The energy needs of South Australians have changed. Our electricity grid was originally designed to deliver energy one way, from the generator to homes and businesses across the state. Now, with one of the highest uptakes of solar energy in the world, more and more South Australians want to export their excess solar energy into the electricity grid, creating a two-way system. We're here to support our customers in doing that.
To ensure all South Australians can export excess energy (such as energy generated by rooftop solar) now and into the future, we need to invest in the grid to enable this two-way system. We will be investing in targeted network upgrades to unlock greater volumes of exports from rooftop solar. This will increase the amount of low-cost energy generation in the State and reduce reliance on expensive fossil fuels. Over time, this will lead to a more efficient and sustainable energy system for all customers. These upgrades will benefit every customer in the State over time, even those without solar - but those with solar will see greater and more immediate benefits. This investment will be enabled through an export tariff.
Following consultation with our customers, stakeholders and the Australian Energy Regulator, SA Power Networks will charge energy retailers a small cost for residential and small business customers, with inverters up to 30kW AC connected to SA Power Networks’ network, who export energy over a certain threshold.
What is an export tariff?
The Export Tariff (also known as two-way pricing) is applied to excess energy exports only, so the more people self-consume the solar they generate, the less likely it is that they will be charged to export excess energy. It means that electricity network upgrades to support these energy exports, are funded by those who benefit from them the most. This makes it fairer for those who do not have the ability to export energy.
The Export Tariff will be introduced from 1 July 2025 and will be charged to retailers. The bill impact will depend on if/how your retailer passes this charge on.
The tariff applies to all residential and small business customers with the ability to export energy to the grid (through solar PV, batteries and V2G connection) with an inverter size up to 30kW AC and only applies to energy exports over a certain threshold during the part of the day that the grid is most congested.
How will the Export Tariff impact my bill?
SA Power Networks will charge the retailer, not the customer. The bill impact will depend on if/how your retailer passes this charge on. The tariff will only be applied on excess exports if customers export more than the free threshold.
Expand each section below to see key points for different customer and metering types.
- No Export Tariff applies for the first 9kWh exported to the grid per day between 10am - 4pm.
- SA Power Networks will charge retailers 1c per kWh for customer exports above the 9 kWh daily threshold between 10am - 4pm.
- If you don’t use all of your daily free export, it can be used on another day within the billing cycle, which is typically 30 to 31 days.
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Energy exported between 4pm - 10am is free and no export tariff applies.
For the average household exporting energy, it will cost approximately $1.50 per month (based on a 5kW inverter with medium self-usage and medium exports).
- No Export Tariff applies for the first 11kWh exported to the grid per day.
- SA Power Networks will charge retailers 0.75c per kWh for customer exports above the 11 kWh daily threshold.
- If you don’t use all of your daily free export, it can be used on another day within the billing cycle, which is typically 90 days.
For the average household exporting energy, it will cost approximately $1.50 per month (based on a 5kW inverter with medium self-usage and medium exports).
- No Export Tariff applies for the first 9kWh exported to the grid per day between 10am - 4pm.
- SA Power Networks will charge retailers 1c per kWh for customer exports above the 9 kWh daily threshold between 10am - 4pm.
- If you don’t use all of your daily free export it will be rolled over within the billing cycle, which is typically 30 to 31 days, however, for business, days are categorised as 'workdays' (WD) and 'non-workdays' (NWD). Unused daily free export from a WD can only be used on another WD and similarly for a NWD, unused daily free export from a NWD can only be used on another NWD.
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Energy exported between 4pm - 10am is free and no export tariff applies.
For the average small business exporting energy, it will cost approximately $6.00 per month (based on 15 kW inverter with medium self-consumption and medium exports).
- No Export Tariff applies for the first 11kWh exported to the grid per day.
- SA Power Networks will charge retailers 0.75c per kWh for customer exports above the 11 kWh daily threshold.
- If you don’t use all of your daily free export, it can be used on another day within the billing cycle, which is typically 90 days.
For the average small business exporting energy, it will cost approximately $6.00 per month (based on 15 kW inverter with medium self-consumption and medium exports).
Note - Different export tariff rates and thresholds apply for customers with interval meters and legacy accumulation meters. These rates and thresholds help ensure equitable outcomes between customers with different meter types based on a sample of consumption profiles.
Impact of the Export Tariff on the average customer bill
Expand each section below to see estimates for how different inverter sizes and energy usage patterns might impact customer bills.
Typical residential customer
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Sam, like many South Australians, has a 5 kW inverter solar system and a new smart meter. He's also on a Time of Use tariff. Working from home two days a week, Sam uses his washing machine and dishwasher during the day to make the most of the solar energy he generates. He doesn't make any other special effort to utilise the energy he produces. If Sam's energy retailer passes on the export tariff in full, Sam’s monthly bill would be $1.50 higher per month on average. |
Learn more
See how your residential bill may be impacted if you have a different sized energy system and/or energy usage habits to Sam.
