Which energy retailer pays the highest feed-in tariff in Queensland in 2026?

As of June 2026, Origin Energy advertises the highest headline feed-in tariff in SE Queensland at up to 22c/kWh, but it's capped at the first 5–14 kWh you export per day depending on the plan. Energy Locals offers up to 15c/kWh uncapped on selected plans, which often works out better for households with 10kW+ systems that export more than 15 kWh/day. The best 'headline' rate isn't always the best total dollar outcome — always check the cap.

Does a higher feed-in tariff always mean a better deal for Brisbane solar owners?

No, and this is the biggest mistake solar owners make. A 22c FiT plan with a 5 kWh/day cap and 33c usage rate is usually worse than a 12c uncapped FiT plan with a 27c usage rate — because the average Brisbane home still imports more electricity than it exports over a year. Compare total annual cost on Energy Made Easy using your real usage and export numbers, not just the FiT headline.

Is there a regulated minimum solar feed-in tariff in Queensland?

Only in regional Queensland (Ergon network) where the QCA mandates 8.66c/kWh for 2025–26. South-East Queensland (Energex network — Brisbane, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, Logan, Ipswich) has no regulated minimum, so retailers can legally pay anywhere from 0c to 22c/kWh. That's why comparison shopping matters so much in Brisbane.

Is Amber Electric worth it for Brisbane solar owners?

Only if you have a battery. Amber bills you the wholesale 5-minute spot price plus $19/month membership. For solar without a battery, your export profile aligns with everyone else's (midday peaks), so you get paid 0–3c during the middle of the day when you generate the most. With a battery set up to discharge into the 6–8pm evening peak (often 30–50c/kWh), well-tuned Brisbane households earn $1,200–$2,500 extra per year vs. a flat-rate plan.

What is a feed-in tariff cap and why does it matter?

Most 'high FiT' plans pay the headline rate only on the first 5–14 kWh you export per day. After the cap, the rate drops to 4–6c/kWh or sometimes zero. A 10kW Brisbane system exports 25–40 kWh/day in summer — so a 5 kWh cap at 22c means your effective average FiT is only 8–9c. Always check the cap; if your typical export exceeds it, an uncapped plan at a lower headline rate usually pays more in total.

How often should I switch electricity retailer if I have solar?

Every 12–24 months for most Brisbane solar households. Retailers change feed-in tariffs and usage rates every 3–6 months and most contracts have no exit fees. Re-run Energy Made Easy every 6 months and switch when a meaningfully cheaper plan appears for your specific usage profile. Loyalty discounts are typically smaller than the saving from switching.

Will switching retailers affect my Queensland Solar Bonus 44c feed-in tariff?

Possibly. The legacy 44c/kWh Solar Bonus Scheme applies to systems installed before 9 July 2012 and runs until 30 June 2028. Most retailers no longer offer plans that honour it, so switching usually means losing the 44c rate permanently. Don't switch without explicit written confirmation from the new retailer that they will continue paying the 44c rate. For Solar Bonus customers, staying with the current retailer is almost always the right call until 2028.

What's the difference between Energex and Ergon for solar feed-in tariffs?

Energex is the SE Queensland network (Brisbane, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, Logan, Ipswich, Toowoomba) — no regulated minimum FiT, so retailers compete on rates from 0c to 22c/kWh. Ergon covers regional QLD with a mandated 8.66c/kWh FiT for 2025–26. The network determines which retailers operate in your area and what minimum applies — your postcode decides everything.

How do I compare solar electricity plans for my Brisbane home?

Use Energy Made Easy (energymadeeasy.gov.au) — the free government comparison tool. Enter your postcode, your actual annual usage in kWh (from your bill), and your actual annual export in kWh. It calculates the real total cost across every retailer in your area, so you compare apples-to-apples instead of just headline FiT rates. Avoid commercial comparison sites that take retailer commissions and rank by referral fee, not by what's cheapest.

