As of 1 July 2026, the WA Government confirmed the Synergy Home Plan (A1) supply charge at 119.24 cents per day and the electricity charge at 33.2621 cents per kWh. These are the rates Perth households on the standard residential tariff are paying today.
That’s a 2.75% rise on 2025. The 2025 increase of 2.5% was that year’s headline tariff rise, but it understates what happened to household bills. At the same time, the WA Government’s one-off $400 electricity credit, which Synergy and Horizon Power had applied automatically to eligible residential accounts, was not repeated. For most Perth households, the combined effect of the tariff rise and the end of that credit added several hundred dollars to their annual electricity costs in a single year.
Year | Supply charge (c/day) | Cost per kWh (c) |
|---|---|---|
2014 | 45.1516 c | 24.5961 c |
2015 | 47.1834 c | 25.7029 c |
2016 | 48.5989 c | 26.4740 c |
2017 (Supply charge doubled) | 94.9058 c | 26.4740 c |
2018 | 101.5490 c | 28.3273 c |
2019 | 103.3263 c | 28.8229 c |
2020 (COVID-19 relief freeze) | 103.3263 c | 28.8229 c |
2021 | 105.1400 c | 29.3273 c |
2022 | 107.7685 c | 30.0605 c |
2023 | 110.4600 c | 30.8120 c |
2024 | 113.2200 c | 31.5823 c |
2025 (effective 1 July 2025) | 116.0505 c | 32.3719 c |
2026 (effective 1 July 2026) | 119.2419 c | 33.2621 c |
Source: WA Government, Energy Policy WA (1 July 2026). 2020 rates frozen for COVID-19 economic relief.
The chart above plots both components since 2014. Note the 2017 step: the supply charge nearly doubled in a single year while the unit rate remained flat, a structural repricing of network infrastructure costs that permanently reshaped the bill.
A Perth household consuming 25 kWh per day, a reasonable baseline for a home with reverse-cycle air conditioning, a fridge, a hot water system, and a typical accumulation of modern devices, pays a bi-monthly bill of approximately:
- 2014: $396
- 2026: $570
That’s $174 more per bill, or roughly 44%, than in 2014 for the same consumption. It works out to about $2.90 more a day, or roughly $87 more a month.
Applying a conservative 2.5% annual increase, in line with recent confirmed rates rather than the higher 2.7% historical average, and converting to a bi-monthly bill at 25 kWh/day:
Year | Grid-only bill |
|---|---|
2026 (current) | $570.48 |
2027 | $584.74 |
2028 | $599.36 |
2029 | $614.34 |
2030 | $629.70 |
2031 | $645.44 |
2032 | $661.58 |
2033 | $678.12 |
2034 | $695.07 |
2035 | $712.45 |
This is a best-case linear projection. Infrastructure cost spikes, as occurred in 2017, can significantly exceed the trend in any given year.
Bi-monthly bill based on 25 kWh/day consumption, 2.5% p.a. increase from 1 July 2026 rates.
On this projection, a grid-only household using 25kWh a day would pay about $712 per bi-monthly bill by 2035.
Understanding where rates are heading requires understanding what drives them. In 2026, several of those drivers have shifted compared to even two years ago.
- Grid expansion and industrial electrification: Perth's population continues to grow, but the bigger story is industrial-scale electrification. WA Government modelling suggests that if 7.2 GW of new industrial loads connect to the SWIS by 2042, total electricity demand could grow to five times the 2022 level, requiring almost ten times the current generation capacity. Every step of that transition involves investment in transmission infrastructure that flows through to the supply charge on household bills.
- Coal exits by 2029: WA's remaining coal generation, Collie and Muja C, is scheduled to close by 2027–2029, making WA one of the first states to fully exit coal. In the short term, this creates capacity risk requiring gas firming. In the medium term, it removes WA's primary exposure to global coal price volatility.
- A renewable milestone was reached: In November 2025, the SWIS hit a record 55.78% renewable energy contribution, the first time renewables accounted for the majority of the grid's energy. Average wholesale prices for major customers fell almost 30% that month as a direct result. WA Government modelling targets over 80% renewable generation on the SWIS by 2030, expanding to 96% by 2042. That trajectory is the strongest structural argument for rate stabilisation in the medium term.
Annual renewable energy share on WA's SWIS grid. 2025 figure is peak month record (November 2025: 55.78%). 2030+ are WA Government modelled targets. Sources: AEMO, WA Government SWIS Demand Assessment.
- Rooftop solar penetration: Perth suburbs have some of the highest rooftop solar adoption rates in the world, already driving daytime demand to record lows. This distributed generation is reshaping grid operations and reducing peak demand pressure during solar hours, with direct implications for network capacity investment requirements.
- Wholesale market exposure: Average energy prices in WA's Wholesale Electricity Market increased 11% in 2025, partly attributed to a record peak demand of 4,486 MW in January 2025. Gas and coal remain dominant generation fuels, and their prices respond to global supply and demand dynamics, including US trade policy uncertainty, LNG contract movements, and the pace of the coal-to-renewables transition.
- Skilled labour and inflation: The energy sector faces a structural deficit of qualified workers to operate and maintain a grid undergoing rapid transformation. That labour premium, combined with sustained input cost inflation across materials and maintenance contracts, has contributed directly to the supply charge trajectory seen since 2021.
