What is the solar feed-in tariff in Victoria in 2026?
Victoria no longer has a regulated minimum solar feed-in tariff. Since 1 July 2025, electricity retailers have been able to set their own export rates, including 0 c/kWh. Current offers range from very low daytime rates to much higher capped or time-specific rates.
A feed-in tariff, or FiT, is the rate your electricity retailer credits for surplus solar exported through the meter to the grid. It is only one line on the bill. Import rates, time-of-use periods, daily supply charges and export conditions can be financially more important.
The Victorian Government recommends comparing the complete electricity offer rather than assuming the plan with the highest advertised solar credit will produce the lowest bill.
What are the highest solar feed-in tariffs in Victoria right now?
The answer depends on what you mean by “highest”. A battery-focused evening tariff, an installer-linked solar plan and a broadly available capped solar plan are different products and should not be ranked as though they are interchangeable.
On 21 October 2026, the highest headline Victorian rate we could verify directly on a retailer website was 30 c/kWh on Flow Power's Happy Hour during its evening export window. It is designed around battery exports and pays 0 c/kWh outside the nominated window, so it is not comparable with an ordinary all-day solar FiT.
| Retailer / offer | Published Victorian FiT | What the headline rate actually means |
|---|---|---|
| Flow Power Happy Hour | 30 c/kWh for the first 15 kWh exported from 5:30 pm to 9:30 pm; 10 c/kWh after that in the window; 0 c/kWh at other times | Battery-focused time-of-export plan. The high rate is concentrated in the evening rather than ordinary daytime solar export. |
| Origin Solar Partner Plus | 12 c/kWh until the plan's export cap is reached | Conditional offer. Origin says it is available only where the solar system was installed through SolarQuotes or an Origin trusted provider and other eligibility rules are met. |
| EnergyAustralia Solar Max | 8 c/kWh for the first 10 kWh average daily export across the billing period; standard FiT after the threshold | Capped higher-rate solar plan. EnergyAustralia says the energy rates and FiT are variable. |
| Origin Solar Boost | 5 c/kWh until the higher-rate export limit is reached; Origin's current standard Victorian FiT is 1 c/kWh | Higher-rate plan for eligible solar customers. Origin's Solar Boost terms use an 8 kWh daily export limit averaged across the billing period. |
| EnergyAustralia time-varying FiT | 10 c/kWh from 4 pm to 9 pm; 1 c/kWh shoulder; 0 c/kWh from 10 am to 2 pm | A time-varying export tariff. It rewards later export and places no value on exports during the middle of the day. |
Rates and conditions above were checked on retailer-published pages on 21 October 2026. Retailers can change rates, plan names, availability and eligibility. This is not a complete market ranking. Use Victorian Energy Compare with your address and actual usage data before switching.
The pattern is more useful than the leaderboard: the biggest headline rates increasingly reward when energy is exported or attach conditions to how the solar system or plan was obtained.
Can a Victorian retailer offer a 0 c/kWh solar feed-in tariff?
Yes. The Victorian Government says retailers must offer an export credit arrangement and cannot set that feed-in rate below zero, but a zero rate itself is permitted under the current framework.
That does not make rooftop solar worthless. Solar used inside the home can still avoid electricity that would otherwise have been bought from the grid at the retail import rate.
Why can a high feed-in tariff still produce a more expensive bill?
Because most solar households both sell electricity to the grid and buy electricity from the grid.
- Usage rates: a plan can pay more for exports while charging more for grid imports.
- Daily supply charge: a higher fixed charge applies regardless of how much solar you export.
- Time-of-use periods: expensive evening imports can outweigh a generous daytime export rate.
- Export caps or conditions: the headline FiT may only apply to a limited quantity of exports or particular plan conditions.
- Your household pattern: a heavy exporter and a home that self-consumes most solar should not expect the same best plan.
The useful comparison is the estimated annual bill after imports, exports and fixed charges are all included.
Worked example: how a lower FiT can still win
This example is deliberately illustrative rather than a current retailer comparison. Assume a home imports 12 kWh/day and exports 10 kWh/day.
| Illustrative plan | Import rate | Supply charge | Feed-in tariff | Approx. annual bill* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plan A: higher FiT | 35 c/kWh | $1.20/day | 5 c/kWh | About $1,789 |
| Plan B: lower FiT | 30 c/kWh | $1.00/day | 2 c/kWh | About $1,606 |
*Simple illustration using 365 days, with no time-of-use periods, discounts, export caps or other charges. It is not a forecast or a representation of current retailer offers.
Despite paying less for exported solar, Plan B is about $183/year cheaper in this simplified example because the household buys enough grid electricity for the lower import rate and supply charge to matter more.
How should a Victorian solar household compare electricity plans?
- Use a recent bill or smart-meter data rather than guessing your imports and exports.
- Record the general or time-of-use import rates.
- Record the daily supply charge.
- Check the feed-in rate, any stepped rates and any export cap or eligibility condition.
