This Amber Electric review covers what the retailer costs and who it suits in Australia as at November 2026. Amber Electric passes the live wholesale electricity price through to households and charges a flat A$25 a month subscription instead of a retail margin. It suits homes with a compatible battery that can dodge evening peaks and sell into them. Amber Electric holds 4.0 stars from 1,946 ProductReview.com.au reviews and 4.1 from 1,742 Trustpilot reviews (both checked November 2026). This is independent desk research: Amber Electric was not contacted and did not pay for it.
Key facts
- Amber Electric charges a flat subscription of A$25 a month per meter (A$300 a year) and says this fee is its only margin, according to Amber Electric’s help centre as checked in November 2026.
- Amber Electric states that it is available in Victoria, South Australia, New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory and south-east Queensland as at November 2026.
- Amber Electric has no fixed solar feed-in tariff: exports are paid at the wholesale price of the moment, which can be negative in the middle of the day.
- The National Electricity Market price cap is A$23,200 per MWh (A$23.20 per kWh) from 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027, according to the Australian Energy Market Commission, which is the ceiling on what Amber Electric customers can earn or be charged in a price spike.
- Amber Electric’s Wholesale Energy Price Cap for 1 October to 31 December 2026 limits the average wholesale component of usage to between 13.26 and 19.73 c/kWh depending on the network, and it does not cover network, metering or environmental charges.
- Amber Electric’s SmartShift battery automation lists Tesla Powerwall 2 and 3, Sigenergy, Sungrow, AlphaESS, FoxESS, Enphase and SolarEdge among its compatible brands as at November 2026, and Amber Electric says it has no lock-in contracts or exit fees.
How Amber Electric works
Amber Electric sells electricity at the wholesale cost plus a fixed monthly fee, so the price you pay changes through the day instead of sitting at a flat retail rate. According to Amber Electric’s pricing explainer (checked November 2026), a bill has three parts.
- Usage charges in c/kWh. The spot price paid to generators, which the market sets every 5 minutes, plus network charges, environmental scheme costs and a small hedging cost.
- A daily supply charge. The network’s fixed daily charge plus metering, passed through without a markup.
- The Amber Electric subscription. A$25 a month per meter, pro-rated by billing days.
Prices usually sag in the middle of a sunny day and climb in the early evening, a pattern explained in our guide to peak and off-peak electricity times.
Amber Electric says it serves Victoria, South Australia, New South Wales, the ACT and south-east Queensland (the Energex network). It does not serve Western Australia, Tasmania, the Northern Territory or regional Queensland. Homes with a smart meter are billed monthly, according to Amber Electric’s new customer information.
Does Amber Electric protect you from price spikes?
Partly. Amber Electric guarantees that the wholesale component of your usage price will not average more than a set cap across each quarter, and credits the difference if it does. The cap is an average over three months, so one expensive evening still lands on that month’s bill, and any credit arrives about a month after the quarter ends.
The table shows Amber Electric’s published residential cap rates, including GST, for 1 October to 31 December 2026, checked November 2026. A higher fallback annual cap of 24.53 to 31.20 c/kWh also applies for 2026-27.
| Network | Amber Electric quarterly wholesale cap, Oct to Dec 2026 (c/kWh) |
|---|---|
| Citipower (VIC) | 13.26 |
| United Energy (VIC) | 13.34 |
| Jemena (VIC) | 13.46 |
| Powercor (VIC) | 13.61 |
| AusNet Services (VIC) | 13.73 |
| Energex (QLD) | 14.68 |
| Essential Energy (NSW) | 14.97 |
| Ausgrid (NSW) | 14.98 |
| Evoenergy (ACT) | 15.10 |
| Endeavour Energy (NSW) | 15.17 |
| SA Power Networks (SA) | 19.73 |
Source: Amber Electric Wholesale Energy Price Cap. These figures cover generation cost only. Network, metering and environmental charges and the subscription sit on top.
Amber Electric for solar owners
Amber Electric solar customers are paid the wholesale price at the moment they export, so there is no fixed Amber Electric feed-in tariff. For a solar-only home that is usually a weak deal, because rooftop solar exports at midday, when wholesale prices are lowest and sometimes below zero.
Amber Electric’s own feed-in tariff explainer illustrates the gap with two hypothetical Sydney customers: a solar-only home averaging 2 c/kWh on exports and a solar and battery home averaging 6 c/kWh. Those are illustrations, not measured averages. Compare them with the fixed rates in our solar feed-in tariff tracker.
A negative feed-in price means you are charged for each kWh you export. Amber Electric offers solar curtailment to limit that: for inverter brands on its compatibility list, it can stop or reduce exports while the feed-in price is negative.
From 1 July 2026, when Amber Electric works out any quarterly price cap credit, export earnings above an average of 4 c/kWh are offset against that credit in every state. Amber Electric says this can reduce a credit to zero but never creates a charge.
Amber Electric for battery owners
Amber for Batteries is the retailer’s core product, and SmartShift automation is the main reason people join. Amber SmartShift is software that controls a home battery using forecasts of your solar output, your household use and the wholesale price, charging when power is cheap and exporting when it is dear.
Amber Electric describes SmartShift as a virtual power plant. A virtual power plant (VPP) is a group of home batteries that an operator controls remotely and pays owners for; our guide to what a VPP is covers the usual trade-offs. According to Amber Electric’s VPP explainer, you keep the full wholesale value of exports, decisions are made per home, there is no lock-in, and you can override the plan in the Amber app.
One catch: Amber Electric says the battery maker may switch the system into a VPP mode that disables manual schedules in the maker’s own app (it names FoxCloud and mySigen as examples). Turning SmartShift off does not restore them; you have to ask Amber Electric to deregister the system.
Which batteries work with Amber SmartShift?
As at November 2026, Amber Electric’s compatibility page lists the brands below. Confirm your exact model in Amber Electric’s compatibility checker before buying.
| Brand as listed by Amber Electric | Conditions Amber Electric states | Our review |
|---|---|---|
| Tesla Powerwall 2 and 3 | Powerwall 3 conditions apply | Tesla Powerwall 3 |
| Sigenergy | Needs a Sigen Sensor or Sigen Gateway | Sigenergy SigenStor |
| Sungrow | Hybrid inverter setups | Sungrow SBR |
| AlphaESS (also Hive and REA POWER rebrands) | Inverter serial numbers starting with AL, but not ALP or 9 | AlphaESS SMILE-G3 |
| FoxESS | Selected setups | Fox ESS battery |
| BYD HVM or HVS | With a Fronius Primo or Symo GEN24 inverter | BYD Battery-Box Premium |
| Enphase | With IQ 7 or IQ 8 microinverters | Enphase IQ Battery 5P |
| SolarEdge, and LG Chem on SolarEdge | With SolarEdge inverters | SolarEdge Home Battery |
| Neovolt | None stated | Neovolt battery |
| Anker Solix | None stated | Anker Solix X1 |
| Fronius Reserva, GoodWe ESA Series, 1KOMMA5°, Redback, GivEnergy | See Amber Electric’s page | Not reviewed |
Amber Electric notes that Victorian Emergency Backstop and SA flexible exports compliance can delay SmartShift enrolment in those states.
What it costs: a worked example
The fixed cost of Amber Electric is A$300 a year, so the question is whether wholesale access earns or saves more than A$300 compared with a retail plan that has no subscription. The example below uses only published figures and arithmetic. It is not a forecast.
Assumptions: a home with solar and a SmartShift-compatible battery, and network and daily charges treated as equal on either plan.
