How Much Can You Save With Solar? The Three Numbers That Matter

The short answer: It depends on your bill, your roof and when you use power. Anyone quoting a savings figure without seeing your bill is guessing. Here are the three numbers that give you a real answer.

Number one: your daytime usage

Solar only helps when the sun is up. Look at how much of your power you use between roughly 9am and 4pm. A household with someone home all day will save more than a house that is empty until dark.

Number two: your usage rate

Check the cents per kWh on your bill. The higher it is, the more each self-used kWh saves you. Remember that exported power earns a much smaller credit, so self-use is what counts. See feed-in tariffs explained.

Number three: your system size

A bigger system makes more power, but only if you can use it or store it. Oversizing without a battery can mean exporting for small credits. Our sizing guide walks through this.

Putting it together

Take your yearly usage, work out how much shifts to daytime, multiply by your rate, and compare it with the system cost after STCs. That gives you a payback period. It is rough, but it is honest. For a fuller look, read is solar worth it.

Does it differ by state?

Prices, tariffs and incentives differ between QLD, NSW, WA and Tasmania. Sunshine differs too. A home in Mount Isa gets different results from a home in Hobart. Run your own numbers or ask us to.

What about a battery?

A battery lets you use more of your solar at night. Whether it pays depends on the battery cost after current incentives and on your evening usage. See what a battery costs in Queensland.

Want the real number?

Use our savings calculator or upload your power bill. We will give you a straight answer, even if the answer is “wait”.

General information only, current at November 2026. Prices, rebates and tariffs change, so check current terms before you buy.