Expensive And Cheapest Electricity Plans For Solar Owners Compared
The electricity plan Australian solar owners choose can make a big difference to the financial benefits they enjoy. On the wrong plan, the difference over a few years could translate to thousands of dollars in missed savings. That’s a significant amount of money much better off in the system owner’s pocket than that of their electricity retailer.
The offer of a high solar feed-in tariff can be very attractive, but it’s only one element of a plan – and for the most part, really high FiTs are a thing of the past. The best electricity plans for solar power system owners offer a good balance of feed-in-tariff rate, usage tariffs and daily charges.
Finding such a plan can be a time-consuming and confusing task, but SolarQuotes’ very easy to use electricity plan comparison tool can cut down on the frustration and quickly indicate plans that might be right for you. It serves as a good starting point for further research.
How much might you save by selecting the right plan? The table below indicates the cheapest and the most expensive plans in each capital, and the estimated cost difference between them over a year.
But first, a few important notes about the table and the comparison tool:
- The figures have been generated using the plan comparison tool’s default settings, which includes a 6.6kW solar power system and various other assumptions you can alter to better suit your situation.
- Each capital’s CBD postcode has been used to generate the estimated costs.
- The costs are for standard flat-rate tariff plans only (Time of Use plans will be included soon).
- The estimated totals are based on one year of billing.
- There may be additional eligibility criteria and hidden gotchas with some plans, for example cheaper usage rates or better feed in tariffs for only X period. When you use the comparison tool, plans highlighted in blue have extra eligibility conditions. Each plan has a link to further information.
- SolarQuotes strives to source accurate data, but the values generated by the tool can’t be guaranteed and plan details should be verified.
Cheapest Vs. Most Expensive Plans For Each Capital
So, with the above in mind and as at the time of writing ….
Capital City | Cheapest Plan | Most Costly Plan | Difference |
Brisbane | -$226 | $709 | $935 |
Sydney | -$224 | $701 | $925 |
Canberra | $27 | $807 | $780 |
Melbourne | $69 | $731 | $662 |
Hobart | $344 | $941 | $597 |
Adelaide | $570 | $1,446 | $876 |
Perth | $1,458 | $1,458 | $0 |
Darwin | $61 | $179 | $118 |
A negative number in the table above indicates a credit. As for the situation in Perth, Synergy is the only show in town.
The old saying goes: “look after the pennies and the pounds will look after themselves”. But when it comes to electricity plans, there may be far more than just pennies to be saved.
As mentioned, your own mileage may vary depending on your circumstances. Time of Use tariffs that the tool doesn’t include (yet) could provide an even better deal. But this quick and dirty summary is just to provide some idea as to how much solar owners may be leaving on the table (or losing from their wallets), perhaps motivating some to compare electricity plans and make a switch that could be quite beneficial.
And if you’re planning to go solar, then checking out electricity retailers in the lead-up should be part of your related research.
Tips: Don’t change electricity retailers while your system is being installed as it can create complications – either make the switch well before or after the installation and meter changeover (if required) are done and dusted. Also, check out these tips on switching electricity plans.
Original Source: https://www.solarquotes.com.au/blog/electricity-plans-solar-owners-mb2173/