- Check whether a high export rate applies all day, only at certain times, or only after buying equipment through a particular channel.
- Compare the estimated annual bill, not the FiT in isolation.
- Re-check the comparison after a major change such as adding a battery, EV or heat-pump hot water system.
Treat the feed-in tariff as one line of the bill, not the scorecard.
Use Victorian Energy Compare ↗ for current retail offers, then use the Melbourne Solar Guide calculator to understand how changing self-consumption or battery use can alter the household profile.
START MY ASSESSMENTWhy is self-consumption usually more important than chasing the highest FiT?
A kilowatt-hour used directly from rooftop solar can avoid buying a kilowatt-hour from the grid. That avoided import can be worth more than selling the same energy for a relatively low export credit.
This is why timers, heat-pump hot water, pool equipment, EV charging and other flexible daytime loads can improve solar value without changing the panels. A battery can shift some surplus into the evening, but storage economics still need to be assessed against its cost, round-trip losses and the household's actual later-day demand.
Does your feed-in tariff matter if your solar export is limited?
Only for the electricity you are actually allowed and able to export. A high FiT has little value if a site exports very little because of strong self-consumption, a battery, a low static export limit or a 0 kW export condition.
Do not confuse the retail feed-in tariff with the network export limit. The retailer sets the credit paid for exported energy; the distribution network sets the technical conditions under which energy can be exported.
How does the Midday Power Saver change the comparison?
From 1 October 2026, eligible Victorian households can opt into the regulated Midday Power Saver, with a no-cost 11 am to 2 pm usage window and a daily 24 kWh free-use allowance.
A home with rooftop solar may already generate strongly during those hours, so the free period does not automatically create the same value as it does for a non-solar household. The outside-window rates also matter. Compare the full Midday Power Saver tariff with other market offers using your actual load shape.
For a battery household, the combination of cheap or free charging and a higher evening export tariff can look attractive, but the result depends on battery losses, cycle cost, export limits and the exact retail-plan rules. Do not assume the headline spread is pure profit.
Quick answers to common Victorian FiT questions
What is the highest solar feed-in tariff in Victoria right now?
Among the retailer offers checked directly on 21 October 2026, Flow Power advertised 30 c/kWh for the first 15 kWh exported during its 5:30 pm to 9:30 pm Happy Hour window in Victoria, with 0 c/kWh outside that period. It is a battery-focused time-of-export offer, not a conventional all-day solar FiT.
What is a high solar FiT without a battery-specific evening window?
Origin Solar Partner Plus advertised 12 c/kWh, but it is conditional on the solar installation pathway and other eligibility rules. EnergyAustralia Solar Max advertised 8 c/kWh on the first 10 kWh average daily export across the billing period. Check current availability for your address before treating either as the best option.
Is there a minimum solar feed-in tariff in Victoria in 2026?
No regulated minimum rate applies under the current post-1 July 2025 framework. Retailers have greater flexibility, subject to consumer protections and the requirement that the export credit rate not be below zero.
Is the highest feed-in tariff always the best electricity plan?
No. The answer depends on imports, exports, supply charges, time-of-use pricing and any conditions attached to the advertised rate.
Does a battery automatically make a low FiT irrelevant?
No. A battery can reduce exports and later grid imports, or deliberately shift exports into a higher-value period, but the result depends on battery cost, usable capacity, losses, charge/discharge power and the household's load pattern.
Can I still receive a FiT with flexible exports?
Yes, for energy actually exported under the connection conditions and your retail plan. Flexible exports change the network export limit; they do not themselves set the retailer's FiT.
Sources and further reading
Editorial references checked: 21 October 2026Source labels identify who published each reference, not an independent endorsement. Confirm current requirements and exact product terms before purchasing.
- Government sourceVictorian Government: Solar feed-in tariff ↗: Current post-1 July 2025 feed-in-tariff framework, zero floor and self-consumption guidance.
- Government sourceVictorian Energy Compare ↗: Official Victorian electricity-plan comparison service for households and small businesses.
- Government sourceAustralian Energy Regulator: Energy Product Reference Data ↗: Public current-plan data used by Energy Made Easy and Victorian Energy Compare.
- EnergyAustralia: 2026 Victorian rate changes ↗: Published Victorian standard, time-varying and Solar Max feed-in tariff settings.
- EnergyAustralia: Solar Max ↗: First-10-kWh average daily export threshold and Solar Max plan conditions.
- Origin Energy: Solar feed-in tariff rates ↗: Current Victorian Solar Boost and standard retailer FiT rates.
- Origin Energy: Solar Partner Plus ↗: 12 c/kWh conditional solar plan and published eligibility pathway.
- Flow Power: Battery Happy Hour ↗: Current Victorian 5:30 pm to 9:30 pm battery-focused export rate and outside-window rate.
- Government sourceVictorian Government: Midday Power Saver ↗: Current 2026-27 no-cost window, eligibility and regulated outside-window tariff framework.