What's the best retailer for a 10kW solar system in Brisbane without a battery?

For a 10kW Brisbane system without battery storage (exporting 25–40 kWh/day in summer), an uncapped feed-in tariff matters more than a high capped rate. Energy Locals (up to 15c/kWh uncapped on selected plans) and GloBird (up to 11c/kWh with low usage rates) typically beat the headline 22c capped plans on total annual cost. Run your specific numbers through Energy Made Easy to confirm.

Best Energy Provider for Solar Brisbane 2026 (Honest Compare)

Quick answer: the best electricity retailer for solar in Brisbane in 2026 isn't the one with the headline 22c/kWh feed-in tariff — it's the one with the right combination of feed-in rate, usage rate, daily supply charge, and a generous export cap for your household. The wrong choice quietly costs solar owners $400–$900/year.

We've watched clients switch onto a "best FiT" plan, then lose $600 a year because the usage rate jumped 8c/kWh and the FiT was capped at 5kWh/day. Here's the honest 2026 SEQ breakdown — what to compare, who's actually competitive right now, and which traps to avoid.

Best Solar Retailers for Brisbane (Energex Network) — June 2026

Retailer	Headline FiT	FiT Cap	Usage Rate (Tariff 11)	Best For
Origin Energy	up to 22c/kWh	First 5–14 kWh/day	~31–33c	Big exporters with average usage
AGL	up to 16c/kWh	First 14 kWh/day	~30–32c	Balanced households
Energy Locals	up to 15c/kWh	Uncapped on select plans	~28–30c	Very large systems / no cap
Alinta Energy	up to 12c/kWh	First 10 kWh/day	~28–30c	Low usage + decent export
Amber Electric	Wholesale (varies, often 5–40c+)	Uncapped	Wholesale + $19/mo	Battery owners, time-shifters
Red Energy	up to 12c/kWh	Tiered	~29–31c	Telstra customers (discount)
GloBird	up to 11c/kWh	First 10 kWh/day	~26–28c (cheapest usage)	Heavy daytime users
Powershop	up to 10c/kWh	Uncapped	~29c	Set-and-forget, ethical brand
EnergyAustralia	up to 9c/kWh	First 12 kWh/day	~30c	Bundled gas/electricity

Rates current as of June 2026 from Energy Made Easy, WATTever and retailer websites. Always check your specific postcode — rates vary by NMI.

Why the "Best FiT" Headline Number Is Misleading

Three things matter more than the FiT headline:

1. The FiT cap (the silent killer)

Most "22c FiT" plans pay that rate only on the first 5–14 kWh/day you export. After the cap, you drop to 4–6c/kWh, or in some plans, zero.

A Brisbane 10kW system in summer exports 25–40 kWh/day. If your cap is 5 kWh/day at 22c and the rest at 5c, your effective average FiT is only ~8–9c/kWh. That's lower than a plain uncapped 10c plan.

2. The usage rate (what you pay for the grid power you still use)

Even with a 10kW system, the average Brisbane home still imports 5–15 kWh/day (mornings, evenings, cloudy days). A retailer that pays 22c FiT but charges 33c usage is usually worse than one that pays 12c FiT and charges 27c usage — because you import more than you export over a year for most households without a battery.

3. The daily supply charge

Energex supply charges range from ~$1.10 to $1.50/day across retailers — that's $145+/year difference before you've used a single kWh. Always look at it as a single number.

