What is a feed-in tariff (FIT)?
Solar energy saves you money by making you less reliant on the electricity grid, but what if you’re not home or you only use a small amount of energy when the sun is shining?
Thanks to feed-in tariffs, you could save money on your bills by feeding any excess energy back to the grid and what you feed back, you'll get credit for.
How much credit you get on your electricity bill will depend on the amount you feed back, what plan you're on, and what state you're in.
Feed-in tariffs are another great way that solar can help you save.
| Origin Solar Boost Plus | Origin Solar Boost | All other plans |
|---|---|---|
| 20 c/kWh total feed-in tariff |
11 c/kWh total feed-in tariff |
7 c/kWh |
| Available to customers who have bought a new solar system from us. Conditions apply. | Our plan with a higher-than-standard feed-in tariff. Available to eligible customers who have an existing solar system and switch to Origin. Conditions apply. | Rates as of 1 July 2020. With any Origin electricity plan, indicate you have solar panels and you may be eligible for our standard FIT. |
Feed-in tariff rates subject to change at any time. All FIT amounts include GST where applicable. To understand the key details of our plans, View Basic Plan Information.
New and existing ACT solar customers with a net metered installation with a system capacity of less than 30 kW. Some restrictions do apply.
The ACT Electricity Feed-In Tariff Scheme was closed to new applicants in 2011.
For existing customers with solar systems under this scheme, download Previous Feed-in Tariffs (PDF 81kb)
On 1 July 2020 we're changing our ACT standard retailer FIT rate from 8c/kWh to 7c/kWh (GST inclusive, if any). For existing customers, if Solar is changing for you, you’ll receive a letter or email from us in June about the change. You’ll also see any new feed in-tariff on your electricity bill from 1 July 2020.
| Origin Solar Boost Plus | Origin Solar Boost | All other plans |
| 22 c/kWh total feed-in tariff |
12 c/kWh total feed-in tariff |
7 c/kWh |
| Available to customers who have bought a new solar system from us. Conditions apply. | Our plan with a higher than standard feed-in tariff. Available to eligible customers who have an existing solar system and switch to Origin. Conditions apply. | Rates as of 1 July 2020. With any Origin electricity plan, indicate you have solar panels and you may be eligible for our standard retailer FIT. |
Feed-in tariff rates subject to change at any time. All FIT amounts include GST where applicable. To understand the key details of our plans, View Basic Plan Information.
New and existing NSW electricity customers with eligible net metered renewable energy systems. Some restrictions do apply.
When your solar system generates excess electricity, the excess gets exported back into the power grid and we pay you for each kWh you export.
On our Solar Boost plan, an export cap sometimes applies to the price you get for the excess energy (your FIT). That means for every kWh you generate above your cap, your feed-in tariff will revert to our standard retailer feed-in tariff rate at that time. The standard retailer FIT rate is generally lower than what’s offered (within your cap) on our Solar Boost plan.
How is an export cap calculated?
We generally refer to it as a daily cap, but we average it out over your billing period. It’s calculated by multiplying your daily export cap by the number of days in your billing period. Here’s an example:
- Let’s say your daily export cap is 8kWh and you’re billed quarterly (every 90 days)
- We multiply 8 (your daily export cap rate) by 90 (days in your billing period)
- Your total cap for that billing period is 720kWh
That means for every kWh that you export over 720kWh during your 90-day billing period, you’ll get our lower, standard FIT rate.
When you start a new billing period, we’ll restart your export cap. To find out if your plan has an export cap, check your bill, or look for the term “capped each billing period” in your Current plan view in My Account.
On 1 July 2020 we're changing our NSW standard retailer FIT rate from 8c/kWh to 7c/kWh (GST inclusive, if any). For existing customers, if Solar is changing for you, you’ll receive a letter or email from us in June about the change. You’ll also see any new feed in-tariff on your electricity bill from 1 July 2020.
Subject to change at any time. All amounts are GST-inclusive (if any).
| Origin Solar Boost Plus | Origin Solar Boost | All other plans |
Queensland: 18 c/kWh Southern regional Queensland: |
Queensland: 9 c/kWh Southern regional Queensland: |
Queensland: 6 c/kWh Southern regional Queensland: |
| Available to customers who have bought a new solar system from us. Conditions apply. | Our plan with a higher than standard feed-in tariff. Available to eligible customers who have an existing solar system and switch to Origin. Conditions apply. | Rates as of 1 July 2020. With any Origin electricity plan, indicate you have solar panels and you may be eligible for our standard retailer FIT. |
Feed-in tariff rates subject to change at any time. All FIT amounts include GST where applicable. To understand the key details of our plans, View Basic Plan Information.
Queensland: New and existing Queensland electricity customers with eligible net metered renewable energy systems.
Southern regional Queensland: Existing customers in the Essential distribution patch. Not sure if this is you? Find your distributor online.
For information about the 44c/kWh QLD Solar Bonus Scheme, download Previous Feed-in Tariffs (PDF 85 kb). NB: This scheme closed to new applicants on 30 June 2013.
On 1 July 2020 we're changing our QLD standard retailer FIT rate from 7c/kWh to 6c/kWh (GST inclusive, if any). For existing customers, if Solar is changing for you, you’ll receive a letter or email from us in June about the change. You’ll also see any new feed in-tariff on your electricity bill from 1 July 2020.
