When the first big wave of solar went onto Sunshine Coast roofs, exporting power to the grid was genuinely lucrative. A lot of people still think of solar that way: put panels up, sell the surplus, watch the bill shrink.
That's not how it works anymore. Feed-in tariffs have dropped to a fraction of what you pay for grid power, and chasing the highest feed-in rate can actually leave you worse off if it comes attached to a more expensive plan.
On the Sunshine Coast, solar feed-in tariffs commonly sit around 3 to 12 cents per kWh depending on your retailer, while grid power costs roughly 25 to 35 cents per kWh at peak (as at August 2026). The best feed-in tariff is the one on the plan with the lowest total cost for your household, not simply the highest export rate, so compare whole plans when your contract rolls over. Because every kilowatt-hour you use yourself is worth several times what you'd earn exporting it, using more of your own solar is now worth more than finding a slightly better feed-in rate.
What is a solar feed-in tariff?
A feed-in tariff is the credit your electricity retailer pays for surplus solar you export to the grid. It's not a rebate and it's not a government payment; it's a line on your bill, applied automatically, at a rate set by your retailer.
In South East Queensland, which includes the Sunshine Coast, retailers set their own market feed-in tariffs, so the rate depends on who you're with and which plan you're on. Outside SEQ, eligible Ergon Energy Retail and Origin customers can access a flat-rate regional solar feed-in tariff instead (qld.gov.au).
What are feed-in tariffs on the Sunshine Coast right now?
As at August 2026, Sunshine Coast and SEQ feed-in tariffs commonly sit around 3 to 12 cents per kWh, depending on the retailer and plan. Grid electricity costs roughly 25 to 35 cents per kWh at peak.
| Typical rate (SEQ, as at August 2026) | |
|---|---|
| Feed-in tariff for exported solar | Around 3 to 12c per kWh |
| Grid electricity at peak | Around 25 to 35c per kWh |
| Legacy Solar Bonus Scheme (existing customers only) | 44c per kWh, closed to new customers |
We don't publish a league table of retailer rates. They change often, they're tied to plans with different usage and supply charges, and a table on a blog goes stale quickly. What we can do is show you how to compare them properly.
What happened to the 44c Solar Bonus Scheme?
This comes up constantly, so here are the facts.
Queensland's Solar Bonus Scheme paid a 44 cent per kWh feed-in tariff. It closed to new applications on 9 July 2012 (Queensland Solar Bonus Scheme policy guide). Households already on it keep receiving the rate, as long as they stay eligible, until it expires on 1 July 2028 (qld.gov.au).
A new solar customer in 2026 gets their retailer's standard feed-in rate. There's no way to join the Solar Bonus Scheme now.
If you're still on 44c, be careful what you change
The 44c tariff comes with strict conditions. According to the Queensland Government, you can lose it if you (qld.gov.au):
- move house, or sell or rent the property in a way that changes the account holder (unless it's your spouse)
- increase your inverter capacity, or replace it with a larger inverter
- add panels beyond your inverter's rated capacity
- use batteries or other generators while the 44c system is operating, unless they have a separate connection
- close your electricity account or transfer it to anyone other than your spouse
You can change retailers, but the name on the account has to stay the same. Components should be replaced like-for-like.
So if you're on 44c and thinking about a battery, a bigger system or a new inverter, talk to us before changing anything. For some households the right move is to protect the 44c until 2028. For others, especially where the original system is small and usage has grown, the tariff is worth less than a properly sized modern system with storage. We'll run the numbers both ways.
Why the highest feed-in tariff isn't always the best plan
A headline feed-in rate is the easiest number to compare and the easiest to be misled by. When you compare plans, check:
- Usage charges. A plan with a higher feed-in tariff can carry a higher price for the power you buy. Most solar homes still buy more from the grid than they export, so the usage rate often matters more.
- Daily supply charge. It's charged every day whether you use power or not.
- Whether the rate applies to all your exports. Check whether a higher rate only applies to a portion of what you export, or changes by time of day.
- Conditions attached. Some plans tie a higher feed-in rate to a particular product, battery or program.
- Contract terms. Exit fees, benefit periods and what happens when a discount ends.
The goal is the lowest total bill for how your household actually uses power, not the highest number on one line.
How to compare feed-in tariffs at plan rollover
Retail plans change, and many have benefit periods that end quietly. A good habit is to compare whenever your plan rolls over or your retailer notifies you of a price change.
- Get your numbers from a recent bill. Note how many kWh you exported (often shown as "solar feed-in" or "export"), how many kWh you bought from the grid, and how many days the bill covers.
- Work out your feed-in credit on each plan. Multiply your exported kWh by each plan's feed-in rate.
- Work out your usage and supply costs on each plan. Multiply grid kWh by the usage rate, and days by the supply charge.
- Compare the totals, not the feed-in rates.
- Use the government comparison site. Energy Made Easy is a free, independent government service that covers Queensland and lets you compare plans using your own usage data.
If your bill is still higher than you expected after all that, the solar itself may not be performing. Our guide to why your electricity bill is high with solar covers the common causes, including systems that have quietly stopped working.
Export vs self-consumption: where the money actually is
This is the most important idea in the whole post.
Every kWh of solar you export earns your feed-in rate, single-digit cents in many cases. Every kWh of solar you use yourself saves you the full price of grid power you'd otherwise buy. At the typical rates above, using your own solar is worth roughly three to five times as much as exporting it.
As a simple illustration using the ranges above: exporting 10 kWh at 8c earns 80 cents. Using those same 10 kWh instead of buying grid power at 30c saves $3.00.
A typical Sunshine Coast home with solar only uses 30 to 50% of what its panels produce. The rest goes to the grid for a small credit and is effectively bought back after dark at full price. That's where the opportunity is.
Ways to use more of your own solar
- Shift flexible loads into the day. Run the dishwasher, washing machine and dryer while the sun is up.
- Put the hot water on a timer so an electric or heat pump system heats during solar hours.
- Run pool pumps in the middle of the day.
- Pre-cool or pre-heat the house on hot or cold days while the panels are producing.
- Charge an EV at home during the day if you can.
- Add a battery. A well-sized battery can lift self-consumption from 30 to 50% up to around 80 to 90%, by storing the midday surplus for the evening.
The battery is the biggest lever, but not always the first one to pull. Sometimes a bigger array or simply better timing gets you most of the way. Our comparison of more solar panels or a bigger battery walks through that decision.
Does a battery make the feed-in tariff irrelevant?
Not entirely, but it makes it much less important. With a battery, most of your midday surplus goes into storage instead of the grid, so your feed-in rate applies to a much smaller amount of energy. Your feed-in tariff still matters on long sunny days when the battery fills by early afternoon.
On the cost side, the federal Cheaper Home Batteries Program takes a meaningful amount off an approved battery: as at October 2026, roughly $252 per usable kWh (since 1 May 2026), or about $2,520 on a 10 kWh battery, applied upfront by your installer and stepping down every six months. The details are in our Queensland solar rebate guide. If you want to see what storage would do for your bill, our solar battery installation page shows what we install and what it costs.
Some people also join a virtual power plant, which can pay for energy exported from the battery during grid events. That's a separate decision with its own trade-offs.
Frequently asked questions
Who has the best solar feed-in tariff on the Sunshine Coast?
It changes too often for any fixed answer to stay accurate, and the highest rate isn't always the best plan. Compare whole plans, including usage and supply charges, using your own bill data. Energy Made Easy, the government comparison site, is a good place to start.
What is the solar feed-in tariff in Queensland?
In South East Queensland, including the Sunshine Coast, retailers set their own market feed-in tariffs, commonly around 3 to 12 cents per kWh as at August 2026. Outside SEQ, eligible Ergon Energy Retail and Origin customers can access a flat-rate regional feed-in tariff.
Is the Solar Bonus Scheme still available?
No. The 44c Solar Bonus Scheme closed to new applications on 9 July 2012. Existing customers who keep their eligibility receive the rate until it expires on 1 July 2028.
Can I keep the 44c feed-in tariff if I add a battery?
Only under specific conditions. Under Queensland Government rules, batteries can only be used when the 44c system isn't operating, unless they're on a separate connection, and increasing your inverter size will cost you the tariff. Get advice before you change anything.
Should I switch retailers for a higher feed-in tariff?
Only if the whole plan is cheaper for your household. A higher feed-in rate is often offset by higher usage or supply charges. Compare total costs using your actual bill data.
Is it better to export solar or use it myself?
Use it yourself wherever you can. At typical rates, a kWh of solar used at home is worth roughly three to five times what you'd earn exporting it. Shifting loads into the day, or adding a battery, makes the biggest difference.
