What Happens to Your Feed-In Tariff When You Add a Battery in Queensland?

If your Queensland solar system dates back to before July 2012, there's a good chance you're still on the old 44 cents per kilowatt-hour feed-in tariff from the Solar Bonus Scheme. That's a seriously generous rate more than five times what new customers receive today and it's understandably something you'd want to protect.

So when you start thinking about adding a battery, the question comes up pretty quickly: "Will it cost me my 44c tariff?"

The short answer is yes adding a battery to a 44c feed-in tariff system in Queensland will in most cases void your eligibility. Here's what that means in practice, and what your options actually are.

Why Does Adding a Battery Affect the 44c Tariff?

The Queensland Government's Solar Bonus Scheme legislation, tightened by rule changes that took effect on 15 February 2018, sets out specific conditions for maintaining the 44c rate. Under the rules administered by Energex, you lose eligibility if you add an energy storage system that either discharges at the same time as your solar system (outside of a network outage) or increases the amount of electricity you export beyond what your solar-only system could otherwise send to the grid, which is exactly how most home batteries are set up to operate.

Once the 44c rate is removed, it does not come back.

When Does the 44c Scheme End?

The Solar Bonus Scheme is currently scheduled to conclude on 1 July 2028. After that date, all remaining 44c customers will move to whatever standard feed-in tariff their retailer offers, typically in the 5–10 cent range on the Energex network.

So Should You Wait Until 2028?

This is worth thinking through carefully with your own numbers, because the answer depends heavily on how much of your solar you currently export versus use yourself.

Worked example: say you currently export 15kWh a day at the 44c rate; that's $6.60 a day, or around $2,400 a year in export credits. If you add a battery and use that same 15kWh yourself instead of exporting it, you'd avoid buying grid power at roughly 28–33c/kWh, worth about $4.20–$4.95 a day, or $1,530–$1,810 a year.

On the energy value alone, that's a drop of around $600–$870 a year before counting the value of blackout backup or the battery's own running costs. If you export less than that (say 5–8kWh a day), the gap narrows considerably and may even favour switching now. The honest answer is: run your actual export numbers before deciding, not a rule of thumb.

If you add a battery now (losing the 44c tariff): you lose the premium export rate immediately, but you self-consume that energy instead of exporting it, avoiding grid power at 28–33c/kWh. Whether this works in your favour depends entirely on your current export-to-self-consumption ratio, as shown above.

If you wait until July 2028: you keep the 44c tariff until it expires, then add a battery at that point. Worth knowing: the federal Cheaper Home Batteries Program rebate isn't just declining gradually anymore. Since 1 May 2026 it's tiered by battery size (full rate for the first 14kWh, 60% for the next 14kWh, just 15% above 28kWh) and now steps down every six months rather than once a year so the rebate available in 2028 will likely be meaningfully smaller than what's available today, and this decline is happening faster than originally scheduled.

Are There Any Battery Configurations That Preserve the 44c Tariff?

In principle, yes but it's narrower than it sounds. The legal test isn't about the battery being AC-coupled versus DC-coupled specifically; it's about whether the battery can discharge at the same time as your solar system or increase your exports beyond what your existing solar-only setup could send to the grid. A battery configured so it never does either of those things may preserve eligibility, but getting this right requires a technical setup most standard battery installations aren't configured for, and it needs to be verified against your specific system, not assumed from the equipment type alone.

Do not rely on installer assurances alone get Energex confirmation in writing before any work is done.

What If You Don't Have the 44c Tariff?

If you installed solar after mid-2012, you're already on a standard tariff and there's nothing to protect. Adding a battery is straightforward, and the current federal rebate still applies, though the "roughly 30% off" figure is now more nuanced than it used to be: it's strongest for batteries up to 14kWh and drops off in tiers above that, and it steps down every six months rather than annually. Earlier installation still means a larger rebate, but the gap between "now" and "in six months" matters more than it used to.

Regional Queensland (Ergon Network) Customers

For customers on the Ergon Energy network in regional Queensland, the current feed-in tariff is 8.66 cents per kilowatt-hour for 2025–26, set by the Queensland Competition Authority. There's no 44c legacy scheme applicable here; adding a battery makes straightforward economic sense for households with significant evening electricity usage, without any of the trade-offs discussed above.

Frequently Asked Questions

I'm not sure if I'm still on the 44c tariff, how do I check? Look at your electricity bill for a feed-in credit around 44c/kWh, or contact Energex directly with your NMI (National Metering Identifier) to confirm.

Does adding solar panels (not a battery) affect my 44c eligibility? Increasing your solar panel capacity can also affect eligibility depending on the change involved this should also be confirmed with Energex or Ergon before proceeding, not assumed safe just because it's panels rather than a battery.

What if I sell my house does the 44c tariff transfer to the new owner? The tariff is generally tied to the property's connection and metering configuration rather than the individual, but this is exactly the kind of detail worth confirming with Energex directly if it affects a sale.

Is a virtual power plant (VPP) the same issue as a battery? Yes a VPP relies on a battery that discharges and exports on a schedule, so it carries the same 44c eligibility risk and needs the same Energex confirmation before joining.

📞 Not sure where you stand? Give William a call on 0431 999 284 and we'll help you work out the best path for your specific situation no obligation, no pressure.

All facts in this post are sourced from the following authoritative sources. We recommend bookmarking these for ongoing updates government rebate details and tariff rates change regularly, and the federal battery rebate structure changed as recently as 1 May 2026.

1. Energex — Solar Feed-in Tariff Changes (Solar Bonus Scheme rules) https://www.energex.com.au/contractors/solar-installers/solar-feed-in-tariff-changes Official Energex page explaining the conditions under which the 44c tariff is removed. Essential reading before making any changes to a 44c system.

2. Queensland Government — Solar Bonus Scheme 44c feed-in tariff https://www.qld.gov.au/housing/buying-owning-home/energy-water-home/solar/feed-in-tariffs/solar-bonus-scheme-44c The official Queensland Government page on the Solar Bonus Scheme, including the expiry date (1 July 2028) and eligibility conditions.

3. Queensland Competition Authority — Solar feed-in tariff 2025–26 https://www.qca.org.au/project/solar-feed-in-tariff/ Official source for the regulated Ergon network feed-in tariff rate (8.66c/kWh for 2025–26). Updated every financial year.

4. Federal Government — Cheaper Home Batteries Program https://www.dcceew.gov.au/energy/programs/cheaper-home-batteries Official information on the federal battery rebate, eligibility, and the tiered structure introduced from 1 May 2026.

5. Green Energy Technologies — The Solar Battery Rebate QLD Guide https://greenenergytechnologies.com.au/solar-battery-rebate-qld-guide/ Detailed breakdown of the Cheaper Home Batteries Program's tiered STC Factor and the shift to a 6-monthly (rather than annual) rebate decline schedule from 1 May 2026.

6. Why Solar — QLD Feed-in Tariff comparison tool https://www.whysolar.com.au/feed-in-tariffs/qld Regularly updated comparison of all current QLD retailer feed-in tariff