EA225 — Small Business Time of Use

Ausgrid · Available · Low voltage · 2026–27

Sydney, the Central Coast and the Hunter region.

EA225 Small Business Time of Use tariff guide

Who it’s for

Low-voltage small-business connections.

What you pay

You pay different energy rates at different times. Check the current time periods and seasonal rules.

If you get solar

Solar reduces grid use while it is generating. Its value depends on the energy rate at that time.

If you get a battery

A battery can move energy to a more expensive period. Use actual retailer prices and allow for battery losses.

Check before you decide

  • Confirm this code on a current retailer bill.
  • Use the retailer prices, not only the network price list.
  • Measure the energy that can move between time periods.
2026–27 network prices

What it costs, and when

These are the network’s charges only. Your retailer adds its own prices on top.

EA225 in one day

Peak is 3pm–9pm on working weekdays, November–March and June–August only.

What the network charges

Access
218.6472 c/day
Peak energy
39.757 c/kWh
Off-peak energy
5.8997 c/kWh

When the rates apply

3pm–9pm on working weekdays in November–March and June–August. All other times.

Illustrative example

Move 1,000 kWh from EA225 peak to off-peak

  • The retailer passes through the network energy prices.
  • The shift stays inside one billing period.
  • Losses and project costs are zero.
1,000 kWh × (39.7570 − 5.8997) c/kWh ÷ 100Illustrative network-charge reduction: $338.57, excluding GST.

This is not a retail saving. A battery has losses. The retail price spread may be smaller.

Would a battery help?

A guide, not a quote

Conditional fit

Time-of-use load shifting

The tariff provides a time-window signal rather than a demand target. Battery value depends on a repeatable price spread, sufficient cycling volume and a control system that preserves energy for the expensive window.

A battery can reduce these

  • Peak-period grid imports shifted into a cheaper network or retailer window.
  • Solar generation carried into later business load.
  • Retailer energy exposure where its time periods align with battery dispatch.

A battery can’t change these

  • Daily access, metering and other fixed charges.
  • A network demand charge where none is included in this tariff.
  • Energy already consumed directly from solar without incurring battery losses.

You’d need to check

  1. At least 12 months of interval usage and export data grouped by tariff window.
  2. Both retailer and network time periods and rates.
  3. Solar production, operating hours and seasonal load changes.
  4. Round-trip efficiency, usable capacity, cycling and degradation assumptions.