KEY POINTS
- More households are able to use renewable energy, even if they don’t generate their own.
- There are also ways to support renewable energy generation through your own household’s energy plan.
- Installing solar panels or a battery can help to reduce energy use from the grid while supporting renewable energy generation.
Using renewable energy to power your home, even without your own installed solar panels or batteries, is fast becoming a reality thanks to new programs and initiatives being made available to households across Australia.
As renewable energy – that is, energy generated by solar, wind or hydro sources – becomes a bigger contributor to the national energy grid, so are the different programs and opportunities for households to use it – regardless of what technology they have installed.
Read on to find out what programs are available, or to find out more about installing solar in your home.
How can you power your home with renewable energy?
Joining a community battery program through your energy retailer
Community batteries work by storing excess solar energy generated during the day for households within the local area to use when they need it, which is often at night when energy demand is much higher.
There are energy providers who are offering eligible households to join these programs. An example of this is Energy Australia’s Community Battery Ease program.
The program, which recently won Canstar Blue’s 2025 Innovation Excellence Award, works by storing excess solar power (provided by homes), to a community battery.
The community battery then powers eligible households when they need it – most often in the evening – even if they don’t have their own solar panels.
Energy Australian currently has 13 community battery locations across the Ausgrid network in New South Wales, with eligible customers offered a place via a competitive plan that the retailer suggests could save participants around $200 on the average energy bill.
Origin is another energy retailer also offering a similar program, with its Community Battery Trial available in both Sydney and Brisbane.
The trial is open to those with or without solar panels, and depending on your distribution network, you don’t need to be an Origin customer to export solar energy either.
In South Australia, retailer Energy Locals offers a similar program which has been developed with the state government, community housing providers and Tesla (a battery producer) to offer the plan to eligible households.
GreenPower
GreenPower is a program that works by making sure an energy retailer offsets a household’s power usage by purchasing renewable energy and adding it to the grid on their behalf.
GreenPower doesn’t allow households to use renewable energy directly from the grid, but it is a government-led initiative with a focus on contributing to the long-term benefits of reduced carbon emissions and increased renewable energy.
While it is more of a donation than a service, and does cost a little more than the average energy plan, it’s an option for households who want to contribute to renewable energy generation.
To find out more about GreenPower, and the plans that are on offer, check out the guide from Canstar Blue guide on GreenPower: Everything you need to know.
Energy plans with GreenPower options
Here are some of the cheapest published deals from the retailers on our database that have a GreenPower option and include a link to the retailer’s website for further details. These are products from referral partners†. These costs are based on the Ausgrid network in Sydney but prices may vary depending on your circumstances. This comparison assumes general energy usage of 3900kWh/year for a residential customer on a single rate tariff. Please use our comparison tool for a specific comparison in your area. Our database may not cover all deals in your area. As always, check all details of any plan directly with the retailer before making a purchase decision. The annual cost estimates for the plans below may not include the cost of GreenPower. The extra cost of GreenPower may vary between retailers.
Here are some of the cheapest published deals from the retailers on our database that have a GreenPower option and include a link to the retailer’s website for further details. These are products from referral partners†. These costs are based on the Citipower network in Melbourne but prices may vary depending on your circumstances. This comparison assumes general energy usage of 4000kWh/year for a residential customer on a single rate tariff. Please use our comparison tool for a specific comparison in your area. Our database may not cover all deals in your area. As always, check all details of any plan directly with the retailer before making a purchase decision. The annual cost estimates for the plans below may not include the cost of GreenPower. The extra cost of GreenPower may vary between retailers.
Here are some of the cheapest published deals from the retailers on our database that have a GreenPower option and include a link to the retailer’s website for further details. These are products from referral partners†. These costs are based on the Energex network in Brisbane but prices may vary depending on your circumstances. This comparison assumes general energy usage of 4600kWh/year for a residential customer on a single rate tariff. Please use our comparison tool for a specific comparison in your area. Our database may not cover all deals in your area. As always, check all details of any plan directly with the retailer before making a purchase decision. The annual cost estimates for the plans below may not include the cost of GreenPower. The extra cost of GreenPower may vary between retailers.
Here are some of the cheapest published deals from the retailers on our database that have a GreenPower option and include a link to the retailer’s website for further details. These are products from referral partners†. These costs are based on the SA Power network in Adelaide but prices may vary depending on your circumstances. This comparison assumes general energy usage of 4000kWh/year for a residential customer on a single rate tariff. Please use our comparison tool for a specific comparison in your area. Our database may not cover all deals in your area. As always, check all details of any plan directly with the retailer before making a purchase decision. The annual cost estimates for the plans below may not include the cost of GreenPower. The extra cost of GreenPower may vary between retailers.
What about other ways to use or contribute to renewable energy?
Virtual Power Plant (VPP)
A VPP is a network powered by home solar batteries, which is managed by different retailers. Households contribute to the network which works to provide the energy grid with additional energy and support during peak periods.
Being part of a VPP typically includes some benefits such as installation discounts, sign-up bonuses, bill credits and feed-in rates, which is the price you will be paid for the energy you provide.
To learn more about VPPs, or what providers offer them, check out Canstar Blue’s guide to Virtual Power Plants.
Installing solar
If you’re thinking of installing solar panels, or a battery, you’ll likely have plenty of questions or want to know a little bit more about how to get the right product, installer and maximum benefit.
Canstar Blue’s Solar 101 Beginners Guide will get you well on the way with what you need to know.
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