There are two rebate streams Perth (Synergy) households can stack. The state scheme is stable. The federal component is time-sensitive; the STC Factor steps down on 1 May 2026, then again every six months through to 2030
Incentive | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
WA Residential Battery Scheme (Synergy) | Up to $1,300 | $130 per usable kWh, capped at 10 kWh. VPP enrolment required. Launched 1 July 2025. |
Federal Cheaper Home Batteries Program | 6.8 STCs per usable kWh up to 14kWh (installs 1 May to 31 Dec 2026) | Drops to 5.7 for installs 1 Jan to 30 Jun 2027, then 5.2 from 1 Jul 2027. Applied as upfront discount at point of sale. STC price fluctuates, rebate value moves with market. |
Combined total: 10 kWh system, Synergy area | Up to $1,300 plus the federal STC discount | State + Federal stacked. No means test on either rebate. Correct figure for Perth (Synergy) customers . |
Interest-free loan (income <$210k) | Up to $10,000 | 3–10 year repayment, administered by Plenti. Separate from and stackable with the rebate. Means-tested; rebate itself is not means-tested. |
The federal rebate dollar value is not fixed — it moves with the live STC market.
The Federal STC Factor used to calculate the Cheaper Home Batteries discount reduces from 1 May 2026, with further reductions every six months. The STC factor dropped to 6.8 on 1 May 2026 and drops again to 5.7 for installs from 1 January 2027. From 1 May 2026, all new and upgraded systems on the SWIS must also comply with new Western Power technical standards.
💡 The combined rebate, falling DEBS feed-in rates, and rising grid tariffs create a case for the return on a solar and battery system being stronger in 2026 than in 2027.Â
The Distributed Energy Buyback Scheme pays 10 cents per kWh for electricity exported between 3pm–9pm, and 2 cents per kWh for all other hours. Since DEBS launched in 2020, the off-peak rate has fallen from 3c to 2c per kWh, while the peak rate has stayed at 10c. The direction is consistent: feed-in credits will continue to reduce as more rooftop solar saturates daytime supply.
The asymmetry matters for system design. Solar panels generate most strongly between 10am and 2pm, largely the 2c/kWh period. A battery captures that midday surplus and holds it for the 3pm–9pm window, where it either reduces grid imports (saving 33.26c/kWh) or exports at the higher DEBS rate. Self-consumption increasingly outperforms feed-in as the primary financial case for storage.
There is a broader shift happening that makes this more than a conversation about the electricity line item on a household budget.
The arrival of an electric vehicle changes the household energy maths significantly. A car that previously consumed petrol now runs on electrons. For a typical Perth household driving 15,000 km per year, that transition adds roughly 2,500–3,000 kWh of annual electricity demand. On the standard grid tariff that is approximately $830–$1,000 per year in additional cost. Generated from a home solar system, that same travel costs close to nothing during daylight hours.
The electrification of transport, home heating, and cooking represents a structural increase in household electricity demand over the coming decade. Households that own their generation are insulated from that cost escalation in a way that grid-dependent households are not. Synergy’s EV Add-On tariff recognises this shift with lower overnight charging rates for EV customers, which can be combined with solar and battery storage to close the loop.
The supply charge funds the network. The unit rate funds the energy you consume. And household consumption has grown steadily as technology has become embedded in daily life.
Consider the energy-consuming devices in a typical Perth home: smartphones, tablets, televisions, computers, gaming consoles, a dishwasher, benchtop appliances (air fryers, Thermomix, microwave, kettle), power tools, battery garden tools, air conditioners, a pool or spa, smart home devices, an aquarium, reticulation pumps — and increasingly, an electric vehicle and home battery.
Almost none of the latter items existed in the average home ten years ago. A solar system with an energy monitoring dashboard makes that consumption visible and manageable, turning an invisible and rising cost into something you can measure, offset, and control in real time.
Key data for reference
All figures sourced from the WA Government and AEMO unless noted.Â
2026 supply charge (confirmed) | 119.24 c/day (effective 1 July 2026) |
|---|---|
2026 unit rate (confirmed) | 33.2621 c/kWh (effective 1 July 2026) |
2026 tariff increase | 2.75% |
$400 one-off electricity credit (2024–25) | Not repeated from July 2025 |
Avg. annual increase 2014–2025 | ~2.6% (tariff only) |
Bi-monthly bill, 25 kWh/day (2014) | $396 |
Bi-monthly bill, 25 kWh/day (2026) | $570 |
Projected bill, 2035 (grid only) | $712 at 2.5% p.a. |
SWIS renewable share (Nov 2025) | 55.78% — first majority-renewables month on record |
WA coal exit target | Collie & Muja C closing 2027–2029 |
WA battery rebate (Synergy) | Up to $1,300 ($130/kWh, capped at 10 kWh). VPP enrolment required. |
Federal Cheaper Home Batteries, 1 May to 31 Dec 2026 | 6.8 STCs per usable kWh up to 14kWh. Drops to 5.7 for installs from 1 Jan 2027. |
Combined WA + Federal, 10 kWh system (Synergy) | Up to $1,300 plus the federal STC discount |
DEBS rate — peak (3pm–9pm) | 10 c/kWh |
DEBS rate — all other times | 2 c/kWh |
DEBS off-peak rate decline since 2020 | 33% (3c at launch → 2c current) |
Federal battery STC factor change | Every 6 months from 1 May 2026 (previously annual) |
This post is updated annually. Projections use linear extrapolation of historical average increases and are not financial advice. Actual rates are set by the WA Government annually as part of the State Budget process.
