NSW Solar Feed In Tariff Information

Last Updated: 20th Feb 2025

Current solar feed-in tariffs in NSW are what’s known as Voluntary Retailer Contributions. This means New South Wales electricity retailers don’t have to pay anything for solar electricity households export to the grid.  But most do pay – and so they should!  While there’s a lot more of it than there used to be, solar energy is still valuable stuff!

While electricity retailers don’t have to pay a feed-in tariff in NSW the Independent Pricing And Regulatory Tribunal (IPART) publish a recommended range for them.  Their recent guidance for a flat “all-day” feed-in tariff has been:

• 2022-23 financial year  6.2-10.4 c/kWh
• 2023-24 financial year  7.7 to 9.4 c/kWh
• 2024-25 financial year  4.9 to 6.3 c/kWh

As you can see, their recommendation for the 2024-25 financial year is lower than previous years.  This is because the cost of wholesale electricity during the day is expected to be lower.  If you’d like more details, you can check out IPART’s “all day” feed-in tariff factsheet. 

Note these are just benchmark ranges.  Some electricity retailers may offer a rate higher than this, and have done in recent years.

To find current feed-in tariff rates, use our electricity retailer comparison tool.

Available Feed-in Tariffs

As of February 2025, the residential electricity plan with the highest feed-in tariff for every kWh fed into the grid that I have been able to find is:

• Sumo Assure Demand TOU:  8.1c/kWh

If your inverter capacity is 10kW or less — or potentially export limited to 10kW — some options are:

• Energy Australia Solar Max:  10c for first 12kWh per day and 5c after that.
• Engie Solar:  12c for first 8kWh per day and 5.5c after that.
• AGL Solar Savers:  10c for first 10kWh per day and 5c after that.
• Origin Go Solar:  8c for first 14kWh per day and 5c after that.

When retailers say they’ll pay a higher feed-in tariff for a set number of kWh per day, they actually multiply that number of kWh by the number of days in the billing period and pay the higher feed-in tariff for that amount.  This is an advantage because solar exports can vary considerably day to day.

Time-Dependent Solar Feed-in Tariffs

Most solar homes receive a flat “all day” feed-in tariff that’s the same amount no matter when solar electricity is exported to the grid.  But electricity retailers can also offer time-dependent feed-in tariffs.  These offer lower rates for most of the day and higher ones in the late afternoon and evening when wholesale electricity prices are usually higher and solar output is normally low or zero.  These time-dependent feed-in tariffs can be especially useful for homes with west facing panels, as they produce more power late in the day.  They can also be potentially useful for households with batteries.

The draft benchmarks for these tariffs are:

Again, note these rates are not mandatory. NSW electricity retailers can offer as little or as much as they wish.  If you want more information, IPART has a time-dependent feed-in tariff factsheet.

When shopping around for electricity retailers in New South Wales, bear in mind that plans with higher feed-in tariffs won’t necessarily give the lowest electricity bills. Depending on the size of your solar system and electricity consumption patterns, a plan with comparatively low feed-in tariffs may offer the best overall deal due to lower daily charges and consumption rates.

Find NSW Feed-In Tariffs And Compare Electricity Retailers

The easiest way to find a local retailer with a good solar buyback rate is to compare them using this tool I made.

NSW’s Generous Gross Feed-in Tariffs Ended On The 31st Of December 2016

From the 1st of January to the 27 of October 2010, NSW households could lock in a gross feed-in tariff of 60 cents a kilowatt-hour. After that, from the 28th of October 2010 to the 28th of April 2011, a gross feed-in tariff of 20 cents could be secured.

Both of these ended on the 31st of December 2016.

If you were on one of these tariffs you probably had your old gross meter replaced years ago.  But if you’re not certain this occurred you can check your electricity bill to see if you’re receiving a solar feed-in tariff.  If you aren’t and your electricity plans says you should be getting one, it’s possible — although unlikely — you don’t have an electricity meter that can record your solar exports.

Having your meter replaced with a new one should cost you nothing and can be arranged by contacting your electricity retailer. 

Options Now The Gross Feed-in Tariff Has Ended

Most solar power systems that received the high gross feed-in tariff incentive in New South Wales were quite small and usually around 3 kilowatts or less, with most being just 1.5 kilowatts. If you still have one of these I can almost guarantee you’ll be far better off with a larger system.

Batteries Can Pay For Some

Now generous feed-in tariffs are no longer available, many solar owners are considering installing batteries.  They are much more likely to now pay for themselves thanks to the NSW battery incentive.  But if you want to be sure to come out ahead financially, you’re likely to need a large solar system and have above average evening electricity consumption.  pay for themselves in NSW but normally only for homes with large solar systems and above average evening electricity consumption.  It’s also important to be on a time-of-use tariff, as this will improve the return whether a lower cost battery such as a Sungrow is installed, or a more expensive one such as a Powerwall 2.  The cost of batteries is falling, so it may not be long before they make sense for most homes.

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