Small (based on 2.5 kW inverter)
Cost and consumption data estimate based on a 2.5 kW inverter size.
| Energy self-consumed | Energy exported | Approximate cost per year | Annual profile chart |
|---|---|---|---|
| High | Low | $0.00 p.a. | Download chart |
| Medium | Medium | $0.00 p.a. | Download chart |
| Low | High | $0.004 p.a. | Download chart |
Medium (based on a 5 kW inverter)
Cost and consumption data estimate based on a 5 kW inverter size.
| Energy self-consumed | Energy exported | Approximate cost per year | Annual profile chart |
|---|---|---|---|
| High | Low | $6.60 p.a. | Download chart |
| Medium | Medium | $19.42 p.a. | Download chart |
| Low | High | $30.90 p.a. | Download chart |
Large (based on 10 kW inverter)
Cost and consumption data estimate based on a 10 kW inverter size.
| Energy self-consumed | Energy exported | Approximate cost per year | Annual profile chart |
|---|---|---|---|
| High | Low | $3.17 p.a. | Download chart |
| Medium | Medium | $25.57 p.a. | Download chart |
| Low | High | $63.72 p.a. | Download chart |
Typical small business customer
|
Jo, a small business owner in South Australia, has a 15kW inverter solar system and a new smart meter at her business premises. She's also on a Time of Use tariff. Jo is at her business for full-time regular retail hours (9am – 5pm Monday to Friday). During the day, she uses high-energy appliances to make the most of the solar energy she generates. She doesn't make any other special effort to utilise the energy she produces. If Jo's energy retailer passes on the export tariff in full, her bill would be $1.50 higher per month on average. |
Learn more
See how your business bill may be impacted if you have a different sized energy system and/or energy usage habits to Jo.
Small (based on 5 kW inverter)
Cost and consumption data estimate based on a small business with a 5 kW inverter size.
| Energy self-consumed | Energy exported | Approximate cost per year | Annual profile chart |
|---|---|---|---|
| High | Low | $0.16 p.a. | Download chart |
| Medium | Medium | $12.14 p.a. | Download chart |
| Low | High | $28.07 p.a. | Download chart |
Medium (based on a 15 kW inverter)
Cost and consumption data estimate based on a small business with a 15 kW inverter size.
| Energy self-consumed | Energy exported | Approximate cost per year | Annual profile chart |
|---|---|---|---|
| High | Low | $0.30 p.a. | Download chart |
| Medium | Medium | $73.40 p.a. | Download chart |
| Low | High | $137.64 p.a. | Download chart |
Large (based on 30 kW inverter)
Cost and consumption data estimate based on a small business with a 30 kW inverter size.
| Energy self-consumed | Energy exported | Approximate cost per year | Annual profile chart |
|---|---|---|---|
| High | Low | $18.93 p.a. | Download chart |
| Medium | Medium | $96.98 p.a. | Download chart |
| Low | High | $226.13 p.a. | Download chart |
How can I maximise the value of my solar
The best way to maximise your investment in solar energy is to self-consume as much of the energy that you generate as possible.
You should consider what electricity usage in your household or business is flexible and can be shifted to operate between 10am – 4pm to limit or avoid export charges. For example, you may be able to pre-cool or pre-heat your home, or program your washing machine and dishwasher to operate during the day. If you work from home during the day and have an electric vehicle (EV), you could charge your EV during the day.
Any electrical load which can be moved into the daytime between 10am - 4pm will reduce the amount of export to the grid and therefore reduce the export charges incurred over and above the free threshold.
Some households may also wish to consider investing in a battery to allow for energy to be stored and used later in the evening during peak time.
Frequently asked questions
Expand each section below to see answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about the Export Tariff.
Under the National Energy Rules, we are required to charge retailers in a way which reflects the cost of transporting electricity. Increasingly we are investing in our network to enable South Australians to continue connecting solar and exporting it in the middle of the day. The new Export Tariff reflects this and will recover our costs for these investments.
If you are on SA Power Networks customer choice Electrify tariff, from November till March, SA Power Networks will pay your retailer a credit of 12-13 cents per kWh for energy exported between 5pm and 9pm.
You will need to contact your retailer to find out whether you are able to access this tariff.
As South Australia’s electricity distributor, we must consider benefits to all South Australian electricity customers. The benefit to South Australia of an Export Tariff is that customers can continue to connect and export solar.
For individual customers, the main benefit of solar is when they self-consume the energy they generate. Other benefits of solar depend on each customer’s circumstances, energy use profile and retail offer.
New South Wales distribution networks are implementing export tariffs to groups of customers throughout their 5 year regulatory period of 2024—2029. South Australia is leading the Nation in terms of the installation of rooftop solar, and the need to invest in the network to efficiently manage excess solar generation.
The State Government feed-in tariff of 44c per kWh, which is administered by SA Power Networks, is a separate initiative and is not impacted by the export tariff. You can read more about this at SA.GOV.AU - Solar feed-in payments.
Retailer feed in tariffs are determined by the retailer. As the export tariff is billed to retailers they will determine how it is passed on to the customer in their retail offer.
Between 2025 and 2030, SA Power Networks will invest approximately $82 million in projects which enable greater levels of export and improve associated services to solar customers.
A significant part of this investment will be network upgrades to maintain the current level of export service enjoyed by all customers on average and decrease the time their solar is curtailed. These include the upgrade of voltage control at our substations and installing new street transformers with more network capacity.
It will also include improvements to solar installation compliance, which ultimately maximises the installed capacity of our network, and means more South Australians can connect solar.
SA Power Networks does not bill customers directly. The Export tariff applies (or is “added to”) to the following SA Power Networks tariffs, which we charge retailers:
- Residential Time of Use (RTOU)
- Residential Electrify (RESELE)
- Residential Single Rate (RSR)
- Small Business Time of Use (SBTOU)
- Small Business Electrify (SBELE)
- Medium Business Time of Use Demand (MBTOUD)
- Business Single Rate (BSR)
- Business Two Rate (B2R)
Contact your retailer to find out which network tariff you are on, and if the export tariff is being passed on by your retailer.
Contact your retailer to find out which network tariff you are on.
To learn more about tariffs in general: