Take Control of Your Power: Why Regional Queenslanders Must Act Now
For decades, households have been told to “shop around” for better electricity deals. In most parts of Australia, that advice still holds some weight. But here in Regional Queensland, the reality is very different.
In the Ergon Energy region, customers effectively have no real competition when it comes to electricity retailers, and that’s not changing anytime soon.
The only reason the current system works at all is because Ergon is heavily subsidised by the Queensland Government – by hundreds of millions of dollars each year. Without that support, the economics simply wouldn’t stack up.
So what does that mean for you as a homeowner?
It means that waiting for a better retailer, a better tariff, or a better “deal” is no longer a strategy. The only way forward is to take control of your own energy.
The Hidden Truth About Electricity Pricing
Here’s something most people don’t realise:
Between roughly 7am and 4:30pm every day, wholesale electricity is mostly free for retailers. On many days, it’s even negative – meaning generators are paying to put power into the grid.
Yet households and businesses are still charged close to 30 cents per kilowatt-hour during these same hours.
Historically, the high-cost period was the evening peak—typically 5pm to 8pm—when everyone arrived home and switched everything on. That’s when electricity was genuinely expensive.
But that world is changing fast.
- Solar systems are now much larger
- Solar production stretches well into the evening, especially in summer
- Home batteries are being adopted at scale
The result? Those sharp evening peaks are being flattened. Over time, they will become non-events. For example, for many days in January 2026 the Spot price for electricity was peaking at only 6 – 7 cents per kilowatt hour at 7pm at night (this is simply unheard of since air-conditioning became mainstream in the early 2000’s.)
As the grid becomes flooded with solar, two things are inevitable:
- Feed-in tariffs will keep falling
- Eventually, they will trend toward zero
Wholesale pricing is already negative on most days. There is simply no economic justification for paying customers for exports when there is already too much power on the network.
That means the old model of “sell excess solar back to the grid”, is dying.
The future is simple: If you don’t use your solar yourself, it will be worth nothing.
Why Batteries Change Everything
A solar system on its own is no longer enough.
The real value is in capturing your own energy and using it when you need it:
- In the evening
- Overnight
- During outages
- During high-tariff periods
A home battery lets you turn free daytime energy into power you control, at any hour.
In a region with no meaningful retail competition, this matters more than ever. You are no longer at the mercy of:
- Tariff changes
- Policy shifts
- Feed-in cuts
- Future price rises (as this is the only way energy retailers will survive)
You become your own power station.
The Window Is Open – But Not Forever
Right now, there is an unprecedented opportunity.
Government battery rebates are at historic highs. These incentives won’t last forever, and as demand accelerates across Australia, availability of both stock and installation capacity will tighten.
This is the moment where Regional Queenslanders can:
- Lock in the biggest incentives
- Future-proof their homes
- Take control of rising energy costs
- Become largely independent of the grid
With no realistic prospect of competition improving in the Ergon region, standing still is no longer neutral – it’s a decision to remain exposed.
Take Control
The energy landscape has changed.
Retailers can’t compete. Feed-in tariffs are collapsing. Wholesale power is free during the day. And the grid is shifting away from evening peaks altogether.
For Regional Queenslanders, the message is clear:
Waiting is no longer a strategy.
Taking control is.
Solar plus batteries aren’t just about savings anymore – it’s about independence, certainty, and owning your future energy.
And right now, with rebates at their peak, the opportunity has never been better.
Lock in an appointment with our team here.
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.
