In Victoria, smart meters are set up so that:

• Your property uses the solar-generated electricity first.
• Only the excess solar-generated electricity is exported to the grid. You will receive solar feed-in credits from your energy retailer for every kWh exported.
• You pay for any electricity you import from the grid.

This is known as ‘net’ metering.

Will I pay GST on the solar I generate?

No. GST only applies to the electricity you import from the grid, not to the electricity you generate via solar.

This is paid by your retailer to you as a credit on your electricity bill, calculated in cents per kilowatt-hour (c/kWh) for the electricity you export.

From 1 July 2025, electricity retailers can set their own feed-in tariffs. There is no minimum amount – the rate just can’t be below $0.00 c/kWh. For information, see the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Change.

EWOV can help with complaints about your energy retailer. For example, we can help with issues relating to your solar account, connection or metering.

EWOV can't investigate complaints about solar installation companies. Please contact Consumer Affairs Victoria on 1300 55 81 81 or the Clean Energy Council at cleanenergycouncil.org.au