Navigating your electricity bill can sometimes feel like deciphering a complex code, and adding solar panels to the mix introduces new elements that can initially seem even more intricate. For Perth and Western Australian homeowners who have embraced solar power, understanding your Synergy bill is key to appreciating the full financial benefits of your investment. This article, current as of October 2026, will walk you through each section of your Synergy bill, explaining how your solar generation and export impact your charges and credits.
This article is part of our guide to Synergy Solar Feed-In Tariffs and Bills in Perth: The Complete Guide.
Install before 31 December 2026 to lock in this year's rebates.
From 1 January 2027 the federal battery rebate drops by about 16% (STC factor 6.8 → 5.7) and the solar panel rebate by about 20% (deeming period 5 → 4 years). It falls again in July 2027. The WA $1,300 rebate is limited to 100,000 households and is paid until the allocation runs out. Installation slots before Christmas fill fast, so lock in a date now.
A Synergy bill has two main charges: the electricity you buy from the grid, in kilowatt-hours (kWh), and a fixed daily supply charge for being connected. Most Perth households are on the Home Plan (A1), a flat rate at any time of day. From 1 July 2026 the A1 rates are 33.2621 cents per kWh and 119.2419 cents per day for supply. Some households choose a time-of-use plan such as Midday Saver, which charges different rates at different times.
Your bill only sees what passes through your meter: what you import from the grid and what you export to it. Solar you generate and use straight away never reaches the meter, so it doesn't appear on the bill at all; it shows up as lower imports. Your inverter's monitoring app is where you see total generation and self-consumption.
This section shows the electricity you bought from Synergy. With solar it should fall, because your home uses solar first and only imports when the panels aren't producing enough (at night, on cloudy days, or when your usage is higher than your generation). Look for:
When your panels generate more than your home is using, the excess is exported to the South West Interconnected System (SWIS). Synergy buys it under the Distributed Energy Buyback Scheme (DEBS) and shows it on your bill as a credit:
The rates apply to the first 50 kWh exported each day and did not change on 1 July 2026. Horizon Power, which serves regional WA, has its own buyback rates.
The daily supply charge stays the same whatever you use or export. Solar can't remove it, but your export credits are deducted from the bill total, including this charge.
Rebates lower what you pay for the system, not your bill:
Your panels generate during daylight. Power you use at that moment is self-consumption: every kWh you self-consume is a kWh you don't buy at 33.26 cents. Power you don't use is exported and earns 2 or 10 cents. When your home needs more than the panels produce, you import.
Because a kWh used is worth so much more than a kWh exported, the biggest savings come from using your solar yourself. A home battery helps by storing midday surplus, which would otherwise earn 2 cents, for use in the evening and overnight instead of grid power.
Western Power runs the SWIS. Since February 2022, new and upgraded systems of 5kW or less must be able to be switched off remotely during rare emergency low-load events. From 1 May 2026, new and upgraded systems up to 30 kVA must also meet new WA Government technical requirements: they must be able to communicate with Synergy so exports can be managed during grid events, and a system without an ongoing internet connection can export up to a standard 1.5 kW. These events are rare and don't affect your own use of your solar.
These hypothetical examples use Synergy's A1 rates from 1 July 2026 (33.2621 cents per kWh and 119.2419 cents a day) and the DEBS rates above, over a 30-day period. Synergy bills usually cover about two months, so a real bill would be roughly double. Actual bills depend on your usage, system and plan.
The second household exports more than twice as much but pays about $55 more, because exports earn so little compared with what imports cost.
With a battery, export credits shrink but imports fall much further. Your bill will show smaller export figures than before, which is a good sign, not a problem.
A: Usually because most of your usage happens when the panels aren't producing, so you still import a lot in the evening while exporting midday solar for 2 cents. Check your monitoring app to confirm the system is generating normally, then look at shifting daytime loads or adding a battery. Remember that Synergy bills cover about two months, and winter bills are naturally higher.
A: They are reviewed with the WA Government's annual tariff setting, which takes effect on 1 July. They stayed at 10 cents (3pm–9pm) and 2 cents (other times) on 1 July 2026. See Synergy Solar Feed-In Tariffs and Bills in Perth: The Complete Guide.
A: Synergy serves Perth and the South West (the SWIS). Horizon Power serves regional and remote WA and pays its own buyback rates, which depend on the town. Under WA's uniform tariff policy, the regulated electricity prices are the same.
A: No. STCs reduce the price of the system when you buy it; they don't appear on your electricity bill.
Your Synergy bill with solar comes down to three numbers: what you import, what you export and the supply charge. Imports cost about 33 cents per kWh and exports earn 2 to 10 cents, so the way to a lower bill is to use more of your own solar, by shifting daytime loads or adding a battery. If you are thinking about a battery, the rebates are worth more if it is installed before 31 December 2026.
This article provides general information and illustrative examples only, current as of October 2026. Tariffs, buyback rates and government schemes change. Check Synergy's website and your own bill for your current rates. This is not financial advice.
Sun Direct Power installs solar and batteries across Perth and WA and is an approved Plenti vendor for the WA Residential Battery Scheme. Our packages take the federal and WA rebates off the price up front, and systems start from $7,114 after rebates.
Install before 31 December 2026 to lock in this year's rebates.
Rates and rebates checked 27 October 2026.
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