla app.

The entry requirements are specific. A Powerwall 2 or 3. The Tesla app. A Tesla Wallet set up for direct debit. A smart meter. Your site has to be approved to export, with Tesla verifying your connection agreement with the distributor, the business that owns the poles and wires in your area. Your Powerwall has to stay online at least 95% of the time. You cannot have it signed up to anyone else’s virtual power plant.

There is also a question over whether you can join at all yet. One report has the plan live. Tesla’s own fact sheet describes it as by invitation only and offers a $100 credit for taking part in a pilot.

Amber has no hardware gate of that kind. It supports a wide range of batteries, including Sigenergy, Tesla, SolarEdge AlphaESS, BYD, Sungrow, FoxESS, Enphase, GoodWe and many more. It operates in NSW, the ACT, south-east Queensland, Victoria and South Australia. Learn how vpp’s work here.

Thinking about a battery? Start here

How does each plan price your power?

This is the real difference, and it is not about who pays more.

Tesla fixes one side and floats the other. What you pay to import is an ordinary time-of-use tariff, set in advance and reviewed periodically. What you earn for exporting floats, at 90% of the real-time wholesale price published by AEMO every five minutes.

Amber floats both sides. You pay the wholesale price on the way in, which can spike above $1/kWh on a bad evening, and you keep 100% of the wholesale price on the way out. Amber takes no margin on the energy and charges a flat $25 a month instead.

	Tesla Electric Dynamic	Amber
Batteries	Powerwall 2 or 3 only	Wide range, including SigenStor
Imports	Fixed time-of-use	Live wholesale
Exports	90% of wholesale	100% of wholesale
Grid services pay	“Dynamic”, no rate published	Not applicable
Fee	None stated	$25/month
Who runs the battery	Tesla	SmartShift, with your override
Exit	No exit fee	14 days’ notice

So Tesla caps your downside and takes a 10% clip of your upside. Amber hands you the full upside and leaves your downside open.

There is a second Tesla payment on top, the Grid Services Credit, for when your Powerwall is called on to help balance the grid second by second. Tesla has not published a rate, a formula, or the share it passes on. Treat it as unknown income, not expected income.

One more unknown worth noting. Wholesale prices regularly fall below zero in the middle of the day, and it is not confirmed what happens to your export credit when they do, which could be a problem.

Diagram comparing Tesla VPP vs Amber pricing: Tesla charges fixed time-of-use rates and pays 90% of wholesale for exports, Amber uses live wholesale rates on both sides for a $25 monthly fee.

What do the rates look like in outer Sydney?

Here are the two plans as quoted for an outer Sydney address.

Bar chart comparing annual fixed costs for an outer Sydney home: $416 for Tesla's supply charge against $736 for Amber's network charge plus membership.

	Tesla Electric Dynamic	Amber SmartShift
Peak	43.80c/kWh, 4pm to 8pm	No fixed blocks
Off-peak	32.86c/kWh, 2pm to 4pm and 8pm to 10am	No fixed blocks
Solar sponge	21.88c/kWh, 10am to 2pm	No fixed blocks
Average import	Not applicable, rates are fixed	18.9c/kWh over 12 months
Export	90% of the real-time market price	20.4c/kWh average over 12 months
Daily charge	$1.14/day	119.6c/day network charge
Membership	None	$25/month

Two things jump out.

First, the fixed costs. Tesla’s supply charge works out at about $416 a year. Amber’s network charge plus the $25 membership comes to roughly $736. That is about $320 a year Amber has to earn back before it is even level.

Second, the usage rates. Amber’s 12-month average import rate of 18.9c/kWh sits below Tesla’s cheapest block. Not below the peak rate, below the solar sponge rate. On that average, Amber claws the difference back quickly. The catch is that an average is not a price. Amber’s import rate moves every five minutes, so the evening you really need the grid is the evening it costs the most.

Don’t understand what all these rates mean? Read our article on how to understand your electricity bill.

Bar chart of outer Sydney electricity rates: Tesla peak 43.80 cents, off-peak 32.86 cents and solar sponge 21.88 cents per kilowatt hour, against Amber's 18.9 cent twelve-month average.

Amber’s quote for that home put the estimated annual bill at $539, which it says is 21% under the comparison price set by the regulator, including up to $697 in estimated export credits.

Who actually controls your battery?

With Tesla, Tesla’s software decides when your Powerwall charges and discharges. This is the simpler option, what Tesla is doing with this new plan is providing a protection against the normal concerns that hopping on a VPP exposes you to. The catch lies in the plan terms, which warn that you “may affect your manufacturer’s warranty” if you don’t frequently update or if you manually override Tesla’s control of your Powerwall.

With Amber, SmartShift plans the day using forecasts of your usage, your solar and wholesale prices, then re-plans every five minutes. You can override it in the app at any time. It will not automatically export below 25% charge. An Amber user stands to potentially make more but is also at a higher risk of losing more as you are exposed to the whims of the market.

See what your home needs

Comparison of battery control: Tesla's software decides when the Powerwall charges and discharges, while Amber's SmartShift can be overridden in the app.

Sometimes, for some homes, neither plan is worth the switch. If you are not going to look at the app and you want a quiet bill, a plain retail plan does the job. Read next: Best VPPs for Solar Batteries.

Frequently Asked Qestions

Is Tesla’s Energy Plan still available in Australia?

No. The old Tesla Energy Plan ran through Energy Locals, paid up to $220 a year in virtual power plant credits, and closed on 30 September 2025. Customers who did nothing were moved to a standing offer. Tesla Electric is the replacement, sold by Tesla directly.

Can I use Amber with a battery that isn’t a Powerwall?

Yes. That is the main practical difference between the two today. Tesla’s plan is Powerwall-only, so a SigenStor owner cannot join it.

How much can I earn by joining a VPP or wholesale plan in Australia?

It depends on your battery size, your state and how volatile wholesale prices get. The outer Sydney quote above showed up to $697 in estimated export credits over a year with Amber. Tesla does not publish an equivalent estimate, because its grid services credit has no published rate.

Lower your electricity bill: meter box, air conditioner unit and pool pump at an Australian home

Top 6 Ways to Lower Your Electricity Bill

Written by Donna Wentworth on October 6, 2026. Posted in Electricity Bills, Tariffs & Energy Plans.

You can lower your electricity bill without buying solar panels, without buying a battery, and in some cases without using less power at all.

We install solar and batteries for a living, so you would expect us to say solar is the answer to every high bill. For a lot of homes it is the biggest solution available and provides the most freedom. It is not the first thing to look at.

Here is what this article covers:

Why solar and battery sits at number one, and why we are parking it
Getting off a bad energy plan
Heating and cooling, the biggest single load in most homes
Hot water, the one people underestimate
Shifting usage into cheap and free windows
Finding the appliances actually driving the bill

1. Should you start with solar and a battery?

Eventually, probably yes. Rooftop solar still attracts an upfront STC incentive, and the federal battery program provides around a 30 percent discount on eligible batteries. Combine those incentives with the savings and a suitable payment plan, and the monthly cost of a system can land below what you are already paying the retailer.

That is not true for every home. It needs to be modelled properly.

If you want to know whether it stacks up for your place, we can run the numbers against your actual usage rather than an average.

Request a system design

The rest of this article is the other five levers, and several of them cost nothing.

2. Are you on a bad electricity plan?

This is the easiest win on the list.

Do not assume your retailer rewards loyalty. Rates creep up. New offers come around and existing customers rarely get told.

The government’s Energy Made Easy site shows the gap between the cheapest and most expensive plan can run to hundreds of dollars a year for an average household.

You may not even need to switch. Call your retailer and ask what the cheapest plan is for the way you actually use energy. Then check it independently on Energy Made Easy, which covers NSW, the ACT, Queensland, South Australia and Tasmania.

Do that once a year. Look at three things: the rate per kilowatt hour, the daily supply charge, and whether you are paying a demand charge you do not need.

Three charges to check on an Australian electricity bill: usage rate, daily supply charge and demand charge

3. Where does heating and cooling money go?

Heating and cooling can account for roughly 40 percent of household energy use. Nearly half the bill.

The fix is usually how you run the system, not replacing it.

Set heating to 18 to 20 degrees in winter, cooling to 25 to 27 in summer
Every degree you push past that can cost 5 to 10 percent more
Heat or cool only the rooms you are in, and close the doors
Seal draughts around doors, windows and skirting boards, which government guidance says can cut energy use by around 25 percent in the right home
Use fans before the air conditioner
Close curtains and blinds

Setting the air con to 21 on a summer afternoon costs real money for a small amount of extra comfort.

Recommended heating and cooling settings to lower your electricity bill: 18 to 20 degrees in winter, 25 to 27 in summer

4. How do you cut hot water costs?

Hot water is around a quarter of household energy use.

