‘Big Three’ Electricity Plans For Home Battery Owners Compared

See what electricity plans are currently on offer for battery owners from the ‘Big Three’ electricity retailers — AGL, Origin Energy and EnergyAustralia — in QLD, NSW, VIC and SA. For some of plans, hooking up to a Virtual Power Plant isn’t required.

Before we jump in, trying to find a common address where all offers applied to do some sort of comparison was quite difficult; meaning that even if an offer is available in your state, it may not be in your location. Also bear in mind electricity plan consumption rates and daily charges will vary based on your location.

AGL: Battery Saver Campaign

AGL recently launched its Battery Saver Campaign linked to its existing Battery Rewards Plan that runs until December 11, 2025 for eligible customers in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia that features two offers.

The first is a plan where new and switching customers can earn $800 in bill credits after 12 months of participation. Battery owners will also receive gift cards worth “at least” 25c/kWh when they export to the grid between 5pm and 9pm. The gift card cap is $1,600.

Outside of those times, the feed in tariff is 4c/kWh feed-in tariff (excl. GST) for solar exports.

There’s also a special deal for SigEnergy SigenStor battery owners. Those who sign up and stay on the plan for 12 months will receive a $1,000 bill credit, plus the prepaid Visa gift cards (again worth at least 25c/kWh) by exporting power during the 5pm–9pm window.

In both cases:

“Export as much or as little as you want between 5pm-9pm,” says AGL. “We won’t touch your battery unless you join our Virtual Power Plant.”

As for other rates for usage, consumption and feed-in under these offers, it depends on your location. But for an address in Sydney that I’ll use to compare the other two retailers as well, they were:

• Daily Supply: 130.691 c/day
• Peak usage: 54.527 c/kWh
• Shoulder/Off-peak usage: 19.998 c/kWh
• Off-peak feed-in tariff: 4c/kWh

AGL says you can change your plan anytime and if you wish to leave, they won’t charge an exit fee.

Origin Energy’s Home Battery Electricity Plans

For the sake of transparency, I’ll first point out that SolarQuotes was acquired by Origin in December last year. But we remain an independent business unit run by the same team.

That out of the way, Origin has just added more plans for eligible battery owners in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia.

Battery Lite: (Also available in the ACT). Provides up to $400 value in the first year, paying customers $200 on sign-up and $1/kWh to export energy “when the grid needs it” (up to 200kWh annually). But you’ll need to participate in the Origin Loop Virtual Power Plant (VPP).

This offer is available with any Origin electricity plan, so usage rates, daily charges and feed-in tariffs outside of VPP events will vary depending on the plan and your location. There are no lock-in contracts and you can leave at any time.

Battery Maximiser: Provides uncapped exports and earnings, with a peak feed-in tariff (FiT) of 22c/kWh (4pm-9pm in QLD, and 5pm-9pm in NSW, VIC and SA.). Charging and exporting is automated —in other words, this plan also involves participation in the Origin Loop VPP. Origin says it aims to reserve at least 20% of your battery after a high demand event.

Consumption rates, daily charges and off-peak feed-in tariff for the same Sydney address:

• Daily Supply: 125.67 ¢/day
• Peak: 53.9 c/kWh
• Off peak: 18.7 c/kWh
• Feed-in tariff outside peak times: 5c/kWh.

There’s no lock-in contract or exit fees.

Battery Starter: Designed for customers who prefer manual control, this electricity plan offers a peak FiT of 18c/kWh and uncapped solar and battery exports. VPP participation is not required. You can leave the plan anytime and there are no exit fees.

Consumption rates, daily charges and off-peak FiT for the same Sydney address:

• Daily Supply: 125.67 ¢/day
• Peak: 57.31 c/kWh
• Off peak: 33 c/kWh
• Feed-in tariff outside peak times: 5c/kWh.

Again, no exit fees and you can leave anytime.

More information on these plans can be found here.

EnergyAustralia: BatteryEase (VPP)

BatteryEase is a Virtual Power Plant product, currently only available in NSW.

You can earn 12c/kWh feed-in tariff on the first 15 kWh exported daily – plus up to $180 in bill credits every year.

EnergyAustralia says they’ll discharge up to 200 kWh a year from your battery, including during periods of peak demand or when electricity prices are high. Participants receive a $15 credit every month for taking part whether EnergyAustralia accesses your battery or not, and the company commits to ensuring at least 10% capacity is left in your battery when using it for their VPP.

The retailer also offers battery optimisation, such as charging when energy is cheaper to try to reduce your bills.

Other rates and FiT details (same address in Sydney):

• Daily Supply Charge: 105.49 c/day
• Peak usage rate: 64.23 c/kWh
• Shoulder usage rate: 36.04 c/kWh
• Off-peak usage rate: 27.69 c/kWh
• Block 2 feed-in tariff (>15kWhs/day): 7.6 c/kWh

EnergyAustralia used to have another VPP offer, PowerResponse Virtual Power Plant, that was available in Queensland, New South Wales, ACT, Victoria and South Australia; but that hasn’t been accepting new customers for some time.

More details on BatteryEase can be found here.

With some of the above plans and where a VPP is involved, there could also be extra cash incentives under the NSW Government’s Peak Demand Reduction Scheme (PDRS) and the South Australian Government’s Retailer Energy Productivity Scheme (REPS).

Bear in mind too the “Big Three” aren’t the only players with battery plans. For example, there’s Amber for Batteries, which connects customers directly to the wholesale electricity market. Amber passes on that pricing without markup and makes its money by charging customers a membership fee of $25 a month currently.

Whether you’re a home battery owner or just have solar panels, shop around for electricity plans to ensure you’re on the best deal. And whatever plan grabs your interest, read the eligibility requirements, terms and conditions carefully as there are often devils in the detail. And if you want to see how Virtual Power Plants stack up side-by-side, see the SolarQuotes VPP comparison table.

Considering energy storage for your place? Check out SolarQuotes’ comprehensive home battery guide that will take you through solar battery prices, rebates, paybacks and brands.