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Two way solar pricing
Two way solar pricing
Ausgrid has a two-way solar tariff for new and existing residential and small business customers.
Solar panels on Australian roof

Why introduce two-way pricing?

Like all our tariffs, our two way pricing is intended to act as price signals for retailers to encourage the most efficient use of our network. Our goal is to develop tariffs that fairly reflect the way each customer uses the network, while lowering the overall cost of the system.

Two-way pricing was introduced to:

  • Encourage customers to use the solar they generate in the middle of the day (rather than export) or send their exports into the grid later in the day. Exporting later in the day, when demand for electricity is highest, helps to reduce pressure on the network and keep future electricity costs down.
  • Our electricity network is also changing. The number of solar systems in our network is growing and more customers are using Ausgrid’s network to receive and export solar energy. This creates new challenges and additional costs for the grid. Two-way pricing is part of preparing the network for this future and a way to fairly attribute costs across customers driving this change.
  • It manages electricity flowing both ways and supports solar growth, which helps keep the network safe and reliable for all our customers.

How it works

There are three parts:

  1. Free threshold: No charge for the first 200kWh1  exported each month between 10am and 3pm
  2. Charge: A charge for electricity exported above the free threshold between 10am and 3pm
  3. Reward: A credit for exporting between 4pm and 9pm

The charge is 1.23 cents/kWh and the reward is 3.85 cents/kWh. These prices are passed through to the retailers. It’s then up to the retailers to decide how they bundle the prices in their offers for customers – retailers can change the value of the charge and reward.

It’s important to know that retailers can choose how they structure this two-way tariff for customers. This can mean what you see on your bill is different to our pricing, so it’s always good to compare offers to make sure you’re on the best plan for you.
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1 The free threshold is calculated monthly. In months with 31 days it is 212 kWh. In months with 30 days it is 205 kWh. In months with 29 days it is 199 kWh. In months with 28 days it is 192 kWh.
Example 1: Self consumption
Sam has solar panels. He generates 500kWh every month. Even though Sam is always at work, he times his dishwasher, pool pump, washing machine and other appliances to run during the day when the sun is shining. This way, Sam uses all 500kWh himself. Since Sam uses all the solar he generates, two-way pricing has no impact on his bill.
Example 2: Charge
Jill has solar and is out of the house most days but hasn’t thought about how she can use her own energy. She only uses 200kWh herself and exports 300 kWh between 10am and 3pm. Since Jill exports more than the free threshold (200kWh), she’s charged for the extra 100kWh. Jill ends up with a $1.23 charge.2

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2. 100kWh x 1.23c per kWh
Example 3: Charge and reward
Matteo and Maya have solar and a battery. They are busy most days and only use 100 kWh of their solar each month. During the day (10am – 3pm), they export 300kWh to the grid. Because this is more than the 200kWh free threshold, they’re charged $1.23 for the extra 100kWh3. In the evening (4pm – 9pm), using their battery they export 100kWh, earning them $3.85.4 Since the reward is three times higher than the charge, Matteo and Maya end up with a credit of $2.62.5
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3 100 kWh * 1.23 c/kWh
4 100 kWh * 3.85 c/kWh
5 $3.85 minus $1.23

Solar Energy Exports

Solar energy Export times

When did this change?

Ausgrid introduced an opt-in two-way tariff for new and existing residential and small business customers who were export-ready in July 2024. From July 2025 the tariff will apply to all these customers. Retailers can choose how they structure this two-way tariff for customers.
Solar panel on a house

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