Step 1: the subscription hurdle. A$25 x 12 = A$300 a year. The table shows the extra value per exported kWh, over what a fixed feed-in plan would pay, needed to cover that fee.
| Battery and solar exports per year | Extra value needed per kWh to cover A$300 |
|---|---|
| 1,000 kWh | 30 c/kWh |
| 2,000 kWh | 15 c/kWh |
| 3,000 kWh | 10 c/kWh |
| 5,000 kWh | 6 c/kWh |
Step 2: what Amber Electric shows as achievable. On its battery page, Amber Electric publishes one sample NSW home with a 15 kWh Tesla Powerwall 2. On the “typical” day shown (10 April 2025) the home earned a little over A$4 from exports, or A$3.54 after energy costs. On the price spike day shown (24 November 2024) it earned A$164. Its customer stories show 12-month average feed-in rates of 26 to 50 c/kWh. The company chose these examples, so treat them as the favourable end.
Step 3: the case where it does not pay. A solar-only home averaging a few cents per kWh on midday exports, as in Amber Electric’s own 2 c/kWh illustration, cannot reach the 30 c/kWh needed at 1,000 kWh a year, and still buys evening power at peak prices.
AEMO recorded an average National Electricity Market wholesale price of A$74 per MWh in the June 2026 quarter, down 47 per cent on a year earlier, as reported by pv magazine Australia in July 2026. Lower, flatter prices leave less spread for a battery to trade.
What customers praise
Positive Amber Electric reviews mostly come from battery households. Across ProductReview.com.au (4.0 stars, 1,946 reviews) and Trustpilot (4.1, 1,742 reviews), both checked in November 2026, the recurring themes are:
- bills that fall to zero or into credit once a battery is automated
- the app, which shows live and forecast prices, usage and battery plans
- SmartShift exporting into price spikes without the owner doing anything
- quick sign-up and transfer.
Common complaints
Negative Amber Electric reviews cluster around support, billing and automation behaviour. On the same two platforms in November 2026, the repeated patterns are:
- slow or generic replies and difficulty reaching a person
- bill shock, usually from homes without a battery or in the first weeks before automation was set up
- SmartShift decisions owners disagreed with, such as importing at a high price or missing an export window
- low or zero earnings on midday solar exports
- delays releasing a battery from VPP control after leaving.
Trustpilot’s page states that Amber Electric had replied to 9 per cent of negative reviews as at November 2026. In January 2026, SolarQuotes reported that sign-ups rose about fivefold after the federal Cheaper Home Batteries Program began, that Amber Electric acknowledged a “rough few months” on customer service, and that the company said it had doubled its customer operations team. Star averages hide this kind of spread, as we explain in the five star problem.
On 13 November 2026 we ran web searches limited to aer.gov.au and accc.gov.au for “Amber Electric” combined with infringement notice, penalty, proceedings, court and undertaking. The only Amber-specific results were the Australian Energy Regulator’s retailer authorisation records (granted 16 December 2020) and two Australian Competition and Consumer Commission Consumer Data Right exemption entries, which are not enforcement actions. We did not search the Federal Court records or read the regulators’ enforcement registers line by line, so this is a limited check, not a clearance.
Risks to understand before switching
The main risk with Amber Electric is that you carry the market risk a normal retailer carries for you. Specifically:
- Amber Electric price spikes cut both ways. The market can reach A$23.20 per kWh in 2026-27. Exporting at that price is a windfall; importing at it is costly, and the price cap only averages it out over a quarter.
- Negative feed-in prices. Without curtailment or a battery, midday exports can cost you money.
- The subscription is fixed. A$300 a year is owed whether or not the market offers any spread.
- Automation is not perfect. SmartShift relies on forecasts, and Amber Electric says Tesla Powerwall commands are sometimes grouped because of API limits.
- Battery cycling. Trading grid power adds charge cycles, so check your battery warranty’s throughput limit and VPP terms.
- Results vary by state and year. Amber Electric itself says savings depend on how variable prices are.
