New South Wales solar feed-in tariff — 2026–27
IPART benchmark (voluntary)
3.4–6.5c IPART all-day benchmark per kWh (voluntary)
Verified 17 July 2026 · IPART
All-day benchmark 4.8–7.3 c/kWh in 2025-26
| Network / rate | Export window | c/kWh |
|---|---|---|
| All-day benchmark | any time | 3.4–6.5 |
| Ausgrid | 4–9pm | 17.2–18.7 |
| Endeavour Energy | 4–8pm | 16.9–19.9 |
| Essential Energy | 5–8pm | 26.6–33.3 |
What retailers actually pay in NSW
| Retailer | Base c/kWh | Conditions |
|---|---|---|
| AGL | 3.0 | Market-plan flat ~3c; Solar Savers boosts the first ~8–10 kWh/day to 8c. Standard retail contracts pay 0c from 1 Jul 2026. |
| Origin | 3.0 | Solar Boost pays up to ~18–22c on the first 8 kWh/day on its top plan, then 3.0c. |
| EnergyAustralia | 3.0 | Cut from 4c on 1 Jul 2026; Solar Max boosts the first 10 kWh/day to 8c. |
| Red Energy | 2.5 | Flat 2.5c across networks; optional Smart FiT TOU pays 6.7–15.4c in evening windows. |
| Alinta | 5.0 | SolarBalance boosts the first ~10 kWh/day to 10c. |
| Range (median 3.0c) | 2.5–5.0 | 5 retailers surveyed |
Frequently asked questions
- What feed-in tariff will I get in NSW?
- Whatever your retailer offers — IPART's benchmark is voluntary. The survey table shows what the big retailers actually pay right now; most sit at or below the benchmark's bottom end.
- Is there a government minimum?
- No — ipart benchmark (voluntary — retailers are not required to match it).
- Which retailer pays the most?
- On base rates, the survey above answers it directly — but watch the conditions column: several retailers pay a boosted rate on the first few kWh a day and much less after, so a high headline can earn less than a steady base rate on a big system.
- Why did feed-in tariffs drop?
- Rooftop solar floods the grid at midday, pushing wholesale prices toward (and sometimes below) zero exactly when exports happen — so the energy's market value keeps falling. That's also why evening-window rates (shown above) pay several times the all-day rate, and why self-consuming your solar beats exporting it. See is solar still worth it in NSW?
Related
- Is solar worth it in NSW?
- NSW solar rebates
- NSW electricity prices
- VIC feed-in tariff
- QLD feed-in tariff
- SA feed-in tariff
- WA feed-in tariff
Sources — figures current as at 17 July 2026.
- IPART — solar feed-in tariff benchmarks 2024-25 to 2026-27verified
- SunTariff quarterly retailer FiT survey (published rate sheets)
Regime and rates re-verified quarterly (next survey 17 October 2026) and at every 1 July reset. All figures read from IPART's own 2026-27 fact sheets (all-day page + time-of-day PDF, 25 May 2026) in a real browser; the PDF is cached in the repo. Evening time-of-day benchmarks reflect peak-period export value.