Origin Solar Boost Plus |
Origin Solar Boost |
All other plans |
| 21 c/kWh total feed-in tariff |
13 c/kWh total feed-in tariff |
8 c/kWh |
| Available to customers who have bought a new solar system from us. Conditions apply. | Available to eligible customers who have an existing solar system and switch to Origin. Conditions apply. | Rates as of 1 July 2020. With any Origin electricity plan, indicate you have solar panels and you may be eligible for our standard retailer FIT. |
Feed-in tariff rates subject to change at any time. All FIT amounts include GST where applicable. To understand the key details of our plans, View Basic Plan Information.
New solar customers currently receiving the standard retailer feed-in tariff.
The SA Government’s Solar Feed-in Scheme 44c/kWh rate is closed to new applicants.
For information about this scheme, download Previous Feed-in Tariffs (PDF 98kb).
When your solar system generates excess electricity, the excess gets exported back into the power grid and we pay you for each kWh you export.
On our Solar Boost plan, an export cap sometimes applies to the price you get for the excess energy (your FIT). That means for every kWh you generate above your cap, your feed-in tariff will revert to our standard retailer feed-in tariff rate at that time. The standard retailer FIT rate is generally lower than what’s offered (within your cap) on our Solar Boost plan.
How is an export cap calculated?
We generally refer to it as a daily cap, but we average it out over your billing period. It’s calculated by multiplying your daily export cap by the number of days in your billing period. Here’s an example:
- Let’s say your daily export cap is 8kWh and you’re billed quarterly (every 90 days)
- We multiply 8 (your daily export cap rate) by 90 (days in your billing period)
- Your total cap for that billing period is 720kWh
That means for every kWh that you export over 720kWh during your 90-day billing period, you’ll get our lower, standard FIT rate.
When you start a new billing period, we’ll restart your export cap. To find out if your plan has an export cap, check your bill, or look for the term “capped each billing period” in your Current plan view in My Account.
On 1 July 2020 we're changing our SA standard retailer FIT rate from 10c/kWh to 8c/kWh (GST inclusive, if any). For existing customers, if Solar is changing for you, you’ll receive a letter or email from us in June about the change. You’ll also see any new feed in-tariff on your electricity bill from 1 July 2020.
| Origin Solar Boost Plus | Origin Solar Boost | All other plans |
| 20 c/kWh total feed-in tariff |
14 c/kWh total feed-in tariff |
10.2 c/kWh |
| Available to customers who have bought a new solar system from us. Conditions apply. | Available to eligible customers who have an existing solar system and switch to Origin. Conditions apply. | Rates as of 1 July 2020. With any Origin electricity plan, indicate you have solar panels and you may be eligible for our standard retailer FIT. |
Feed-in tariff rates subject to change at any time. All FIT amounts include GST where applicable. To understand the key details of our plans, view our Energy Fact Sheets.
To be eligible for the Victorian Feed-in Tariff Scheme you’ll need to have a solar or other renewable energy system that's sized under 100 kW and was connected to the grid on or after 1 January 2013.
To apply, you can read our Origin Energy Feed-in Tariff Agreement (PDF 210kb) and complete the schedule online. Alternatively, you can print and return the completed and signed last page of the agreement to:
Solar FIT Agreement
Origin Energy
GPO Box 186
Melbourne VIC 3001.
Once these steps are complete, we’ll apply the FIT to your electricity account for so long as you continue to meet the scheme requirements.
There is one other scheme operating in Victoria:
- Premium Feed-in Tariff Scheme for solar – 60c/kWh rate (including GST where applicable)
This scheme is closed to new applicants.
If you'd like a copy of the Agreement terms for this scheme, please email our Solar Correspondence team at solarbilling@originenergy.com.au.
For information about this scheme, download Previous Feed-in Tariffs (PDF 97kb).
Visit Earth Resources for full information.
If you signed up to our Solar Boost plan before 1 July 2020, an export cap could apply to the price you get for the excess energy (your FIT). That means for every kWh you generate above your cap, your feed-in tariff will revert to our standard retailer feed-in tariff rate at that time. The standard retailer FIT rate is generally lower than what’s offered (within your cap) on our Solar Boost plan.
To find out if your plan has an export cap, check your bill, or look for the term “capped each billing period” in your Current plan view in My Account.
How is an export cap calculated?
We generally refer to it as a daily cap, but we average it out over your billing period. It’s calculated by multiplying your daily export cap by the number of days in your billing period. Here’s an example:
- Let’s say your daily export cap is 8kWh and you’re billed quarterly (every 90 days)
- We multiply 8 (your daily export cap rate) by 90 (days in your billing period)
- Your total cap for that billing period is 720kWh
That means for every kWh that you export over 720kWh during your 90-day billing period, you’ll get our lower, standard FIT rate.
When you start a new billing period, we’ll restart your export cap.
On 1 July 2020 we're changing our Victorian standard retailer FIT rate from 12.0c/kWh to 10.2c/kWh (GST inclusive, if any). For existing customers, if Solar is changing for you, you’ll receive a letter or email from us in June about the change. You’ll also see any new feed in-tariff on your electricity bill from 1 July 2020.
Want to know more about feed-in tariffs?
That's what our Solar Solutions team is here for.
or
phoneCall us on 1300 791 468
Speak to an expert between 8 am and 7 pm Monday to Friday.
Keep the energy for yourself!
Add battery storage to the mix. Sometimes you'll get the best of both worlds!
You can use a battery to take up any solar power you're not immediately using, and then use that later when the sun isn't shining. But once your battery is full any excess energy generated will return to the grid, so you'll still get your feed-in tariff.
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