Independent Australian energy journalism · Est. comparison-era voice, rebuilt for long-form
A solar feed-in tariff is the credit your retailer pays for leftover rooftop generation sent to the grid. In 2026 those rates are low, often capped, and almost never the number that decides whether solar is worth running.
Topic hubs
Compare rates, not slogans
How Australian electricity plans are priced, what the Default Market Offer actually means, and how to choose between single-rate, time-of-use and demand tariffs.
Megajoules, supply charges, dual fuel
Natural gas plans are a different market to electricity. We unpack usage rates, daily charges, dual-fuel bundles and when electrifying hot water or heating is the better long-term move.
Self-consumption beats a pretty feed-in rate
Feed-in tariffs, STCs, home batteries, solar-friendly retail plans and the Solar Sharer Offer — written for households who already have panels or are about to.
Cooling-off, NMIs and the ombudsman
How switching actually works, how to read a bill and an NMI, what smart meters change, and what to do when a retailer gets the numbers wrong.
Contracts, not just residential fact sheets
Small-business electricity is a different product: contract terms, demand charges, broker quotes and how to switch without disrupting site supply.
If you qualify, claim it
State energy concessions, medical cooling rebates, retailer hardship programs and how to keep supply connected while a bill is in dispute.
The NEM is not the whole country
Western Australia, regional Queensland, Tasmania, the ACT and the Northern Territory do not shop for energy the same way Sydney or Melbourne does. Start with the market you actually live in.
How we work
Energyquotes.com.au grew up in the era of electricity and gas quote forms. The reconstructed masthead keeps that brief — help Australians get a sharper energy deal — and publishes the long-form explainers the old landing pages never had room for.
We point readers to the government comparators first, name the traps in market offers, and keep sponsored links labelled. Start with how to compare electricity plans, then write for us if you have a consumer story the desk should hear.
The Solar Sharer Offer is an opt-in standing offer in Default Market Offer areas: a three-hour midday window of free electricity for eligible smart-meter households, up to a daily cap commonly described as 24 kWh. It exists because the grid is stuffed with daytime solar.
A move is a connect or a transfer, not a same-day miracle. Read the NMI at the new address, compare plans while you are choosing anyway, and do not confuse dual fuel with one phone call.
The best solar plan is the cheapest whole bill, not the highest feed-in tariff. Rank import rates, daily supply, export credits and export caps at your actual usage before you let a banner rate choose the retailer.
Start with the retailer, keep supply on, and use estimated-read, meter-fault and backbilling rules before you go to EWON, EWOV, EWOQ, EWOSA, Tasmania's ombudsman or ACAT.
Compare heating on useful heat, not on a raw c/kWh versus c/MJ argument. A reverse-cycle heat pump can deliver several kilowatt hours of heat for each kilowatt hour it buys. A gas heater wastes a slice of every megajoule in the flue. Running costs follow that gap, plus two supply charges if you keep both fuels.
The main national “solar rebate” is not a cheque. It is a bundle of small-scale technology certificates created when eligible panels are installed, which the installer usually turns into an upfront discount under the Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme.