Rooftop solar

Understand your energy use

Create a myEnergy account to review how much electricity you use and when you use it. This helps to understand your routines and needs – for example, if you use a lot of electricity at night, you may benefit from a battery.

Talk to your installer

Provide information to prospective solar retail businesses to help them design a system that suits your needs.

Remember, there’s no one-size-fits-all when it comes to solar. A larger system won’t necessarily give you better returns. Our ‘Conversations with your installer’ booklet explains key questions to ask.

When choosing an installer, we recommend going to the Solar Accreditation Australia website to check they’re accredited and comply to service standards.

Before signing a contract, make sure your installer lodges a solar pre-approval application through myEnergy. If you know your installation information (NMI, inverter details, total power request), you can complete the application yourself.

Also see: solar installer resources web page

Once we’ve received your application, we’ll determine your export limit. Our assessment will consider the capacity of the network in your area to accept excess generation from your solar system. All basic applications will be approved for installation, however limitations may be placed on exports.

Model Standing Offer (MSO) information

Residential rooftop solar installations are covered by our Model Standing Offer (MSO), which is approved by the Australian Energy Regulator (AER). A copy of the MSO, and a plain-English explainer, can be found on our Model Standing Offer web page.

Once you’ve received your approved export outcome, your installer can proceed with the installation of the solar panels, inverter and supporting hardware. It’s important the installer uses an approved solar inverter.

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


Victoria's emergency backstop mechanism

Customers connecting solar for the first time, or upgrading or replacing an existing system, must comply with the Victorian Government’s emergency backstop mechanism.

This means you must have a reliable internet connection and select a Clean Energy Council approved and United Energy onboarded inverter.

Learn more about the emergency backstop requirements

You’re nearly there!

Once the paperwork has been submitted, we’ll confirm the inverter has been set up correctly and validate the certificate of electrical safety.

We will then work with your 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 complete these activities and you are good to go.

Enjoy the benefits! For information on how to maintain your solar system as well as troubleshoot export issues visit our Maintaining your solar web page.

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.

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.

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.