The Queensland Competition Authority (QCA) has just released the draft pricing for Ergon and Regional Queensland Electricity Pricing. What really got our attention was the new pricing for Ergon’s Time of Use Tariff 12E – Solar Soaker Tariff.
Off Peak – Five Hours of Almost Free Power Each Day
For five hours a day you will have virtually free power at only 6.25 cents a kWh (ex GST) from 11am to 4pm. What an excellent opportunity to:
- Fill up a Home Battery to run your entire home all night (even on rainy days).
- Charge up your entire Electric Vehicle on Weekends (500 kms of range at cost of approximately $5).
- Put a timer on your Hot Water System to run between 12pm and 3pm.
- Put a timer on your Pool Pump to run from 11am to 4pm.
- Program your Washing Machine and Dishwasher to run between 3pm and 4pm.
- Run your Air conditioners if you work from home or at least on weekends if you don’t.
Peak Hour Pricing
From 4pm to 9pm each day you will be forced to pay 41.9 cents a kWh (ex GST). This is a large reduction from 2025 where this price was about 52 cents a kWh. It obviously still makes a lot of sense to have a Home Battery to get you through this period like most of our customers are now doing by taking advantage of the huge home battery rebates.
Shoulder Pricing
From 9pm to 11am the next day, pricing is still only 22.5 cents a kWh (ex GST) which is still approximately 12% cheaper than Tariff 11.
Daily Supply Charge
Switching to 12E will also save you approximately $84 a year in daily connection fees.
Tariff Comparisons
| Charge Type | Tariff 12E (Solar Soaker) | Tariff 11 |
| Supply Charge per day | $1.35 | $1.56 |
| Off Peak (11am to 4pm) | $0.062 | $0.257 |
| Shoulder (9pm to 11am) | $0.225 | $0.257 |
| Peak (4pm to 9pm) | $0.419 | $0.257 |
| (ex GST) |
Set Up Your Battery to Force Charge from the Grid
Once you have switched over to 12E, you can set your battery up to force charge from the grid to ensure your battery is 100% full before 4pm every single day. This is important coverage for rainy and cloudy days during our wet seasons. However, your system is smart and will always use your solar first to fill up your battery and only use the grid when the sun is not out.
Solar is Still Important
We still recommend Solar Systems to run your home during the day, offset your Electric Vehicle Charging and charge up your Home Battery. Solar is also very important in the event of a Grid Outage as your solar system will work directly with your home battery to run your home in Off Grid Mode.
Conclusion
At Horan & Bird Solar we highly recommend our customers consider switching tariffs from Tariff 11 to the new tariff 12E. Take advantage of the large home battery rebates and Take Control of Your Energy Future.
Contact our team today so we can help you.
Founder of Horan & Bird. Director of Master Electricians Australia and Board Member of Solar Accreditation Australia. John has played a key entrepreneurial role in the transformation of the Energy Landscape in Queensland.