Four people taking long showers every day adds up fast. Shorter showers are the obvious answer, though that depends who you live with.

A four-star shower head is the cheap fix. Government estimates put the saving at around $315 a year for a family of four on water alone, before the energy saved heating it.

Wash clothes in cold water. Hot washes can use 50 to 85 percent more energy than cold.

If your electric tank is near the end of its life, look hard at the replacement. A heat pump system uses roughly 60 to 75 percent less electricity than a conventional electric storage tank. Federal STCs and state rebates usually bring the upfront cost down. You can also run hot water on an off-peak controlled load if that is available to you.

Heat pump hot water system using around 70 percent less electricity than a conventional electric storage tank

5. Can you get free electricity during the day?

A unit of energy no longer costs the same at every hour.

If you are on a time of use tariff, power is cheaper during the day and more expensive in the evening, which is also when demand charges usually hit. Some tariffs give you cheap overnight rates as well.

From 1 July 2026, the regulated Solar Sharer Offer gives eligible households in NSW and south-east Queensland three hours of free electricity a day, from 11am to 2pm, capped at 24 kWh. Some tariffs have no cap at all.

Shift the flexible loads into that window. Washing machine, dishwasher, dryer, pool pump, EV charging, hot water on a timer.

This is incidentally why batteries get interesting. A battery moves energy from the cheap part of the day into the expensive part. Charge for free, discharge at dinner time.

Daily electricity tariff timeline showing the free 11am to 2pm window and which appliances to shift into it

6. Which appliances are actually driving your bill?

Most people hunt the small loads and ignore the big ones.

Standby power is real, though it is only around 3 percent of total energy costs. Start with anything that runs for hours.

A pool pump is the clearest example. The Australian energy rating program puts a swimming pool pump at nearly 18 percent of the electricity used in an average Australian home with a pool. Check the timer. Check how long it actually runs. If it needs replacing, look at the energy rating, not just the purchase price.

Second fridges, old electric heaters and clothes dryers are the other usual suspects. Check the energy rating label on anything you replace, and consider a plug-in energy monitor on the high-use items.

Where household energy goes: heating and cooling at 40 percent, hot water at 25 percent, standby power at 3 percent

Where that leaves you

Get on the right plan. Control the heating and cooling. Cut hot water. Move usage into cheaper and free windows. Find the big loads.

Once that is done, the real question is whether you keep renting the rest of your energy from the retailer at their rates. For some households the sums work. For others they do not. The only way to know which one you are is to model it properly.

Talk to the Lenergy team

Frequently Asked Question

What is the fastest way to reduce my electricity bill in Australia?

Checking your plan. It takes a phone call and can save hundreds a year without changing anything about how you use power.

Are there government rebates available for electricity in Australia in 2026?

Yes. Rooftop solar attracts STCs, eligible batteries attract a federal discount, and heat pump hot water systems attract STCs plus state rebates in some areas. Eligibility varies by state. More detail here: what changed with the battery rebate.

What appliances use the most electricity in Australian homes?

Heating and cooling first at roughly 40 percent, then hot water at around a quarter. Pool pumps, second fridges and dryers are the common surprises.

Do I need solar to use the free electricity window?

No. The Solar Sharer Offer is a retail tariff. Anyone eligible can use it.

Is a battery worth it if I already shift my usage?

Often more so, because a battery lets you store the free and cheap energy instead of only using it live. Here is how battery sizing actually works.

Australian home with rooftop solar panels and a wall-mounted battery at sunset, illustrating solar rebates in 2027.

Will Solar Rebates Drop in 2027?

Written by Donna Wentworth on October 2, 2026. Posted in Rebates, Finance & Government Programs.

If you wait until January, a typical solar and battery install costs you about $1,174 more. The solar panel rebate drops on 1 January 2027. The battery rebate drops on the same day, then drops again on 1 July.

Nothing is being cancelled, the support just shrinks on a published schedule that runs to 2030. But wait for a larger system, or into the second half of 2027, and the loss can climb into the thousands.

Installers are booked at least a month out, so time is tight if you want a system installed this year.

Here is what it costs.

How much the solar rebate falls in January
What the drop is worth on a typical 6.6kW system
The two battery step-downs coming in 2027
What a full solar and battery system stands to lose
Which date actually locks your rebate in

See what your rebate is

How much does the solar panel rebate drop in 2027?

The solar rebate is not a cash payment. It is a discount funded by small-scale technology certificates, or STCs. Your installer claims them and takes the value off your quote.

The number of STCs you get comes down to three things: system size in kW, your postcode zone rating, and the deeming period.

The deeming period is the bit that changes. It is the number of years of future generation the government counts upfront. In 2026 it is 5 years. In 2027 it falls to 4.

That is a 20% cut to your certificate count. Same system, same roof, fewer STCs.

This is not a one-off. The deeming period drops by a year every January until the scheme ends in 2030.

Bar chart showing the solar STC deeming period falling from 5 years in 2026 to 1 year in 2030.

What does the solar drop look like in dollars?

Say you are putting 6.6kW on a Sydney, Canberra or Brisbane roof. Those sit in Zone 3, with a rating of 1.382.

At an STC value of around $38:

2026, 5 year deeming: 45 STCs, roughly $1,710 off your quote
2027, 4 year deeming: 36 STCs, roughly $1,370 off your quote

A difference of about $340 on the same system.

Zone ratings vary by postcode, and some parts of NSW rate higher or lower than this example.

Bigger systems lose more. A 10kW system loses closer to $530 on the same maths, and a 20kW system loses over $1,000.

Comparison of the solar rebate on a 6.6kW system, about $1,710 in 2026 against about $1,370 in 2027.

Will the battery rebate drop in 2027 too?

It drops twice.

The Cheaper Home Batteries Program runs through the same STC system. Every kWh of usable battery capacity earns certificates, set by an STC factor. That factor used to move once a year. Since 1 May 2026 it moves every six months, and it falls faster than it used to.

May to December 2026: 6.8
January to June 2027: 5.7
July to December 2027: 5.2

The rebate is also tiered. Your battery is paid in bands, and each band earns less than the one before it.

First 14 kWh: 100% of the factor
14 to 28 kWh: 60%
28 to 50 kWh: 15%
Above 50 kWh usable: nothing

So a larger battery still earns more in total. It just earns less per kWh as it grows.

Chart showing how the battery rebate tapers by capacity, from 100% of the STC factor on the first 14 kWh down to nil above 50 kWh.

How much less is your battery rebate worth in 2027?

Battery	Size	May–Dec 2026	Jan–Jun 2027	Difference
Tesla PW3	13.5 kWh	~$3,460	~$2,890	~−$570
Tesla PW3	27 kWh	~$5,620	~$4,710	~−$910
Tesla PW3	40.5 kWh	~$6,270	~$5,240	~−$1,030
SigenStor	8 kWh	~$2,050	~$1,710	~−$340
SigenStor	16 kWh	~$3,910	~$3,270	~−$650
SigenStor	24 kWh	~$5,170	~$4,330	~−$840
SigenStor	32 kWh	~$5,930	~$4,980	~−$950
SigenStor	40 kWh	~$6,230	~$5,210	~−$1,030
SigenStor	48 kWh	~$6,540	~$5,470	~−$1,060

Estimates only, rounded to the nearest $10. Based on an STC value of $38.00 as at 30 September 2026, and STC factors of 6.8 for May–Dec 2026 and 5.7 for Jan–Jun 2027. Support tapers by capacity: 100% of the factor to 14 kWh, 60% from 14 to 28 kWh, 15% from 28 to 50 kWh, and nil above 50 kWh. Your own figure will vary with the certificate price on the day and your battery’s usable capacity.

A 24kWh SigenStor, which is the size we use as a common reference for a family home, loses about $840 of rebate by moving from December to January.

Then it drops again on 1 July 2027.

Stacked bar chart comparing combined solar and battery rebates, about $6,880 in 2026 against about $5,700 in 2027, a loss of around $1,180.

Does the contract date or the installation date set your rebate?

The installation date. Nothing else.

Not the date you sign. Not the date you pay a deposit. Not the date the panels land on your driveway.

Your rebate is set by the date the system is installed and certified. A system commissioned on 31 December 2026 claims 2026 rates. The same system commissioned on 1 January 2027 claims 2027 rates.

This catches people out every year. A quote signed in November means nothing if the install slips past New Year.

If you are weighing this up, ask your installer for a commissioning date in writing, not a contract date. Read about mistakes to avoid before signing here.

So is it worth rushing?

Look, it depends on your situation.

If you were already planning a system for early next year, moving it forward a few weeks is worth a few hundred dollars for a typical solar install, and closer to a thousand on a decent battery. That is real money for the sake of scheduling.

