Vic minimum FiT update

The Victorian Essential Serices Commission has released its Final Decision regarding the mandated minimum feed-in tariff for solar households for financial year 2025-26.

From 1 July 2025, solar households can expect, at a minimum, to receive the princely sum of 0.04 cents per kWh exported under an 'anytime' regime, or up to 7.55 c/kWh under a time-of-use export regime, with that price available overnight, between 10:00 PM and 7:00 AM.

While the ESC has not entirely abandoned minimum FiT altogether, as was reported in the Sydney Morning Herald, this new price regime comes pretty close.

Vic minimum FiT requirement to be repealed?

Fairfax media reports that the mandated minumum FiT in Victoria will be removed, rates can only get lower.

Savings as a ServiceRichard Foxworthy

The feed-in tariff party has ended for Victorian solar households.

The Victorian Premium FiT (PFIT) scheme started in 2009 to support Victorians installing rooftop solar systems at a time when solar panels were relatively expensive. The scheme was legislated to run for 15 years, and closed to new applicants at the end of 2011.

The scheme offered eligible solar customers with small-scale systems, rated at less than 5kW, a PFIT credit of at least 60 cents/kWh for electricity exported back into the grid.

The Victorian PFIT scheme ended on 1 November 2024, and retailers are no longer obliged to pass on PFIT credits.

What to do?

If you're a solar household facing dwindling FiT credits, the ESC's advice is to focus on consuming your own solar:

Customers avoid retail tariffs by self-consuming the electricity they generate. 

For a customer on the Victorian Default Offer prices in 2024–25, the retail price ranges from approximately 26 to 35 cents per kilowatt hour, depending on their distribution zone – these are the actual costs that solar customers avoid.