Amber Electric vs alternatives
Amber Electric’s nearest alternatives are retailer plans that pay battery owners in a more predictable way. The table compares offers published on each retailer’s own site, checked November 2026.
| Retailer and plan | How you are paid | Fees and limits | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amber Electric with SmartShift | Live wholesale price on imports and exports, automated | A$25 a month, no lock-in | Larger compatible batteries, variable bills accepted |
| GloBird Energy ZEROHERO | A$1 a day credit for drawing no grid power from 6pm to 9pm, three time-based feed-in rates, A$1/kWh on exports in critical events | Bonus export credit on the first 15 kWh in the evening peak each day | Owners who want set rules and fixed rates |
| Origin Loop (bring your own battery) | A$200 sign-up bill credit plus A$1/kWh for energy Origin draws from the battery | Capped at 200 kWh a year, per Origin’s NSW battery page | A simple top-up on an ordinary retail plan |
Localvolts is another pass-through retailer operating in the ACT, NSW, Queensland, SA and Tasmania, according to its website. We could not confirm its current fees.
Who it suits, and who should avoid it
Amber Electric suits households with a SmartShift-compatible battery of a decent size, solar to fill it, and a tolerance for bills that move month to month.
Amber Electric is a poor fit for homes with no battery and heavy evening use, solar-only homes relying on feed-in income, anyone on a tight budget who needs predictable bills, and owners of a battery that is not on the compatibility list. With no lock-in, trying it for a quarter is low risk if you watch the first bills closely.
FAQ
Is Amber Electric worth it?
Amber Electric is worth it mainly for homes with a compatible battery that can avoid evening peak imports and export into high prices. The A$25 a month fee means you need to gain more than A$300 a year over a standard plan, which homes without a battery often cannot.
How much does Amber Electric cost per month?
Amber Electric charges a subscription of A$25 a month per meter, as stated on its website in November 2026. Wholesale usage, network and daily supply charges are extra and passed through at cost, according to Amber Electric.
What is Amber Electric’s feed-in tariff?
Amber Electric has no fixed feed-in tariff. Exports are paid at the wholesale price at the time, which can be a few cents or negative at midday and much higher in the evening peak or a price spike.
What is Amber SmartShift?
Amber SmartShift is Amber Electric’s battery automation software. It charges and discharges a compatible home battery using forecasts of solar output, household use and wholesale prices, and the owner can override it in the Amber app.
Which batteries are compatible with Amber Electric?
As at November 2026, Amber Electric lists Tesla Powerwall 2 and 3, Sigenergy, Sungrow, AlphaESS, FoxESS, BYD with Fronius GEN24, Enphase, SolarEdge, Neovolt, Anker Solix and several others. Conditions apply, so check your exact model in Amber Electric’s compatibility checker.
How high can Amber Electric prices go in a price spike?
The wholesale market price cap is A$23,200 per MWh, or A$23.20 per kWh, for 2026-27, set by the Australian Energy Market Commission. Amber Electric’s quarterly price cap limits the average wholesale component you pay over three months, not the price in any single interval.
Sources
- Amber Electric: solar and battery page
- Amber Electric: What is Amber’s monthly subscription?
- Amber Electric: How do Amber’s wholesale prices work?
- Amber Electric: Wholesale Energy Price Cap rates and how the price protection works
- Amber Electric: How does the solar feed-in tariff work?
- Amber Electric: Which batteries are compatible with SmartShift?
- Amber Electric: SmartShift as a VPP and VPP mode
- Amber Electric: What if I want to leave Amber?
- Australian Energy Market Commission: market price cap for 2026-27
- ProductReview.com.au: Amber Electric and Trustpilot: Amber Electric
- SolarQuotes: What’s Up With Amber Electric’s Customer Support? (January 2026)
- pv magazine Australia on AEMO’s June 2026 quarter report (July 2026)
- GloBird Energy ZEROHERO, Origin Loop, Origin NSW battery page, Localvolts
About this review
This review was written by the Solar Cobber editorial team from independent desk research, checked in November 2026. Amber Electric was not contacted and has no commercial relationship with this review. Solar Cobber is a free directory that may earn referral or advertising fees from installers; commercial relationships never affect content. Prices, fees and compatibility lists change, so confirm them with the retailer before switching. This is general information, not financial advice. To report an error, contact us.
Filed under Savings
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