Who it is for
Sites sending solar back to the grid.
Essential Energy solar export tariffs
Essential Energy · BLNBEX1, BLNE22AU · 2026–27
Sites sending solar back to the grid.
Regional, rural and remote NSW, including most areas outside the major coastal networks.
Compare the solar export codes.
The exact 2026–27 network rates sit side by side. Open a code below for the worked example, the charge window and the checks before you change anything.
| Code | What it is | Status | Access | Energy | Demand / capacity | Export | Battery fit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BLNBEX1LV Small Business Solar ExportExport tariff | A free daily export allowance, then a daytime export charge, with an evening export rebate. | Default | — | — | — |
| Strong |
| BLNE22AUBusiness Anytime ExportExport tariff | Anytime export classification applied alongside the site’s business import tariff. | Available | — | — | — | — | Weak |
What this family covers.
These codes share a charging method. The differences are in the rates, the time bands and who each code is for.
What is on the bill
- BLNBEX1: daytime export charge, evening rebate (5–8pm)
- BLNE22AU: flat any-time export
Solar and battery
A battery can hold your solar and export it into the 5–8pm rebate window instead of the charged daytime one.
The codes in detail.
Open a code for its exact rates, the charge window, a worked example and the checks worth running before you change anything.
BLNBEX1LV Small Business Solar ExportExport channels paired with the BLNBSS1 small-business Sun Soaker tariff.
BLNBEX1 LV Small Business Solar Export
Who it’s for
Export channels paired with the BLNBSS1 small-business Sun Soaker tariff.
What you pay
This code applies when electricity leaves the site. It works with a separate import tariff.
If you get solar
The code changes the network value of exported solar. It does not change the price of imported electricity.
If you get a battery
A battery can store midday solar and export it later. Confirm the later price and the export limit first.
Check before you decide
- Confirm this code on a current retailer bill.
- Confirm the main import tariff and the retailer export price.
- Check the approved export limit.
2026–27 network prices
What it costs, and when
These are the network’s charges only. Your retailer adds its own prices on top.
What the network charges
- Export above the free allowance
- 0.8277 c/kWh · 10am–3pm
- Evening export rebate
- -12.2425 c/kWh · 5pm–8pm
When the rates apply
The export charge applies from 10am to 3pm. The export rebate applies from 5pm to 8pm.
Illustrative example
A 30-day BLNBEX1 export example
- The free allowance is 225 kWh: 30 × 7.5 kWh.
- The site exports 300 kWh from 10am–3pm and 100 kWh from 5pm–8pm.
- The example uses network rates only.
The retailer feed-in price is separate. Confirm how the retailer passes through the network charge and rebate.
Would a battery help?
A guide, not a quote
Strong fit
Solar export shifting
The tariff exposes a direct battery control signal: absorb lower-value or charged daytime export, then serve site load or export in a more valuable window.
A battery can reduce these
- Midday export that exceeds any free allowance or attracts a network charge.
- Peak-period grid imports when stored solar is discharged behind the meter.
- Rewarded export where the paired import tariff, retailer and connection permit it.
A battery can’t change these
- Daily access, metering and other fixed charges.
- The retailer feed-in tariff or export contract by itself.
- An export constraint unless the approved control scheme changes the connection limit.
You’d need to check
- At least 12 months of interval import and export data.
- The paired import tariff and its demand or time-of-use periods.
- Retailer feed-in rates, export terms and network tariff eligibility.
- Usable battery capacity after efficiency, reserve and degradation.
BLNE22AUBusiness Anytime ExportBusiness export channels for sites above 160 MWh a year.
BLNE22AU Business Anytime Export
Who it’s for
Business export channels for sites above 160 MWh a year.
What you pay
This code applies when electricity leaves the site. It works with a separate import tariff.
If you get solar
The code changes the network value of exported solar. It does not change the price of imported electricity.
If you get a battery
A battery can store midday solar and export it later. Confirm the later price and the export limit first.
Check before you decide
- Confirm this code on a current retailer bill.
- Confirm the main import tariff and the retailer export price.
- Check the approved export limit.
2026–27 network prices
What it costs, and when
These are the network’s charges only. Your retailer adds its own prices on top.
When the rates apply
Anytime export. The 2026–27 price list does not set separate export time bands for this code.
Illustrative example
Classify a large-business export meter
- The business uses 220 MWh a year.
- The site has a net export meter.
- The main import tariff is a large-business tariff.
The price list gives no network usage rate for this code. This example cannot produce an export saving. Check the retailer treatment.
Would a battery help?
A guide, not a quote
Weak fit
Retailer-led value only
This network tariff does not provide a clear demand or time-window target for a behind-the-meter battery. Any case must come from the retailer spread, solar capture or resilience value.
A battery can reduce these
- Grid energy purchases where stored solar would otherwise be exported.
- Retailer time-of-use or wholesale exposure if the retail contract differs from the network structure.
A battery can’t change these
- Daily access, metering and other fixed charges.
- A network demand charge that is not present on this tariff.
- Quarterly block thresholds or closed/transitional tariff rules through dispatch alone.
You’d need to check
- Current retailer bill and complete retail rate schedule.
- At least 12 months of interval imports and solar exports.
- Eligible alternative network and retailer tariffs.
- Resilience requirements valued separately from bill savings.
Questions about solar export tariffs.
Short answers to the things people ask before they change a tariff.
What is BLNBEX1?
BLNBEX1 is the Essential Energy LV Small Business Solar Export tariff. It is a default export tariff tariff for Export channels paired with the BLNBSS1 small-business Sun Soaker tariff. A free daily export allowance, then a daytime export charge, with an evening export rebate.
What is BLNE22AU?
BLNE22AU is the Essential Energy Business Anytime Export tariff. It is a available export tariff tariff for Business export channels for sites above 160 MWh a year. Anytime export classification applied alongside the site’s business import tariff.
Can solar or a battery reduce a solar export bill?
A battery can hold your solar and export it into the 5–8pm rebate window instead of the charged daytime one. For BLNBEX1, the battery signal is strong: The tariff exposes a direct battery control signal: absorb lower-value or charged daytime export, then serve site load or export in a more valuable window.
How do the solar export network charges work?
The charges are BLNBEX1: daytime export charge, evening rebate (5–8pm), BLNE22AU: flat any-time export. The export charge applies from 10am to 3pm. The export rebate applies from 5pm to 8pm.
Which Essential Energy solar export code applies to my site?
Sites sending solar back to the grid. The code on your retailer bill is the starting point. Your retailer must confirm any tariff assignment or change.
Are these network prices or retail prices?
Effective 1 July 2026. Published network prices exclude GST. These are the network charges only. Your retailer adds its own prices and may package the structure differently.
Reviewed by Mike Anderson · Last verified 7 November 2026
Effective 1 July 2026. Published network prices exclude GST. These are network charges only; your retailer adds its own prices.
Free instant check
Put a number on your own roof.
We develop NSW commercial solar projects and introduce you to one installer we would use for that site. It starts here: type an address and we map the actual building live — about ten seconds, no email, no bill upload.