Your electricity bill holds most of the information you need to make a good solar decision — but it's not always easy to find.
Australian electricity bills vary significantly in format between retailers, but they all contain the same key information. This guide explains what each part means and what matters most when you're thinking about solar.
The Key Numbers on Your Bill
1. Total kWh Used
Usually shown as a large number with "kWh" next to it. Examples: "1,890 kWh", "2,340 kWh". This is the total amount of electricity your household used during the billing period.
This is the most important number for solar sizing. Divide it by the number of days in the billing period to get your daily average usage.
Example: 2,556 kWh over a 90-day period = 28.4 kWh per day
2. Billing Period
Usually shown as "Bill period: 1 Feb 2026 to 2 May 2026" or similar. Count the days between those dates — or most bills print the number of days directly.
Australian electricity bills are typically issued quarterly (every 90 days), monthly (every 30 days) or bi-monthly (every 60 days). Quarterly bills are the most common.
Knowing the billing period is important because it lets you calculate your actual daily usage rather than just the total.
3. Daily Usage or Daily Average
Some retailers print this directly — "Your daily average: 28.4 kWh". AGL, Origin and Energy Australia all show this. If yours doesn't, divide total kWh by number of days.
This is the single most important number for sizing a solar system. Solar installers use your daily usage as the starting point for every recommendation they make.
4. Usage Rate / Electricity Tariff
Usually shown as "Usage charge: 28.52 c/kWh" or similar. This is the rate you pay for every unit of electricity you consume from the grid.
Australian electricity tariffs vary significantly by state and retailer — from around 22 cents/kWh in some parts of Queensland to over 40 cents/kWh in parts of South Australia.
The higher your tariff, the more every kWh of solar you generate is worth — which is why SA and NSW households often get the best solar returns.
5. Supply Charge / Daily Service Fee
Usually shown as "Supply charge: 88.22 c/day" or similar. This is a fixed cost that doesn't change regardless of how much power you use — or generate.
The supply charge is the one part of your bill that solar won't help with. Even if you generate all your own electricity, you still pay the daily supply charge to remain connected to the grid. This typically adds $30–$40/month to your bill regardless of usage.
6. Controlled Load
Usually shown as "Controlled load: 450 kWh" or "Off-peak: 450 kWh". Your hot water system or other large loads may be on a separate meter that charges at a lower rate during off-peak hours (usually overnight).
If you have a controlled load, it's important to add it to your main usage when sizing a solar system. Some homeowners switch their hot water to solar-boosted during the day to take advantage of cheap solar power — which changes the calculation significantly.
7. Feed-in Tariff (Solar Customers Only)
Usually shown as "Solar feed-in credit: 6.00 c/kWh" or "FiT rate: 6c". This is the price the retailer pays you for every kWh your solar panels generate and you don't use yourself.
Feed-in tariffs vary significantly by retailer and state — from as low as 2 cents to as high as 20 cents in some cases. Most Australian households with solar receive between 4 and 10 cents per kWh.
The gap between your usage rate (what you pay) and your feed-in tariff (what you earn) is why self-consuming your solar is so much more valuable than exporting it. If you pay 30 cents and earn 6 cents, using power directly is 5 times more valuable than exporting it.
8. Total Amount Due
The bottom line — what you need to pay. Divide by the number of months in the billing period to get your monthly average bill.
For a 90-day bill, divide the total by 3 to get your monthly average. This is what solar could reduce — though the supply charge will always remain.
Don't want to read the numbers yourself?
Upload your bill to SolarBill and we'll read all these numbers automatically — then tell you exactly what size system you need and how much you'd save. Takes 60 seconds.
Upload My Bill Free ☀️What If I Have Multiple Electricity Meters?
Some Australian homes have more than one electricity meter — commonly a main meter and a controlled load meter for hot water. Some homes also have a solar export meter if they already have panels.
When sizing solar, add up the usage from all your meters. The controlled load usage is still electricity your household consumes — it's just billed at a different rate.
Tips for Getting the Most Out of Your Bill Analysis
- Collect bills from different seasons — your summer and winter usage can differ by 30–50%. Sizing solar based on just one bill can lead to over or under-sizing.
- Check whether your bill is estimated or actual — some retailers estimate your usage between meter reads. Look for "estimated" vs "actual" on the bill. Estimated bills can be inaccurate.
- Look for time-of-use charges — some plans charge different rates for peak, shoulder and off-peak periods. If you're on time-of-use, your solar sizing and battery needs are different to a flat-rate plan.
- Note your retailer and plan — before going solar it's worth checking whether your current plan has a good feed-in tariff. Some plans are better suited to solar customers than others.
The Shortcut — Upload Your Bill
If reading through all of this feels like a lot of work, there's an easier way. SolarBill reads your electricity bill automatically — PDF or photo — and extracts all the key numbers instantly. You get your daily usage, tariff, billing period, feed-in tariff and a personalised system recommendation in under 60 seconds.
Let SolarBill read your bill for you
Upload your electricity bill — PDF or photo — and SolarBill extracts all the key numbers and gives you a personalised solar recommendation. Free, no account required.
Try the Free Calculator ☀️SolarBill works with all major Australian electricity retailers including AGL, Origin Energy, Energy Australia, Alinta Energy, Red Energy, Momentum Energy, Simply Energy and more.