Rooftop solar

A great first step is to go to our myEnergy portal and review how much electricity you use and when you use it. That will help you understand your household's daily patterns of use and consider your habits and needs - for example, whether you want your solar set up to operate independently if the power goes out, or if you use a lot of electricity at night and should consider a battery.

You can then take this information to your installer and it will help them recommend a system that suits your needs. Remember that there’s no one-size-fits-all when it comes to solar, and a larger system won’t necessarily give you a better return. Take the time to ask your installer lots of questions.

When choosing an installer, we recommend going to the Clean Energy Council website to check they're accredited and comply to service standards.

Before signing a contract to purchase a rooftop solar system, make sure you or your installer has lodged a solar pre-approval application with us through myEnergy. If you know your installation information (NMI, inverter details, total power request), you can complete the form yourself.

Once we've received your solar pre-approval application, we'll undertake an assessment of export. This takes into consideration the capacity of our network in your area to accept extra power from your system. All basic applications will be approved to install, however limitations may be placed on export allowances.

Model Standing Offer (MSO) information

Systems up to 10kVA, with 5kVA export on a single-phase site or 30kVA with 15kVA export on a three-phase site are covered by the Model Standing Offer (MSO) approved by the Australian Energy Regulator (AER). Systems larger than these limits must follow a negotiated connection services process which requires you to sign a generator agreement.

Once you have received your approved export outcome, your installer can proceed with the installation of the solar panels, inverter and supporting hardware.

It is important that the installer uses an approved solar inverter. As well as converting your solar energy into power that you can use in your home, it links with our electricity network and plays an important role as a safety device. To get the best results from your system, ensure you select an inverter approved by the Clean Energy Council for use in Victoria.

Once your solar panels are installed and an inspection has been completed by a Licenced Electrical Inspector, your installer/REC will raise an alteration connection request in myEnergy to reprogram your electricity meter for your new solar system.

Your solar installer will need to submit the following information and documents so we can confirm that your system has been set up correctly and safely.

• Evidence of applying the mandatory Australia A settings to your inverter, as well as applying the correct export limitation if applicable. They will need access to your internet connection to complete this process
• A compliant certificate of electrical safety
• All details of your solar system including your inverter model and serial number and the details of your panels

You're nearly there!

Once the paperwork has been submitted to us, we will validate the correct inverter settings have been applied (via the commissioning documents submitted with the application), as well as validate the certificate of electrical safety to ensure the installation is safe and compliant.

We will then send a request to your electricity retailer to reprogram your smart meter and update your tariff to a solar feed in tariff.

Once they have sent us this service order, we will apply the tariff to your account and you are good to go!

Enjoy the benefits! See the bottom of this web page for information on maintaining your solar system.

You may be eligible for a rebate to reduce the upfront cost of installing solar panels. The Victorian Government provides information about rebates and eligibility on the Solar Victoria website.

The Energy Consumers Australia website also provide information and resources to help to choose the right solar system to suit your household’s needs.

As your Distributed Network Service Provider, we are responsible for moving energy around the network to where it is needed. That includes managing the surplus energy that solar systems export into the network.

If you are approved to export your extra energy, your electricity retailer will provide a solar feed-in tariff – a rate paid to customers for the energy they put into the grid for others to use.

The Victorian feed-in tariff scheme commenced in 2013 and the minimum feed-in rate is revised regularly. The revised rate considers the following factors:

• wholesale electricity market prices
• distribution and transmission losses avoided by the supply of small-scale renewable energy generation electricity
• avoided social and health costs attributable to a reduction in air pollution.

Further information regarding eligibility and feed-in tariff rates visit the Victorian Government's energy website.

Victorian premium feed-in tariff

The Victorian solar premium feed-in tariff (PFIT) started in late 2009 and closed to new applicants at the end of 2011. Existing customers may remain on the PFIT until the scheme closes in November 2024.

The maximum installed capacity for PFIT customers is 5kW and eligible customers will receive a minimum of 60 cents per kWh for their exports. PFIT customers can switch electricity retailers and continue to receive their payments. Customers should check with their retailer prior to switching in case there are any exit fees under their existing contract.

Any house signed up to PFIT will remain eligible for the scheme regardless of whether the house is sold and new residents move in. If a customer increases their solar capacity, they will no longer be eligible for PFIT payments.

For more information visit the Victorian Government's solar premium feed-in tariff web page.

Undertaking regular maintenance will ensure your solar panel system is operating safely, correctly and efficiently. There are two main things you’ll need to do each year to maintain your solar panels and ensure your system is operates safely and effectively.

1. Keep them clean by removing any build-up of dirt and grime (refer to the manufacturer's guide)
2. Follow the regular maintenance schedule that your installer provided.

Self-consumption is key to getting the most value from your solar. While you receive a small payment for energy exported to the grid, it is less than you will pay to buy energy when your system isn’t generating energy.

To maximise your self-consumption and unlock the greatest savings, aim to use as much of your power as possible during daylight hours. There are a variety of ways to shift your loads to these periods, including:

• operating appliances manually if you are home
• setting timers on devices that have them
• buying smart-plugs to control power outlets remotely
• investing in smart devices or a home energy management system to automate household processes.

myEnergy lets you see how much energy your solar panels are exporting and how much energy you are consuming from the grid.

With myEnergy you can:

• View up to two years’ data on the usage trends in your home
• Identify ways to become more energy efficient by understanding where most of your electricity is used and when
• Save money by comparing offers from energy retailers using websites like Victorian Energy Compare.

It’s important to know that some components of your solar system run on electricity that is provided by our networks. So, if there is an outage for any reason, then your system will most likely stop generating power.

When planning your investment in a solar system and hardware, consider whether you want it to be set up so it will operate independently if the power goes out. Speak with your solar installer about how to set it up for an outage scenario.

If your solar system is not exporting electricity to the grid, it could be due to one or more of the following reasons.

1. Your solar system is switched off
   Some solar systems may have several switches. For example, your system may include a solar main supply switch in your switchboard, an ‘AC isolator’ switch near your inverter and a ‘DC isolator/solar array’ switch on your inverter. (Some newer systems may not have all these switches). If you have had electrical work done recently, check that your solar system has been switched back on.
   What to do: check all switches. Contact your solar installer or a licensed electrician if there is any reason to think the issue may involve more than a simple switch.
   
2. Equipment failure
   If your system appears to be switched on, lack of export could be caused by faulty equipment such as a defective inverter, or by faulty internal connections.
   What to do: if you suspect equipment failure, contact your solar installer or a licensed electrician
   
3. Changes in electricity use
   You may be using more electricity during the day than your solar system is generating. Smaller solar systems (1 or 1.5 kW systems) are more likely to be affected by changes in electricity usage patterns. If you have started running an air conditioner, pool pump or other energy hungry appliances every day, there may be no excess electricity left to export.
   What to do: check if your energy consumption patterns have changed. You may need to reduce your electricity usage.

Need a licensed electrician? Search by location on the Energy Safe Victoria website.