Do I need a different electricity plan after getting solar, a battery or an EV?

Solar, a battery or an EV can change which electricity plan suits your home. Compare what you will buy from the grid, when you will buy it and what you will export. An EV charging rate or solar feed-in rate needs to work alongside the rest of the household bill.

Review the plan used in an upgrade savings estimate before accepting the quote. After installation, compare the measured imports, exports and charging records with that estimate. Include your home’s winter heating pattern where relevant instead of relying on a short run of mild or sunny days.

Keep your bill beside the equipment quote. Write down when the car will be home, when the hot water or heating will run, and what the installer expects the battery to do. Those hours matter as much as the offer’s headline rate.

What changes after installing solar?

Some solar generation runs appliances directly, some may charge a battery, and surplus may be exported. Using solar at home reduces electricity bought from the grid. Exported electricity can earn a feed-in credit, depending on the plan. Compare both sides of the bill.

Illustrative example. Suppose 3 kWh of available solar would otherwise be exported at 7c per kWh, while the same appliance use later would require grid electricity at 30c per kWh. Moving that use into those solar hours avoids 90c of imports and gives up 21c of export credits, a net energy benefit of 69c. This assumes the load can move and solar is sufficient. These are invented rates.

A larger feed-in rate can matter to a home exporting a lot. A home using most generation itself needs particular attention to the import rates and daily charge. Ask for export limits, caps or conditions as well as the headline rate.

What changes after adding a battery?

A battery changes the timing of imports and exports. Storing solar for later use can reduce evening imports, while giving up some export income. Charging from the grid adds a purchase cost. Those operating choices need to be included in a plan comparison.

Ask the installer to write down the battery’s charging schedule, usable capacity, power limits and reserve. Put those settings beside the proposed tariff and use them in the bill comparison. If you already have solar, count the battery’s extra benefit separately from the savings the panels already produce.

If you are considering a VPP, compare the recurring benefit with any change in prices, dispatch costs and export income. Ask how the contract affects control, reserve, compatibility and leaving. Show a one-off payment separately from annual savings.

What changes after getting an EV?

The car adds electricity demand and a new scheduling decision. The Australian Government recommends considering charging needs, safe home equipment, available off-peak rates and solar. Smart charging can help align a session with a suitable time.

Write down how much charging you need and the hours the car is actually parked at home. Compare those hours with the plan’s cheap window and the charging power your setup can deliver. If the available window is too short, include the charging that would happen outside it.

Illustrative charging session. Assume you want to add 18 kWh to the car's battery, with 90% charging efficiency. That needs 20 kWh from the wall. At 8c per kWh, the electricity costs $1.60; at 30c, it costs $6.00. At a constant available 2 kW, the session takes ten hours. A six-hour cheap window would cover only part of it.

The $4.40 difference compares that session alone. It is not the saving from changing your household plan. Add the daily charge, all other electricity use, any outside-window charging and offer conditions before deciding.

Should I choose a flat rate or time-of-use plan?

A flat rate charges the same usage price throughout the day. Time-of-use prices change across specified periods. Meter configuration can affect eligibility. Use each candidate plan's actual windows rather than assuming that off-peak always means the same hours.

Mark the use you can move and the use that needs to stay where it is. Winter heating, dinner and family routines may leave considerable demand outside the cheap window. Include any demand charge using the plan’s measurement rule, especially when large appliances and charging may run together.

How do I compare an upgrade I have not installed yet?

Use two clearly labelled scenarios: the home as it operates now, and the proposed home after the upgrade. Ask the supplier to show the added load, solar generation, storage behaviour and tariff assumptions. Include different seasons where relevant.

For a home replacing gas heating, ask for the expected winter electricity use and any gas costs that remain. For an EV, separate planned home charging from public charging. Get the supplier to record the evidence and assumptions behind those estimates, so they can be checked against the home’s later operation.

After installation, keep the relevant imports, exports and charging records and compare them with the quoted scenario. Look at the times the equipment runs as well as the total kWh. If the real routine differs from the estimate, use that routine in the next plan review.

Can I review the plan with my current retailer?

Yes. If you’re with us, check your bill’s Best Offer information, compare available plans in My.ActewAGL, or ask us for a more tailored discussion. The generally available offer shown on a bill may exclude offers for specific circumstances. If you’re with another retailer, ask it to review the current plan and compare eligible alternatives.

Ask: ‘Can you compare my current plan with eligible alternatives using my new solar, battery or EV use?’ If the equipment is proposed, ask for that scenario to be labelled and its assumptions recorded. If the current plan remains suitable, keep the comparison as the reason for staying with it.

What should I do next?

• Gather the current bill and written plan prices.
• Write down the equipment, planned installation date and available controls.
• Separate measured use from the supplier's projected scenario.
• Compare the whole household cost, including imports, exports, fees and confirmed benefits.
• Confirm eligibility, terms and the start date before accepting a change.

Energy Made Easy provides a free government comparison route for ACT and NSW households. Use it alongside the specific equipment and usage details you need the retailer to check.

Start here: keep the current plan and the upgrade estimate together, then review the eligible ActewAGL plan options (opens in a new tab) if you are considering us. Ask for the household calculation that connects the equipment and the tariff.

Related advice: How do I compare electricity plans properly? · When is the cheapest time to charge an electric car?

Review your electricity plan with us

Our plan guidance (opens in a new tab) explains how to compare available ActewAGL options and seek a tailored discussion. You can use it if you’re already a customer or thinking about joining us. With your permission, we can use relevant usage information to discuss the fit; say clearly when the equipment is proposed and the figures are estimates.

Compare ActewAGL plans for your home (opens in a new tab)