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.

Your retailer must offer at least one of the following General Feed-in Tariffs:

• Single-rate: this is a flat rate credited as cents per kilowatt hour (5.2 cents).
• Time-varying: the amount you are credited depends on the time of day you export electricity. Timeframes are divided as per the table below:

Some customers may be on a Premium Feed-in Tariff (PFIT) if they signed up to this scheme before December 2011. It is important to note:

• You can change energy retailers.
• If you add new solar panels or battery storage, you will become ineligible for the PFIT .
• PFIT rates will end on 1 November 2024.

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