We recommend energymadeeasy.gov.au as an energy contract comparison tool. However, householders with solar systems note that it does have a significant failing – its calculation of estimated contract costs does not take solar export feed-in tariff payments into account – and these credits can make a big difference to the bill.
The NSW energy regulator (IPART) has created a comparator spreadsheet that can compare two electricity offers and calculate the feed-in tariff for each contract.
The user needs to enter price details for each offer, and the size of the solar system. The calculator uses an average daily solar generation figure, combined with an estimate of percentage of solar generation self-consumed, to give estimates of feed-in tariffs and charges for the two chosen offers.
If you’re thinking of investing in a solar system, or just want to learn more, Solar Choice’s website offers a range of calculators that may be useful in understanding and planning solar and battery system installations.