The feed-in tariff in the Australian Capital Territory, and why it changes how you use solar
Australian Capital Territory pays about 2c a kWh for exported solar and charges about 37c to buy it back. That gap, roughly 19 times, is the single most important number in any solar decision made here.
What is different about the Australian Capital Territory
At 37c a unit the Australian Capital Territory sits 2nd of 8 on retail price, with a feed-in tariff of 2c. It averages 4.7 peak sun hours a day.
What the gap means in practice
Every unit your roof makes goes one of two places. Used in the house as it is generated, it is worth the 37c you did not have to spend. Exported, it is worth 2c.
So the question that decides your return is not how big your bill is. It is how much of your generation you are home to use.
| Household uses | Their bill a quarter | System | After rebates | Saves a year | Pays for itself |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 kWh | $437 | 6.6kW solar | $6,250 to $8,250 | $490–$740 | 10+ years |
| 15 kWh | $605 | 10–13kW solar | $8,000 to $13,000 | $770–$1,160 | 8–10+ years |
| 22 kWh | $841 | 10–13kW solar | $8,000 to $13,000 | $1,020–$1,530 | 6–10 years |
| 30 kWh | $1,110 | 10–13kW solar | $8,000 to $13,000 | $1,290–$1,940 | 5–8 years |
Panels only, someone home part of the day, after rebates. Produced by this site's calculator.
The same house, two different answers
Take the 15 kWh a day household. Home most days it saves $940–$1,390 a year, paying back in 7–10+ years. Out at work all day it saves $640–$950, taking 10+ years. Identical system, identical roof, identical rebate.
What to do about it
Shift load into the middle of the day wherever you can. A dishwasher on a timer, the washing machine at lunchtime, the pool pump between ten and four, hot water on a day cycle if your system allows it. Each of those converts a 2c unit into a 37c one, and none of them costs anything.
Beyond that, storage is the other answer. On the same household, solar with a battery comes to $9,130 to $19,730 after rebates and saves $1,540–$1,900 a year, paying back in 5–10+ years. A battery is essentially a way of buying back your own exports at 2c instead of paying 37c for them later.
Checking a quote? Ask which feed-in rate the savings projection used. A quote built on a rate two or three times the real one overstates ten years of savings without a single line item looking wrong.
$5,000 difference.
That is the gap between two quotes for the same 6.6kW system in the Australian Capital Territory, in the same week. Not build quality, not a better job. Overheads, how full the diary is that month, and what the person at your kitchen table thinks you will agree to. On solar with a battery the same gap is $10,600.
Closing that gap is what I do. I already know what installers in your area are quoting this month for this equipment, so I get you the bottom of that range for the same system other companies charge thousands more for. It costs you nothing. The installer pays me, and only if you go ahead, which is why there is no reason for me to push you at a bigger system than you need or at a dearer installer.
Get your own numbers, then get them priced properly
The table above is four example households. Two minutes of questions gets you your system size, what it should cost after rebates in the Australian Capital Territory, and a ten-year projection built on your roof and your usage. Then I find the bottom of that price range for you.
Run my numbers, freeNo installer buys placement or ranking here, and nothing reaches an installer unless you ask.
Common questions
What is the solar feed-in tariff in the Australian Capital Territory?
About 2c a kWh. Power bought from the grid costs roughly 37c, so self-consumption is worth around 19 times as much as exporting.
Why has the feed-in tariff fallen so far?
So much rooftop solar now exports at the same time that midday wholesale prices are near zero or negative. Retailers price the export accordingly.
Should I still get solar if the feed-in tariff is low?
Usually yes, but the case rests on self-consumption rather than export. In Australian Capital Territory a 15 kWh household home most days saves $940–$1,390 a year against $640–$950 for one out all day.
Does a battery fix a low feed-in tariff?
Largely. It stores what you would have exported at 2c and gives it back instead of power you would have bought at 37c.