If you are not ready, forcing it is the wrong call. A system that is not sized to suit your usage will cost you more over ten years than the rebate difference ever saved you. Learn how to size a solar battery to your household usage here.

Sometimes, for some homes, the numbers do not stack up yet. That is a fair answer too.

The rebate is not going away. It is stepping down on a schedule you can plan around. Install when your home is ready, and know what the date is worth.

Ask about December install dates

Frequently Asked Questions

How much will the solar rebate drop in 2027?

The deeming period falls from 5 years to 4, which cuts your certificate count by about 20%. On a 6.6kW system that is roughly $340 less off your quote.

Does the contract date or the installation date determine my solar rebate?

The installation and certification date. Signing a contract in 2026 does not protect you if the system is commissioned in 2027.

Will the Cheaper Home Batteries rebate also drop in 2027?

Twice. The STC factor falls from 6.8 to 5.7 on 1 January, then to 5.2 on 1 July.

Are the rebates ending in 2027?

No. Both schemes run to the end of 2030. The support reduces each year until then.

Lenergy technician Ziad standing beside a wall-mounted Sigenergy SigenStor battery system, ready to shut down and restart it.

How To Safely Shutdown and Restart Your Sigenergy SigenStor Battery System

Written by Donna Wentworth on September 25, 2026. Posted in Batteries & Storage.

This is a guide on how to shut down your Sigenergy SigenStor battery. The job is simple once you follow the order. This guide shows you how to shut down and repower a SigenStor, step by step, whether your system has an AC isolator or uses the Sigenergy gateway.

The whole job is a short sequence of switches. You turn things off in order, then turn them back on in reverse.

This guide covers:

why you might shut down your Sigenergy SigenStor battery
the exact shutdown steps, in order
what to do if there is no AC isolator fitted
how to power the battery back on

Why would you shut down your SigenStor battery?

Most of the time your SigenStor just runs. You would only shut it down for a specific reason, such as:

electrical or roof work that needs the system fully off
a fault you are working through with support
an emergency where you need to isolate the system

Shutting down safely means powering the system off in the right order, then repowering it the same way in reverse. The steps below follow Lenergy technician Ziad, who runs through the process on a SigenStor we installed at Canyonleigh. Whether your home has an AC isolator next to the battery or uses the Sigenergy gateway comes down to how your system was set up on your battery install day. Both paths are covered below.

How do you shut down a Sigenergy SigenStor battery?

Work through these steps in order. This path is for a system with a battery inverter AC isolator fitted next to the battery. If yours does not have one, read the next section first.

Sigenergy SigenStor battery shutdown procedure label listing the four steps to shut down the battery.

Before you start: the PV array DC isolator can be very stiff, and that is normal. If it feels stuck, nothing is broken. You just need to turn it firmly until it clicks off.

Turn off the battery inverter AC isolator next to the battery.

A hand switching off the battery inverter AC isolator, the first step to shut down the battery.

Remove the plastic covers from the left-hand side of the battery.

Removing the left-hand plastic covers from the Sigenergy SigenStor battery to reach the isolators.

Turn off the PV array DC isolator. It may also be marked as the DC switch. Turn it firmly, as it can be stiff.

Turning off the PV array DC isolator inside the Sigenergy SigenStor as part of the shutdown procedure.

Press and hold the red button on the battery for about 5 seconds, until you hear a click.

The red power button on the Sigenergy SigenStor, held for about five seconds to power the system down.

Your system is now powered down.

What if there is no AC isolator fitted?

Some systems do not have an AC isolator next to the battery. If that is yours, you use the Sigenergy gateway instead. Only the first step changes.

In place of step 1 above:

Find the Sigenergy gateway.
Press the button on the gateway in and rotate the handle towards the wall to unlock it.

Opening the Sigenergy gateway to reach the inverter main switch when shutting down the SigenStor battery

Open the door and turn off the inverter main switch.

Switching off the inverter breaker in the gateway during the Sigenergy SigenStor battery shutdown.

Your system is now powered down.

How do you power the battery back on?

Turning the system back on runs in reverse. Work through it in this order:

Press and hold the red button on the battery for 3 seconds.
Turn on the PV array DC isolator.
Turn on the battery inverter AC isolator. If there is no AC isolator, go to the gateway and turn on the inverter main switch instead.

Give it about 5 minutes to power back up. You can confirm it is back online in the mySigen app.

The round red button on a Sigenergy SigenStor, showing information on the battery.

Once the system is on, refit the plastic covers on the left-hand side of the battery. That is the shutdown and restart done.

If you get stuck at any point, Lenergy’s customer support team can talk you through it.

Talk To Our Solar Expert

Want to know more about battery safety at home? Read our guide on whether solar batteries are safe.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the correct order to shut down a Sigenergy SigenStor battery system?

Turn things off in this order: the battery inverter AC isolator next to the battery, then remove the left-hand plastic covers, then the PV array DC isolator, then press and hold the red button on the battery for about 5 seconds until it clicks. That powers the system down. If there is no AC isolator, you turn off the inverter main switch in the Sigenergy gateway in place of the first step.

What do I do if there is no AC isolator fitted next to my SigenStor battery?

You use the Sigenergy gateway instead. Find the gateway, press the button in and rotate the handle towards the wall to open it, then open the door and turn off the inverter main switch. After that, follow the same steps as any other system: remove the left-hand covers, turn off the DC isolator, and hold the red button until it clicks.

How long does a Sigenergy SigenStor battery take to restart after shutdown?

After you turn everything back on, give it about 5 minutes to power back up. Once it is on, refit the left-hand covers. If it does not come back after a few minutes, check that the DC isolator and the AC isolator or gateway main switch are fully on, then contact Lenergy support if you are still stuck.

Is it safe to shut down my Sigenergy battery myself?

Yes, for the shutdown and restart steps in this guide. You are only switching isolators and holding a button, not touching any wiring. Take care, work in the right order, and if anything looks wrong or you are unsure, leave it and call Lenergy support rather than forcing it.

Wall-mounted SigenStor home battery on a rendered Australian house with rooftop solar panels above, illustrating Australia's solar battery regulations for 2026. Overlaid title text reads "Australia to Set New Rules for Solar, Batteries and Inverters".

Australia to Set New Rules for Solar, Batteries and Inverters

Written by Donna Wentworth on September 23, 2026. Posted in Press Release Announcements.

Right now, an inverter approved in one state can be a problem in the next one over. Same product. Different rulebook. Different paperwork.

That’s being replaced with one national set of rules.

In September 2026, Australia’s energy ministers endorsed the Consumer Energy National Technical Regulatory Framework, covering 2026 to 2029. It sets one national standard for the technical side of rooftop solar, inverters, home batteries and EV chargers. Nothing changes on your roof today. Nothing you’ve already installed gets caught out.

Here’s what this article covers:

What the new framework actually is, in plain terms
Whether your existing system is affected
What changes when you go to buy
What it means if you’re in the trade
When any of it starts

What are Australia’s new solar and battery regulations for 2026?

The framework covers what the government calls consumer energy resources. That’s the gear sitting on and around your house that makes or stores power: panels, inverters, batteries, EV chargers, and some connected appliances like air conditioners and hot water systems.

Until now, the technical rules for that gear have been set state by state, and network by network. A manufacturer selling into Australia has had to build for several different sets of requirements.

The framework says that costs everyone money. Manufacturers either wear the cost of multiple versions, pass it on, or walk away from the market entirely. Fewer options on the shelf. Higher prices on the ones that stay.

So the fix is a single National CER Technical Code. One baseline, written by the federal department, updated every two years with the minister’s sign-off.

Now, states and territories can still add their own requirements on top of that baseline. The national rules set the floor, not the ceiling.

Split panel comparing today's state-by-state technical rules for solar and batteries with a single national baseline under the new framework, noting that states can still add their own requirements.

Will the new rules apply to the system I already have?

No. This is the part worth being clear about.

The framework does not apply retrospectively. It will not cover devices installed before the first mandated requirements start for that type of product.

Read that last bit carefully, because it’s more specific than “existing systems are safe.” The start dates get set per product type, inside the Code. Batteries will have their own date. Inverters will have their own date. EV chargers, their own.

What it means in practice: your system gets judged against the rules that were in place when it went in. If you install a battery in November and the battery requirements don’t kick in until two years later, your battery isn’t retrofitted into the new regime.

The same goes for anything you buy during the changeover. The regulator has said plainly that buying and installing now is not affected while the transition happens.

Three timelines showing home batteries, inverters and EV chargers each getting their own separate mandatory start date, with systems installed beforehand judged against the rules in place at the time.

See If Solar Suits Your Home

What actually changes when you go to buy?

Three public lists. That’s the practical upshot for a homeowner.

A Regulated Product List. Every certified product approved for sale, installation and connection across the country. One list instead of a dozen state ones.

An Accredited Installer List. Every installer accredited to fit those products, with their accreditation current.

A Registered Supplier List. Every supplier registered to sell into Australia.

Say you’re getting three quotes. Today you’re largely taking each company’s word on whether the gear is approved where you live. Under the new system you check the model against one list, and the installer against another.

Products will also need independent testing and certification before they can be sold. Not a self-declaration. Tested by someone else, then listed.

Three cards showing the public registers coming under Australia's new solar and battery regulations: the Regulated Product List, the Accredited Installer List and the Registered Supplier List.

What does this mean if you’re in the trade?

The weight lands on suppliers, not installers. That’s deliberate.

Suppliers will have to register, get each product certified before it can be sold in Australia, register firmware versions before releasing them, and feed installed device information back to the regulator. They also can’t commission a job done by an unaccredited installer, or one using a product that isn’t on the list.

The framework’s reasoning is straightforward. Installers fit the hardware. They have no control over the firmware that determines whether a device keeps meeting its requirements six months later. So the ongoing compliance obligation sits with the party that controls the software.

Installers still need accreditation, plus continuing professional development and a current trade licence. Solar Accreditation Australia doesn’t disappear. Under the framework it becomes one of the bodies that can recommend installers for national accreditation, alongside suppliers and state accreditation bodies. Existing training and accreditation can be recognised where it lines up with the Code.

Comparison showing suppliers carrying six new obligations including product certification and firmware registration, against three for installers, because suppliers control the firmware.

When do the new rules start?

Nobody can give you a date yet, and you should be suspicious of anyone who does.

The framework is a policy document. Legislation still has to pass to establish the regulator and make any of the obligations enforceable. The Clean Energy Regulator will take on the role of national technical regulator, subject to that legislation.

After that, each product type gets its own transition period, then its own mandatory date, set through the Code. The Code hasn’t been published.

So the honest answer is: endorsed, not yet law, rolling out progressively across 2026 to 2029.

Roadmap showing the framework endorsed in 2026, followed by three stages with no set dates: legislation passing, the National CER Technical Code being published, and requirements becoming mandatory product type by product type.

Well, what should you do with that? Not much. If a system stacks up for your household on today’s numbers, it stacks up. Waiting for a rulebook that explicitly won’t apply to you backwards is waiting for nothing.

If you’re sizing a system now, the thing that matters is still whether it’s built to offset your usage properly.

Talk to Our Solar Experts

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Consumer Energy National Technical Regulatory Framework?

It’s a national policy framework endorsed by Australia’s energy ministers, running 2026 to 2029. It creates one set of baseline technical rules for rooftop solar, inverters, home batteries, EV chargers and some connected appliances, replacing the current state-by-state approach.

Who will enforce Australia’s new solar and battery technical standards?

The Clean Energy Regulator, taking on a new role as the Consumer Energy National Technical Regulator. That’s a new function of an existing body, not a new agency. It will certify products, accredit installers, register suppliers and investigate breaches, subject to legislation. The technical rules themselves are written by the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water.

Will the new rules apply to solar panels and batteries I already have installed?

No. The framework does not apply retrospectively. It won’t cover devices installed before the first mandated requirements begin for that product type. Systems going in during the transition aren’t affected either.

Solar panel moving along a conveyor at an automated solar panel recycling facility, with sorted glass and frames behind.

NSW Leads Push for Mandatory Solar Panel Recycling

Written by Donna Wentworth on September 22, 2026. Posted in Press Release Announcements.

NSW is moving on mandatory solar panel recycling. On 21 September 2026 the Government released a draft regulation that would make panel brand owners pay to collect and recycle their own products.

Not homeowners. The companies that sell the panels.

It is a proposal for now, with consultation open. It is also the first scheme of its type in the country, and it is good to see the industry getting some structure around this.

What this article covers:

What NSW has actually proposed
Why old panels are becoming a problem
How the scheme would work
Where the national picture sits
What it means if you already own solar

What has NSW actually proposed?

A mandatory product stewardship scheme. Product stewardship means the business that puts a product on the market carries responsibility for what happens to it at end of life, rather than the customer or the council.

The draft is the Product Lifecycle Responsibility Amendment (Photovoltaic Panels) Regulation 2026, sitting under the Product Lifecycle Responsibility Act 2025.

Environment Minister Penny Sharpe put the aim plainly: making sure those panels do not become tomorrow’s landfill problem.

Submissions close at 5pm on Monday 16 November 2026. The regulation is expected to commence sometime in 2028.

Why are old solar panels becoming a problem?

Volume.

Column chart showing NSW solar panel waste rising from 14,000 tonnes in 2026 to a projected 89,000 tonnes by 2045.

NSW carries more than 1.18 million rooftop solar systems. Around 14,000 tonnes of panels reach end of life here every year, projected to reach 89,000 tonnes by 2045 as the first wave of rooftop systems retires, according to the NSW Government. Nationally, Australia is expected to generate around one million tonnes of panel waste by 2035. Roughly 50 million panels.

Only about 17% of end-of-life panels are recycled today.

Most of the rest goes to landfill. Victoria is the only state with an outright ban on panels going to landfill, in place since 2019.

A panel is worth recovering. There is aluminium, glass, silicon, copper and silver inside one. Degraded panels also carry small amounts of lead and chromium, which is a second reason to keep them out of the ground.

Exploded diagram of a solar panel showing the glass, silicon, copper, silver and aluminium frame recovered in recycling.

Click here to learn if solar is right for you?

How would the scheme work?

Brand owners, meaning the manufacturers and importers who supply panels into NSW, would have to join a product stewardship organisation. That organisation lodges an action plan with the EPA covering collection points and public awareness, then runs the network.

Where no such organisation exists for a panel type, the brand owner carries the obligations on its own. Non-compliance is an offence under the Act, and the EPA can publish which brand owners are meeting their obligations and which are not.

Scope is narrower than people assume. The draft covers monocrystalline and bifacial panels, rooftop and utility-scale. Portable panels, cables, inverters and batteries sit outside it.

Grid showing which panels the NSW solar panel recycling scheme covers, and which products sit outside its scope.

The same Act already covers batteries. That scheme starts on 1 October 2026, and panels would work the same way.

What is happening nationally?

Slower going.

In January 2026 the federal government announced a 24.7 million dollar National Solar Panel Recycling Pilot. Around 100 collection sites, up to 250,000 panels, designed to gather the data for a future national scheme. Lifting recycling rates nationally was costed at up to 7.3 billion dollars in benefits.

The pilot has not started yet. The process to appoint an administrator was suspended in May 2026 over an undisclosed complaint, as reported by the Guardian. Eight solar recycling companies have since written to ministers warning that some operators may not survive the wait.

That is why the NSW move matters. Waste and recycling industry bodies welcomed it, pointing to the certainty a legislated scheme gives recyclers who need to invest in equipment and sites.

Timeline of solar panel recycling policy from the January 2026 federal pilot to the NSW regulation commencing in 2028.

What does this mean if you already own solar?

Nothing changes today. Nothing to pay, nothing to do.

When your system does reach replacement, the rule is simple. Panels should not go in general waste, and a decent installer takes the old ones away as part of the job. Specialist recyclers can recover a high share of a panel’s weight.

For businesses, the change is bigger. Decommissioning a commercial or C&I array produces panels by the pallet, and a funded collection network makes that far easier to handle than it is now. Worth factoring into anything you are planning to build past 2028.

If you are in the ACT or Queensland, none of this binds you yet. States tend to follow each other on waste rules, so expect the question to come up.

For now, a scheme that puts the cost where the product came from is a sensible piece of work.

Or have a chat with one of team to see if we can help you lower your electricity bills here.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is NSW’s mandatory solar panel recycling scheme?

A proposed regulation that would require solar panel brand owners to fund the collection and recycling of their products at end of life. It is out for public consultation now, with submissions closing 16 November 2026.

When will the NSW solar panel recycling scheme start?

The regulation is expected to commence in 2028. That is a legislated future start date, not a live scheme, so nothing changes for households in the meantime.

What materials can be recovered from recycled solar panels?

Aluminium from the frame, glass, silicon, copper and silver. Recovering these at scale supports local recycling and reduces the need for new raw material.

Why are solar panels a growing waste problem in Australia?

The early wave of rooftop installs is reaching end of life at the same time as the fleet keeps growing. NSW alone produces around 14,000 tonnes a year now, rising to a projected 89,000 tonnes by 2045.

How does NSW’s scheme compare to the federal recycling pilot?

