Solar for All-Electric Homes in Tasmania Explained Simply

For most Tasmanian homes, yes — solar is still one of the most dependable ways to shrink your power bills, and it pairs especially well with going all-electric. The catch is that the savings work differently here than on the mainland: because Tasmania’s feed-in tariff is modest compared with the price of buying power, the real money is in using your own solar, not exporting it.

Here’s the basic arithmetic. Aurora Energy is the main residential retailer, and the regulated solar feed-in tariff sits at 9.276 cents per kWh from 1 July 2026 (up from about 8.9 cents). Meanwhile, the power you buy from the grid costs roughly 28–30 cents per kWh. That means every unit of solar you use in your own home is worth around three times more than every unit you sell back. An all-electric home — with a heat pump hot water system, reverse-cycle heating and cooling, induction cooking, and maybe an EV — gives you plenty of ways to soak up that daytime sunshine.

Why does self-consumption matter more than export?

Self-consumption means using your solar power as it’s generated, and it’s where almost all of the value sits on current Tasmanian tariffs. Exporting earns you the feed-in rate; using your own power avoids paying the much higher retail rate. A few simple habits make a big difference:

Run the dishwasher, washing machine and dryer during daylight hours.
Set your heat pump hot water system to heat up around midday.
Pre-heat or pre-cool the house in the afternoon so the evening peak is smaller.
If you have an EV, plug in during the day whenever you’re home.

Homes that shift their major loads into the solar window typically get far more value from the same panels than homes that export most of what they generate.

What size solar system does an all-electric home need?

For most Tasmanian homes planning to electrify, a system of around 13 kW of panels on a 10 kW inverter is the sensible, future-proof default. That’s a big step up from the old 6.6 kW standard, and it reflects a simple reality: once you add an EV, heat pump heating and induction cooking, your household’s electricity use can easily double or triple.

The 13 kW / 10 kW pairing isn’t arbitrary. Federal rebate rules let you install panels up to 133% of your inverter’s capacity, and oversizing the panel array is a cost-effective way to squeeze more energy out of every hour of daylight — particularly valuable through Tasmania’s cloudy winters, when a bigger array keeps producing useful power on grey days. You’re not obliged to go this big, of course, but if you know an EV or heat pump is coming in the next few years, sizing for that future now usually beats upgrading later.

Do I need three-phase power for a bigger system?

Usually, no. TasNetworks allows up to a 10 kW inverter on a standard single-phase connection in Tasmania, which comfortably covers a ~13 kW panel array. That means most homes can go big without the cost and hassle of a three-phase upgrade. Three-phase only really enters the conversation for unusually large systems or specific site constraints.

What rebates and incentives are available?

Two federal programs do most of the heavy lifting, and it’s worth understanding both:

The STC rebate (Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme). This discounts the upfront cost of your solar system, and it’s normally handled by your installer as a point-of-sale discount rather than something you claim yourself. Tasmania sits in STC Zone 4. The exact value depends on your system size and when it’s installed, and it steps down over time.
The Cheaper Home Batteries Program. From 1 July 2025, this takes roughly 30% off an eligible battery — approximately $250 per usable kWh in 2026 at the full rate for the first 14 kWh, stepping down to 60% for 14–28 kWh and 15% for 28–50 kWh, with a 50 kWh cap. The support tapers each year through to 2030, and the battery must be paired with solar.

Two honest notes: there is currently no separate Tasmanian state battery rebate, and no rebate is ever guaranteed — eligibility depends on your system, equipment and installer meeting the program rules, so confirm the details before you count on any figure.

Should I add a home battery in Tasmania?

Maybe — but go in with clear eyes, because Tasmania is not the mainland. Our relatively affordable power and fair feed-in tariff mean a battery here generally pays for itself more slowly than it would interstate. Where many households see the solar portion of their investment recovered in a rough range of four to six years (depending on usage, tariff and final installed cost), the battery portion often sits in a longer range, somewhere around seven to twelve years, again depending heavily on your circumstances.

For a typical household on a standard Aurora tariff, a battery’s value is twofold: storing your own solar for the evening instead of exporting it cheaply, and keeping the lights on during outages. No vendor or retail VPP program currently operates in Tasmania. What does exist is wholesale price exposure — some retail plans pass spot prices through — and an automatically controlled battery can charge when spot prices go negative and dodge peak-priced imports. Solar Generation runs exactly this kind of automated setup on its own systems, but it’s a niche play rather than the mainstream choice. If backup power matters to you, or you use most of your energy after dark, a battery can still stack up; otherwise, it’s fine to start with solar alone and add storage later.

Is a bigger system ever the wrong choice?

Yes, and it’s worth saying plainly. If your household uses very little power and you have no plans for an EV, battery or electric heating, a smaller system may suit you better. Here’s a simple comparison:

	Smaller system (~6.6 kW)	Larger system (~13 kW)
Best for	Low power use, no electrification plans	Homes adding EV, heat pumps, induction
Upfront cost	Lower	Higher, but more energy per dollar
Future-proofing	May need upgrading later	Room to grow into
Winter output	Modest on grey days	Noticeably better coverage

The right size is the one that matches your next ten years, not just your last power bill.

So what’s the practical takeaway?

Start with your own numbers: pull up a year of power bills and look at when and how much you use. Think honestly about the next decade — an EV, a heat pump, a kitchen renovation — and size your solar for that future rather than the past. Prioritise daytime self-consumption over export, treat the battery as an optional second step rather than a must-have, and make sure any rebate figures you’re counting on are confirmed for your specific situation before you commit. Done that way, solar for an all-electric Tasmanian home is less a leap of faith and more a straightforward, common-sense upgrade.

This guide was put together by the local team at Solar Generation Tasmania as a free community resource — we’re always happy to answer questions from Tasmanian households working through their options.

#solargentas #solargen #solargenerationtasmania

Published by Solar Generation Tasmania. General information current as at publication — rebates, tariffs and prices change, so confirm current figures before deciding.