The feed-in tariff in Western Australia, and why it changes how you use solar
Western Australia pays about 2c a kWh for exported solar and charges about 30c to buy it back. That gap, roughly 15 times, is the single most important number in any solar decision made here.
What is different about Western Australia
At 30c a unit Western Australia sits 4th of 8 on retail price, with a feed-in tariff of 2c. It averages 5.5 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 30c 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 | $373 | 5–6.6kW solar | $5,270 to $7,300 | $430–$640 | 10+ years |
| 15 kWh | $510 | 6.6kW solar | $6,050 to $8,050 | $590–$880 | 8–10+ years |
| 22 kWh | $701 | 10–13kW solar | $7,800 to $12,800 | $910–$1,360 | 7–10+ years |
| 30 kWh | $919 | 10–13kW solar | $7,800 to $12,800 | $1,130–$1,690 | 6–9 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 $720–$1,070 a year, paying back in 7–9 years. Out at work all day it saves $480–$710, 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 30c one, and none of them costs anything.
Beyond that, storage is the other answer. On the same household, solar with a battery comes to $6,330 to $14,230 after rebates and saves $1,210–$1,520 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 30c 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.
$2,000 difference.
That is the gap between two quotes for the same 6.6kW system in Western Australia, 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 $7,900.
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 Western Australia, 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 Western Australia?
About 2c a kWh. Power bought from the grid costs roughly 30c, so self-consumption is worth around 15 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 Western Australia a 15 kWh household home most days saves $720–$1,070 a year against $480–$710 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 30c.