The federal pilot is voluntary and designed to gather data, with no mandate attached. NSW’s proposal is a binding obligation on brand owners with penalties for non-compliance.

A Moss Vale homeowner being interviewed on camera for his Lenergy solar review.

How a Moss Vale Homeowner Went Fully Self-Sufficient with Solar and Battery

Written by Donna Wentworth on September 18, 2026. Posted in Uncategorized.

Harry Coomans’s Moss Vale home makes more power than it uses. He’s self sufficient, sitting in credit, and charging an electric car for next to nothing on a system that grew with his home. This is one homeowner’s honest Moss Vale solar review, and a look at what a solar and battery installation in Moss Vale can do once it is built around how a house actually uses energy.

Harry’s system did not arrive all at once. He started with solar, added a battery, then more panels, and ended up covering almost everything, including his car.

This article covers:

what Harry bought, and why he kept adding to his system
the results he has seen, in his own words
what the Lenergy install team was like
his honest take on price, value and getting the most from solar

Why did Harry choose Lenergy for solar in Moss Vale?

It started small. “I first found Winston because I needed some solar panels for a little solar project I was doing in my backyard,” Harry says. “He was happy to help me with that, and that led to a relationship now for the last two years.”

Harry’s first solar system went in back in 2019, so he was not new to it. What he wanted for the next step was someone local he could trust. “It’s good to support somebody in the local area,” he says. That mattered to him more than finding the cheapest quote.

Aerial view of a small backyard building with rooftop solar panels, part of a home solar installation in Moss Vale.

What did Harry buy, and why did he keep adding to it?

Harry already had good solar and good data. Through his monitoring he could see one clear problem. “The most wasteful thing was that I couldn’t use everything I was generating,” he says. Plenty of power, nowhere for it to go.

That is what led him to storage. A battery let him keep the surplus instead of losing it. From there he added more panels and, later, an electric car. Read more about Buying a Solar Battery here.

The result is a home that stands on its own. “We’ve got two solar systems, we’ve got the battery, we’ve got the whole thing, and we’re self-sufficient, which is just fantastic,” Harry says. He still has spare energy on top of that.

What results has Harry seen since going solar?

The headline result is simple. “We’re self-sufficient, so we’re now in credit,” Harry says. His bills went from a cost to a small return.

The electric car is where it really shows. “I’ve had the Tesla car now since April, and in all those months I’ve done 8,000 kilometres,” he says. “I wouldn’t have spent any more than $100 on electricity just to keep the car charged.”

There was a knock-on effect too. With the extra panels in, Harry says he cut his gas use over the colder months. “I’ve been able to reduce my gas bill over this winter by about 25 per cent.”

Aerial view of a large Moss Vale home with several rooftop solar panel arrays across a grey roof.

What was the Lenergy installation team like?

Harry likes to understand how things work, and the install gave him room to. “We had Ziad, who was an installer, a young guy,” he says. “Because I was a bit of a sponge, I wanted to know stuff.” He got his answers on the day.

The basics were handled well too. “The boys went up, put the panels on and cleaned up after themselves,” Harry says. For him, that came back to the kind of company he was dealing with.

Was it worth paying a bit more?

Harry was upfront that Lenergy was not the cheapest option. “We did get a couple of quotes,” he says. “Lenergy wasn’t the most competitive price, but the confidence I had in them, I didn’t mind paying a little bit extra.”

Looking back, he counts it as money well spent. “If I look at the amount we’ve invested in the battery, the solar system and the electric car, I’m earning a better rate of return than I was with my money on term deposits,” Harry says.

A young installer on a rooftop, wearing a safety harness and using a drill during a solar panel installation.

What is Harry’s advice for other Moss Vale homeowners?

Harry’s tip is about effort, not gear. “You don’t have to get totally involved. Once you put a solar system in, it sort of takes care of itself,” he says. His one tip: “If you really want to maximise what it offers, spend a little time to understand your house and how you use your energy. It’s very worthwhile.”

That is what took his own setup from good solar to fully self-sufficient.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Lenergy a reputable solar installer in Moss Vale?

Harry’s experience says yes. He chose Lenergy partly to support a local business, found the team easy to deal with, and rated the workmanship, noting the installers cleaned up after themselves. He also valued being able to ask questions and get straight answers on install day. He was clear that Lenergy was not the cheapest quote he received, but he felt the confidence he had in them was worth a little extra. As with any installer, check they are accredited with Solar Accreditation Australia (SAA) and ask for references before you commit.

How much can I save with solar and battery storage in Moss Vale?

It depends on your home, your usage and your current bills, so there is no single figure. Harry’s own results give a sense of what is possible: his home is now in credit, he has charged an electric car for close to nothing over about 8,000 kilometres, and he cut his winter gas use by about 25 per cent after adding more panels. Those are his numbers, not a guaranteed outcome. The biggest gains tend to come when you store your surplus solar and shift more of your usage into the times your system is producing or your battery is full.

What is the best solar battery system for homes in the Southern Highlands?

The right battery depends on how much power you use and when you use it. For Southern Highlands homes, Lenergy recommends the Sigenergy SigenStor, which combines storage and solar management in one system and scales as your needs grow. It suits households like Harry’s that want to store surplus solar, run an electric car, and lean less on the grid over time. The best size and setup is worth working through with your installer rather than guessing.

Neovolt home battery system installed against a garage wall in an Australian home, one of the models suspended from the CEC approved battery list.

Can a CEC-Approved Battery Lose Approval After Installation?

Written by Donna Wentworth on September 18, 2026. Posted in Batteries & Storage, Press Release Announcements.

On 15 September 2026, seven battery models lost their spot on the approved products list. A CEC approved battery is not approved for life. The listing is a live status. It can be suspended, and it can be pulled.

If your battery was installed before the suspension date, you are fine. The system keeps running. The rebate stays yours. The people who need to pay attention are the ones who have paid a deposit and are still waiting on an install date.

This article covers:

What a CEC battery suspension actually is
Why it is not a safety recall
What happened with the seven Neovolt models
Where your rebate stands
How to check your own battery in two minutes

What does a CEC battery suspension actually mean?

The Clean Energy Council keeps the approved products list. Sitting on that list is how a battery qualifies for the federal rebate through Small-scale Technology Certificates, or STCs. That is the discount your installer takes off the quote up front, covered in more detail in how the battery rebate changed in May.

Two things can happen to a listing.

A suspension is temporary. The manufacturer gets up to three months to fix the problem. Sort it out and the listing comes back.

A de-listing is permanent. The product is removed and the manufacturer applies again from scratch.

The CEC calls it a dynamic list. Think of approval less like a certificate on the wall and more like a registration. It has to stay current.

Is a CEC suspension the same as a safety recall?

Split panel comparing a CEC battery suspension, which is a compliance issue with a three month window to fix it, against a safety recall, which tells owners to stop using the product.

No. They are separate things, and the difference matters.

Most suspensions come down to paperwork. A test certificate expires. A label does not match the documents on file. A manufacturer is slow answering questions.

A recall is a safety action. If a product is recalled, you are told to stop using it. Nobody is telling Neovolt owners to do that.

Why were seven Neovolt models suspended?

Bytewatt Technology, trading as Neovolt, had seven models flagged. BW-BAT-9.6P, plus variants I through VI. Industry was notified on 7 September 2026. The suspension took effect on 15 September 2026.

Reference card listing the seven Bytewatt Neovolt battery models suspended from the CEC approved products list on 15 September 2026.

The CEC gave three reasons. The IEC 62619 certificate used to approve variants I to VI is no longer valid. Nameplate labels on units supplied in Australia did not match the testing and certification documents originally provided. The manufacturer could not clearly distinguish which imported variants were which.

The CEC stated the decision was not based on a product recall or any identified safety issue.

Bytewatt has until 14 December 2026 to complete corrective action. Fix it and the suspension lifts. Miss it and the models are de-listed for good.

Timeline of the Neovolt battery suspension, from industry notification on 7 September 2026 to the corrective action deadline on 14 December 2026, branching to either a restored listing or permanent de-listing.

Does a CEC suspension affect a battery that is already installed?

No. Rebate eligibility is set on the installation date. If your install was completed before the suspension took effect, your STCs were already created and they stay valid.

Your battery does not stop working. Your warranty sits with the manufacturer, and a listing change does not cancel it.

One caveat worth knowing. The Clean Energy Regulator holds a separate power to deem products ineligible where they were listed using false or misleading information.

Comparison showing a CEC approved battery installed before the suspension keeps its rebate, while a battery ordered but not yet installed loses it.

What if you have ordered a battery but have not been installed yet?

This is where it hurts.

Eligibility runs off the install date. Not the order date. Not the delivery date.

Say you paid a deposit in August, with the rebate already taken off your quote. Your install is booked for October. If the model is suspended in the meantime, that rebate is gone on install day. Someone has to wear the difference.

Networks can refuse the product too. Some distributors rely on the CEC list for connection approval. State schemes lean on the same list, as covered in what the new PDRS rules mean for solar batteries.

So ask your installer to confirm the exact model number is on the current list before install day. Not the brand. The model number.

How do you check if your battery is still CEC approved?

Find the model number. It is printed on the unit and listed on your installation paperwork.

Match it against the current CEC approved batteries list, then check the product suspensions and de-listings page.

Check the model, not the brand. A manufacturer can have some models listed and others suspended at the same time. Neovolt is the proof.

Now, a cheap battery quote is cheap for a reason. Something has been left out of the price. Neovolt sat up to nearly a third below comparable known brands, and seven suspended models are what that discount looks like when it catches up with you. Valid certification and local support cost money. If a quote undercuts everything else by thousands, that gap is the thing to ask about. Read more about the problem with cheap battery quotes here.

Two questions before you sign, whether you are in NSW, the ACT or Queensland. Who backs the warranty here in Australia? How long has this exact model held its listing?

Frequently Asked Questions

What does it mean when a battery is suspended from the CEC approved products list?

It means the product has temporarily lost its listing while the manufacturer fixes a compliance problem. During the suspension the model cannot be used for new STC rebate claims. The manufacturer has up to three months. Fix it and the listing returns. Miss the window and the product is permanently de-listed.

Will I lose my solar rebate if my battery loses CEC approval after installation?

No. Eligibility is determined on the installation date. Certificates created for a completed install stay valid if the product is suspended later. The risk sits with people who have ordered but not yet been installed.

How long does a manufacturer have to fix issues before permanent CEC delisting?

Up to three months from the date the suspension takes effect. For the Neovolt models suspended on 15 September 2026, that window closes on 14 December 2026.

Is a suspended battery still safe to use?

A suspension is a compliance action, not a safety recall. In the Neovolt case the CEC stated the decision was not based on a recall or any identified safety issue. If a genuine safety problem is found, a recall is issued separately and you would be told directly.

Man on an apartment balcony beside a plug-in solar panel mounted on the railing, with a small inverter unit plugged into a power point.

Solar for Renters: Are Plug-In Systems the Answer?

Written by Donna Wentworth on September 16, 2026. Posted in Press Release Announcements.

Solar for renters has sat in the too-hard basket for years. No roof of your own. No say over what goes on it. No simple way to cut a bill that keeps climbing.

That is starting to shift. Every state and territory has now agreed to work with the Commonwealth to make plug-in solar and batteries legal in Australia.

Nothing is legal yet. No product is on the shelf. There is real work to get through first.

Still, this is the first firm commitment from the people who can actually change the rules.

This article covers:

What the energy ministers have agreed to
How plug-in solar works, and why it suits renters
When it could become legal here
What a system might save you
What still has to be sorted out

What have the energy ministers actually agreed to?

Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen announced this important update for renters.

Lots of renters and people who live in apartments have raised with me that it’s not easy to get the benefits of solar and batteries. And they are right. I am really pleased that the states and territories have all agreed to work with us to make “plug in” solar and batteries legal in Australia. This will open up new choices for renters and people in apartments. There’s a lot more work to do but this is a huge step towards more cost of living relief for renters.

This is a good step in the right direction to opening up a pathway for renters to have easy access to the savings solar provides.

There is plenty of work ahead, as Bowen says himself, but the direction is the right one.

What is plug-in solar, and how does it work?

Plug-in solar, also called balcony solar, is about as simple as solar gets.

You get a compact panel, or a pair, rated around 600 to 800 watts. It connects to a small inverter or battery unit. That unit plugs into an ordinary power point.

An inverter is the box that converts power from a panel into the type of electricity your appliances can actually use. Every solar system has one.

No sparky. No roof work. No holes in someone else’s house.

The power feeds into your home circuit and offsets your usage while the sun is up. Fridge, router, standby load, whatever is running. It gets served by the panel first, so you buy less from the grid.

Moving out? Unplug it and take it with you. That is the part that makes it work for renters.

Diagram of a plug-in solar system: panel, inverter or battery unit, standard power point, then household appliances.

This is not new technology. Germany has been running it for years, with roughly one in ten households now using a system. Great Britain legalised plug-in solar in September 2026. New Zealand has committed to doing the same within twelve months.

Plug-in solar status in Germany, Great Britain, New Zealand and Australia, with Australia the only one not yet legal.

We covered the hardware in detail last time, including Sigenergy’s SigenMate 2700 Ultra, a plug-in battery already selling in Europe and not available here.

When will plug-in solar be legal in Australia?

No exact date has been set.

The federal government has committed to working with the states and territories to identify what is needed for safe use, then report back on next steps by the end of 2026.

That report is the next real milestone. It is not legalisation. It is the piece of work that spells out what legalisation would take.

Advocacy group Solar Citizens is pushing for a firm legal date of 1 July 2027. That is their ask, not a government commitment. Worth keeping those apart when you see mid-2027 quoted.

Timeline of plug-in solar in Australia: not legal now, government report due end of 2026, July 2027 campaign target.

How much could a plug-in system save a renter?

Say you run an 800 watt setup on a balcony that gets decent sun. Reported estimates put the savings at roughly $300 to $400 a year. Add a small plug-in battery and that figure roughly doubles, because you store the cheap daytime power instead of feeding it back for next to nothing.

Systems overseas cost up to $1,300. Payback sits somewhere between four and ten years depending on whose numbers you read.

Now, is this a replacement for a proper rooftop system? No. An 800 watt panel is a fraction of a standard install. It will not run your house, and for some homes the maths will not stack up.

For a renter paying full retail on every kilowatt hour, though, a few hundred dollars a year back in your pocket is not nothing.

Bowen has also stated that plug-in systems meeting the safety standards would be covered by the existing Cheaper Home Batteries Program and the Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme. Details have not been worked through.

Chart comparing estimated annual savings for renters from a plug-in solar panel alone and with a small battery added.

What still has to be sorted out?

Four things, roughly.

Standards. AS/NZS 4777 governs grid-connected inverters and has no plug-in category at all. A pathway has to be written into it.

Product approval. Someone has to certify these units and publish an approved product list, the way rooftop gear is handled now.

Tenancy and strata. Rules need updating so a landlord or an owners corporation cannot unreasonably refuse.

Safety. Anti-islanding is the main one. That is the function that shuts a system down when the grid goes out, so nobody working on the line gets hurt.

Whyis it taking so long to get all this sorted? Glen Morris, who sits on the Standards Australia committees covering this equipment, argues the blocker was never safety. Europe sorted the technical side years ago. The real problem is that nobody in this country had the authority to say yes. Standards bodies wait on regulators. Regulators wait on standards. Networks will not connect a device that is not on a list.

That deadlock is exactly what the ministers’ agreement is meant to break.

Four changes needed before plug-in solar is legal in Australia: standards, product approval, tenancy rules and safety.

What can renters do in the meantime?

Three things are worth a look while the rules catch up.

Talk to your landlord. Plenty of owners will consider solar and a battery on a rental, particularly with the rebates currently on offer.

Check your electricity plan. If you are wanting some tips on how to choose a retailer you read about it in our recent article here.

If you are in an apartment, a shared system is already possible, and more incentives are coming.

None of these is plug-in solar. Each chips away at the same problem from a different angle.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a plug-in or balcony solar system and how does it work?

It is a compact solar panel, usually 600 to 800 watts, connected to a small inverter or battery unit that plugs into a normal power point. No electrician and no roof work. The power offsets whatever your home is using at the time, so you draw less from the grid. It is not fixed to the building, so it moves with you.

Do renters need landlord permission to install plug-in solar panels?

There is no answer to that yet, because no plug-in system is legal to use here. Tenancy and strata rules are one of the specific things the governments have said they need to work through. A freestanding unit sitting on a balcony raises different questions to anything bolted to a wall, and that distinction has not been settled.

When will plug-in solar systems be legal and available in Australia?

No date has been set. The federal government is due to report back on next steps by the end of 2026. Solar Citizens is campaigning for legal status by 1 July 2027, though that is a campaign target rather than a government commitment.

Andrew Knowles, a Lenergy solar customer in Mittagong, speaking about his decision to go solar.

Why did Andrew go solar in Mittagong?

Written by Donna Wentworth on September 14, 2026. Posted in Client Testimonials.

Two things pushed him. Rising bills, and a nudge from home.

Power prices had been climbing, and Andrew wanted to take some of the sting out. Cutting his emissions mattered too. “Helping the environment a bit,” as he put it, with his daughter “in my ear about that.” Both reasons landed him on solar as the sensible next step.

If you’re weighing the same call, it helps to work out what size solar system you actually need before you ask for quotes.

What was the quoting process like?

Short, because Andrew had already made up his mind.

“I didn’t receive any quotes from anyone else, because I kind of knew how good Lenergy were,” he said. Word of mouth did the work. People he knew had used Lenergy and rated the job. “I just wanted to get Lenergy to do it.”

Aerial view of a home surrounded by trees in Mittagong, a typical Southern Highlands setting for a solar installation.

How was the site visit?

Winston came out and walked Andrew through the whole thing, start to finish.

They talked through how the system works and the app Andrew would use to keep an eye on it. Winston also flagged a couple of tree branches near the roof. Clearing them would lift the system’s output, so it was worth doing. If you’re not sure how much difference nearby trees make, our guide on how much shade affects solar panels breaks it down.

Then there was the design. Winston placed the panels for the best result on Andrew’s roof. “He put them in the best spot he could to get the optimum capacity out of it,” Andrew said.

What was the install team like?

Easy to deal with from the first phone call, and tidy on the day.

Andrew found the office team simple to talk to, and the on-site crew just as good. The job came back “neat and tidy.” The part that stuck with him was reliability. “They were there when they said they’d be there, which is awesome. You don’t always get that.”

Lenergy installer working on a metal roof during a solar installation in the Southern Highlands.

What happened to Andrew’s power bill?

It came down, and that matters more with prices still rising.

Andrew’s bills had jumped just before he went solar, in line with the wider increases across NSW. Since the system went in, the bills have dropped noticeably. That saving now goes towards paying off the system itself. “That will help to pay for the system moving forward,” he said. For a sense of the numbers in general terms, see our guide on how much you can save with solar panels.

Would Andrew recommend Lenergy?

Without hesitation.

“I don’t hesitate to throw Lenergy’s name up, because I know they’ll do a good job,” he said. He points people to Lenergy whenever solar or batteries come up. For him, the best part was simple. “Just a really nice bunch of people, from front office to the people that do the work.” If a home battery is on your radar too, it’s worth understanding how storage fits alongside your panels.

Thinking about solar for your own place? Read next: is your home ready for solar panels?

Frequently Asked Questions

Is solar worth it in the Southern Highlands?

For most homes, yes. Electricity prices in NSW have been rising, and a rooftop system offsets a good share of your daytime use. Andrew’s experience in Mittagong is a fair example: bills that had climbed came down after his system went in, and the saving now helps pay off the system. Your result depends on your roof, your usage and any shading, which is why a proper site visit matters.

How do I choose a solar installer?

Look for an installer accredited with Solar Accreditation Australia (SAA), then check their track record locally. Andrew skipped other quotes because people he knew had used Lenergy and rated the work. Word of mouth, a clear site visit, and a crew that turns up when they say they will are all good signs. Ask how they position the panels and how they handle anything, like nearby trees, that could affect output.

How much can solar cut my power bill?

That varies by system size, household usage and how much power you use during the day. Andrew’s bills dropped noticeably after his install, though he didn’t quote a figure, and he treats the saving as money going back into paying off the system. For a general sense of the range, see our guide on how much you can save with solar panels.

Article headline reading "Why Is My Winter Electricity Bill So High?" over a photo of a woman in a grey jumper standing at a kitchen bench on a cold morning, reading a paper electricity bill held out to her right. Rain runs down the window beside her, a mug of tea steams on the bench, and an oil column heater glows in the corner.

Why Is My Winter Electricity Bill So High in Southern NSW and the ACT?

Written by Donna Wentworth on September 10, 2026. Posted in Uncategorized.

In Southern NSW and the ACT the winter electricity bill climbs because we use more power at the worst possible time. Heaters work harder. Hot water runs longer. The sun clocks off early and most usage lands in the evening, the most expensive time of day to be pulling from the grid. After dark your tariff charges it’s peak rate.. so more power, right when it costs the most. The good news…it’s fixable.

This article walks through each one, so you know what is worth changing and what is not:

The heating settings costing you the most
Why draughts make your heater work twice
What cold water does to your hot water bill
Why your solar cannot keep up in June
A checklist for the loads you have forgotten

Bar chart comparing a summer and a winter electricity bill. Household usage rises sharply in winter while solar production falls to around half its summer level.

Is my heater the reason my power bill is higher in winter?

Usually, yes.

Heating is the biggest single driver of winter energy costs in Australia. energy.gov.au says every extra degree can add 5 to 10% to your bill. They recommend 18 to 20 degrees. Plenty of homes sit on 25.

The worst offenders are the cheap ones. Plug-in fan heaters, oil column heaters, bar radiators. Cheap to buy, expensive to run, because they turn electricity straight into heat.

Say you run a 2 kW plug-in heater for five hours. That is 10 kWh before anything else is counted. At 35 cents a kilowatt hour, that heater costs you $3.50 a night. Run two and you are at $7 before the kettle goes on.

Cost breakdown showing a 2 kilowatt plug-in heater run for five hours uses 10 kilowatt hours, which comes to $3.50 a night at 35 cents per kilowatt hour.

A reverse cycle air conditioner moves heat rather than making it. Same job, far less electricity use.

So heat the room you are in, not the whole house. Set it sensibly and leave it there. Use the timer. Shut the door.

Why does my house cost so much to heat?

Because it leaks.

If your home lets heat out, your heater has to keep buying it back.

Plenty of older Australian homes were built with little or no insulation. Taking the right steps to insulate your household can cut heating costs by up to 45%.

Start cheap. Door snakes and weather seals on the gaps around doors and windows. Curtains closed before dark. Internal doors shut. Unsealed exhaust fans are the one most people miss.

Then the bigger items. Ceiling and wall insulation decide how hard your heater works. If you have work planned, check them then.

Cross-section of a house with arrows showing heat escaping through the ceiling, walls, windows, under doors, exhaust fans and unsealed gaps, while a heater runs inside.

Is hot water adding to my winter energy costs?

It is, and almost nobody looks at it.

Showers get longer when it is cold. The water entering your tank is colder too, so the system works harder to heat it. Same shower, more energy.

If you have solar, heat your water during solar hours on a timer or relay. That turns a grid cost into self consumption. No solar? Ask your retailer about a controlled load tariff.

If your hot water system is on its way out, look at a heat pump. Old electric tanks heat water with an element, the same way a bar heater works. A heat pump moves heat instead, which costs a lot less to run.

Why is my solar not covering my winter bill?

Because production drops at the same time your usage climbs.

Winter days are shorter and the sun sits lower. Rooftop solar winter output is often less than half of what the same system produces in summer.

The panels produce least at exactly the hours you need most. Anything your panels are not covering gets bought from the grid instead, and the evening block is where most retailers charge their highest rate. Your heaviest hour of the day and your dearest rate of the day are the same hour.

So the bill rises even though nothing is broken. Winter can make a good solar system look like a bad one.

A battery closes that gap. A SigenStor stores your daytime solar, or cheap grid power from a free power window and releases it through the evening peak. It will not fix a leaky house or a 25 degree thermostat. It will offset your usage at the most expensive hours of the day.

Which is why a system should be sized to suit your winter load, not your summer production. Good design starts with what your home uses in July, not what the roof does in January. From there it is a question of what closes the gap. A battery. More panels to lift the winter yield. A Solar Sharer Offer, which gives you a cheap or free daytime block from your retailer to charge from. Often a mix of all three.

Chart across a full day showing winter solar production peaking around midday and falling to zero before evening, while household load peaks after dark. The shaded evening gap is the power a battery covers.

What else should I check before the next winter bill?

Five minutes walking around the house will find money.

Pool pump. Most run summer hours all year. Two extra hours a day is roughly 2 kWh, about 70 cents at 35 cents a kilowatt hour. Across a winter that adds up.
Clothes dryer. Spin on high first, then rack dry what you can. If it has to go on, run it in solar hours, not the evening peak.
Second fridges. A half-empty beer fridge draws power every hour of every day.
Standby loads. Computers left on, outdoor lighting with no sensor, smart home gear. Each is small. All of them running all day is not.
Your tariff. Check it once a year. Time of use peak rates are where winter bills do most of their damage. Read our most recent recommendations here.

Five icons for commonly missed winter loads: pool pump, clothes dryer, second fridge, standby appliances and your electricity tariff.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does my electricity bill double in winter?

Rarely one cause. Usage rises because heating runs for hours, hot water works harder and the dryer comes out more often. At the same time your solar produces less, and most of the extra load lands in the evening peak. More kilowatt hours, at a higher rate per kilowatt hour, on a bill covering the coldest months of the year.

Does solar power work less effectively in winter?