The Right Plan Depends on Your Setup

Your Setup	What to Prioritise	Typical Best-Fit Retailer (2026)
Small system (≤5kW), low export	Highest FiT, cap doesn't matter	Origin (22c, cap rarely hit)
6.6kW, average family	FiT cap ≥10 kWh + low usage rate	AGL or Energy Locals
10kW+, no battery, big exporter	Uncapped FiT, even if lower headline	Energy Locals (uncapped) or GloBird
Solar + battery	Wholesale pricing for arbitrage	Amber Electric
EV charger, daytime charging	Low usage rate matters most	GloBird or Origin EV plan
Holiday home / low usage	Low daily supply charge	Energy Locals or Powershop

How to Actually Pick (5-minute method)

Pull your last 4 quarterly bills. Get average daily usage (kWh imported) and average daily export (kWh exported).
Go to Energy Made Easy (the government's free comparison tool — not Compare the Market, not iSelect, both take commissions that bias rankings).
Enter your postcode + actual usage/export numbers. The tool calculates the annual cost across every retailer in your area.
Sort by total annual cost, not by FiT rate.
Read the cap fine print on the top 3 cheapest. Reject any plan with a FiT cap below your daily export.

This takes 10 minutes and routinely saves Brisbane solar households $300–$700/year vs. their current retailer.

Brisbane-Specific Things Most Comparisons Miss

SE Queensland has no regulated minimum FiT. Retailers can pay $0. Regional QLD (Ergon network) is mandated at 8.66c/kWh by the QCA for 2025–26 — but that doesn't apply to Brisbane, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast or Logan.
Energex dynamic export limits (the new Basic Dynamic Model Standing Offer from April 2026) can let you export more on uncongested feeders, but only if your inverter supports it. Useless if your retailer caps you anyway.
Solar Bonus Scheme (44c legacy FiT) still applies to systems installed before 9 July 2012 and is locked until June 30, 2028. If you have it, don't switch retailers without confirming portability — most retailers don't honour it.
Tariff 11 vs Tariff 31/33: if you're on a separately-metered hot water or pool circuit, those tariffs are unaffected by your solar plan — but the FiT is calculated on Tariff 11 only.

Amber Electric: Worth It or Hype?

Amber sells you wholesale electricity at the National Electricity Market 5-minute spot price, plus a $19/month membership. For Brisbane solar owners, this means:

Export rates spike to 30–50c/kWh during summer evening peaks (6–8pm) and cold winter mornings — if you have a battery that can discharge then.
Export rates drop to 0–3c (sometimes negative) in the middle of a sunny day when everyone's exporting. That's most of your solar production.
Without a battery, Amber usually loses money for Brisbane solar households vs. a flat 15c FiT plan, because your export profile aligns with everyone else's.
With a battery (Tesla Powerwall 3, Sungrow SBR, BYD) and the AmberCharge automation enabled, well-set-up Brisbane households can earn $1,200–$2,500/year extra vs. a flat-rate plan.

Short version: Amber is excellent if you have battery storage and don't mind the price volatility. Skip it for solar-only.

Red Flags When Switching

"Guaranteed lowest rate" with no plan name → marketing, not a contract.
FiT cap not disclosed in the headline → it always exists, find it before signing.
Pay-on-time discount as the headline → conditional, evaporates if your direct debit fails once.
Sign-up credit ($100 welcome bonus) → fine if the plan is genuinely cheapest, useless if it's not.
Phone-sale "we'll match anything" promises with no written rate in the email follow-up → walk away.

How Often to Re-Compare

Retailers change FiT and usage rates every 3–6 months, and your contract usually has no exit fee. Re-run Energy Made Easy every 6 months — most Brisbane solar households should switch retailers every 12–24 months to stay on the best plan for their setup. Loyalty is expensive in the Australian energy market.

The Honest 2026 Verdict

There's no single "best" retailer — it's whichever plan costs the least given your specific kWh in and kWh out. For most Brisbane solar households in mid-2026:

Average family, 6.6kW system: Origin or AGL with the high-FiT plan, only if your daily export sits under the cap.
Big system (10kW+) without a battery: Energy Locals or GloBird for uncapped exports.
Solar + battery: Amber Electric for wholesale arbitrage, hands down.
Set-and-forget, ethical preference: Powershop or Energy Locals.

Re-check every 6 months. Switching takes 10 minutes online and never interrupts your power.

Best Energy Provider for Solar in Brisbane (2026 Guide)