Panels handle the cold fine. Cold is not the problem. Shorter days and a lower sun angle are. Winter output is often around half of summer production, and your heaviest loads run before sunrise and after sunset when the panels are producing nothing at all.

What time of day is electricity most expensive in winter?

On most time of use tariffs, the evening peak. That is exactly when heating, cooking, lighting and the TV all come on together. Shifting what you can into the middle of the day is the simplest way to reduce your electricity bill in winter.

Will Data Centres Make Your Power Bill Go Up?

Written by Donna Wentworth on September 9, 2026. Posted in Press Release Announcements.

Australia’s data centres are about to use nearly seven times more electricity than they do today, going from around 5 TWh a year to 34 TWh by 2035–36. So will data centres push up your power bill? They might, and it’s being decided right now in rooms you’re not in. A roof full of panels and a battery change how much you need to buy at all.

Here’s what this article covers:

How much power data centres actually use
Whether that cost lands on households
Why solar alone cannot run a data centre
What any of it means for your roof

Why are data centres suddenly an energy story?

The number of proposed data centres has exploded. The AEMO counted 225 known data centre projects under development, up from 97 a year earlier.

In NSW, network connection enquiries reached up to 28 GW as of July, with about 13 GW in advanced discussions. The NSW Government notes that 13 GW alone is more than the state’s average daily demand.

Connection enquiries are lodged at maximum possible capacity, not expected use. AEMO found more than 40% of data centre projects proposed since 2025 have already dropped out or gone backwards. The pipeline is big and it is uncertain.

How much electricity does a data centre actually use?

AEMO’s 2026 Electricity Statement of Opportunities forecasts data centre consumption in the National Electricity Market rising from around 5 TWh in 2025–26 to 34 TWh in 2035–36. That takes them from roughly 3% of grid electricity to 13%.

That is the middle case. AEMO also modelled stronger growth reaching about 52 TWh over the same period.

The shape of the load matters as much as the size. AEMO says mature data centres run at about half their connection capacity and operate constantly, with only minor increases during working hours. Flat, day and night.

Bar chart of data centre electricity demand in Australia, rising from 5 TWh in 2025–26 to 34 TWh in 2035–36, with a dashed extension showing AEMO's higher growth case of 52 TWh.

Will data centres push my power bill up?

That depends on decisions being made right now, and those decisions aren’t finished.

Here’s the risk if it goes badly. New demand arrives, new generation fails to keep pace, and everyone competes for the same electricity. The Clean Energy Finance Corporation estimates wholesale prices would be 26% higher in NSW and 23% higher in Victoria by 2035 under that scenario. Wholesale prices reach retail bills eventually.

Network costs work the same way. The proposed 800 MW Bundey project in South Australia needs four substations and multiple new transmission lines on its own. If the rules stay silent on who funds that, it spreads across every customer.

So the real question isn’t whether data centres use a lot of power. It’s who gets made responsible for the supply and the infrastructure that use requires.

Diagram showing two outcomes for 34 TWh of new data centre demand: costs staying with the projects that cause them, or spreading to every electricity customer.

Governments are working on it. The AEMC recommended in July that new data centres prove they are backing new renewable generation, contract their own firming capacity, and register with AEMO so it can see what’s coming.

National Cabinet signed off in late August on standards requiring operators to invest in new renewable generation, with flexibility for state-owned electricity assets. Queensland and the Northern Territory took that as meaning they could decide how data centres in their states are powered. Federal Energy Minister Chris Bowen rejected that two days later, saying the standards will apply “with no exceptions and no carve-outs”. A state-owned company wanting to use coal or gas would have to prove to the Commonwealth it is cheaper than renewables.

Bowen calls data centres “electricity whales” that “eat” energy, and puts the stakes in bill terms. Under an open slather approach in Queensland, he says, wholesale prices would be 13% higher.

Worth noting that AEMO published its forecast the day before the National Cabinet met. The 34 TWh assumes none of these obligations exist.

Legislation is expected in early 2027. Until then, none of this is settled.

Can solar power a data centre?

Partly, and only during daylight. A data centre draws close to the same load at 3am as at midday, so solar on its own leaves most of the day uncovered.

Chart comparing a data centre's flat 24-hour electricity load against a solar generation curve that peaks at midday, with the uncovered hours shaded.

Solar plus storage is the workable version. New solar and wind backed by batteries is what the Clean Energy Council has proposed data centres be required to contract, on terms of 15 to 20 years, by signing with a project directly, going through a retailer, or building the generation themselves. The length is the point. Renewable projects struggle to get finance without a long contract from a buyer who will still be there in fifteen years. Batteries then shift the midday surplus into the evening.

Same principle as a house with panels and a battery, several thousand times larger.

Side-by-side diagram of a house with rooftop solar and a battery next to a data centre with a solar farm and grid-scale battery, using the same generate-store-use loop.

What does this mean for your own house?

You don’t get a vote on any of this. Rules, connection queues, wholesale prices, none of it is yours to decide.

What you do decide is how much you buy. Right now your electricity comes from a retailer, and the retailer sets the rate. Solar and batteries give you energy independence. Your panels cover the house during the day, the battery covers the evening, and the power you use is power you generated. Whether wholesale prices go up or not, you’re protected.

Icons showing solar covering household electricity use during the day and a battery covering the evening, with grid supply set apart as the remaining exposure.

Australian households added 2.4 GW of battery storage, or 7.4 GWh, as at March 2026. Households are doing at small scale what data centres are now being asked to do at large scale.

Look, it doesn’t stack up for every home. Low daytime use, heavy shading or a short stay all change the answer. Click here to find out whether your home is ready for solar.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do data centres use a lot of electricity?

Yes. AEMO puts current use in the NEM at around 5 TWh a year, about 3% of grid electricity, growing to roughly 13% by 2035–36.

Will AI make my power bill go up?

Possibly, and it depends on rules still being finalised. If new generation and storage keep pace, the effect on household bills should be limited. If not, modelling suggests wholesale prices rise and that reaches your bill.

Can solar run a data centre at night?

No. Overnight supply has to come from storage, hydro, or other firm capacity the operator contracts.

Are data centres going to be forced to use renewable energy?

That’s the direction. National Cabinet has signed off on standards, and the federal government says data centres will need to back their load with 100% renewable energy plus firming. A state-owned energy company can apply to use something else, but has to prove it’s cheaper. Legislation is expected in early 2027.

How do I protect myself from rising electricity prices?

The only lever fully in your control is buying less from the grid.

Author: Donna Wentworth

Can you even join the Tesla plan?

What do the rates look like in outer Sydney?

Who actually controls your battery?

Frequently Asked Qestions

1. Should you start with solar and a battery?

2. Are you on a bad electricity plan?

3. Where does heating and cooling money go?

4. How do you cut hot water costs?

5. Can you get free electricity during the day?

6. Which appliances are actually driving your bill?

Where that leaves you

Frequently Asked Question

How much does the solar panel rebate drop in 2027?

What does the solar drop look like in dollars?

Will the battery rebate drop in 2027 too?

How much less is your battery rebate worth in 2027?

Does the contract date or the installation date set your rebate?

So is it worth rushing?

Frequently Asked Questions

Why would you shut down your SigenStor battery?

How do you shut down a Sigenergy SigenStor battery?

What if there is no AC isolator fitted?

How do you power the battery back on?

Frequently Asked Questions

What are Australia’s new solar and battery regulations for 2026?

Will the new rules apply to the system I already have?

What actually changes when you go to buy?

What does this mean if you’re in the trade?

When do the new rules start?

Frequently Asked Questions

What has NSW actually proposed?

Why are old solar panels becoming a problem?

How would the scheme work?

What is happening nationally?

What does this mean if you already own solar?

Frequently Asked Questions

Why did Harry choose Lenergy for solar in Moss Vale?

What results has Harry seen since going solar?

Was it worth paying a bit more?

Frequently Asked Questions

What does a CEC battery suspension actually mean?

Is a CEC suspension the same as a safety recall?

Why were seven Neovolt models suspended?

How do you check if your battery is still CEC approved?

Frequently Asked Questions

What have the energy ministers actually agreed to?

What is plug-in solar, and how does it work?

When will plug-in solar be legal in Australia?

Frequently Asked Questions

What was the quoting process like?

How was the site visit?

What was the install team like?

What happened to Andrew’s power bill?

Would Andrew recommend Lenergy?

Frequently Asked Questions

Is my heater the reason my power bill is higher in winter?

Why does my house cost so much to heat?

Is hot water adding to my winter energy costs?

Why is my solar not covering my winter bill?

What else should I check before the next winter bill?

Frequently Asked Questions

Why are data centres suddenly an energy story?

How much electricity does a data centre actually use?

Can solar power a data centre?

Frequently Asked Questions

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