NSW programs at a glance
| Program | Type | Status | Solar needed | Lock-in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GloBird ZEROHERO VPP | Battery VPP | Open to new customers | GloBird's VPP terms define your system as your battery plus your solar system, so solar is assumed | No lock-in contracts; you can opt in or out any time. |
| AGL Virtual Power Plant | Battery VPP | Open to new customers | Not stated | No lock-in is stated for the VPP; check AGL's VPP terms and conditions before joining. |
| Origin Loop | Battery VPP | Open to new customers | At least 5 kW of operational solar | No lock-in contract; you can leave at any time. |
| Amber SmartShift | Wholesale-price battery trading | Open to new customers | Not stated | No penalties for switching SmartShift off. |
| EnergyAustralia PowerResponse | Demand response (no battery needed) | Open to new customers | Not stated | Unsubscribe any time in My Account. |
| ActewAGL VPP | Battery VPP | Open to new customers | Not stated | No lock-in contracts. |
| CovaU VPP Plan | Battery VPP | Open to new customers | Not stated | Bring your own battery: month to month, no lock-in. Discounted battery offer: a three-year term with a pro-rata early termination fee of up to $2,000 (incl. GST). Either way you can end the agreement on 30 days' notice. |
| Diamond Energy WATTBANK VPP | Battery VPP | Open to new customers | At least 5 kW of solar panels (DC) and a 3 kW inverter | No lock-in contract and no exit fees; you can cancel at any time. |
| ENGIE VPP (Battery Sharing Rewards Network) | Battery VPP | Open to new customers | A working solar system with a 5-15 kW inverter | An ongoing contract; ENGIE's VPP page states no exit fee. Check the VPP special conditions before joining. |
NSW VPP and battery programs
GloBird ZEROHERO VPP
- Free grid charging: 3 hours a day
- ZEROHERO credit: $1 a day, when you avoid grid usage between 6pm and 9pm local time
- Evening battery exports: Up to 10c per kWh, for up to 15 kWh a day exported between 6pm and 9pm; the exact rate is in your plan's Energy Fact Sheet
- Critical peak (ZEROLIMIT add-on): Up to $1 per kWh, during price spikes
- Fees: Sign-up and ongoing fees: None, per GloBird
ZEROHERO is GloBird's battery plan: a $1/day credit when you avoid grid power from 6 to 9pm, and up to 10c/kWh for up to 15 kWh a day of battery exports in that window. The optional VPP add-on lets GloBird run your battery remotely.
Queensland availability is the Energex region (south-east QLD) only.
AGL Virtual Power Plant
- Welcome credit: $200
- Ongoing credit: $80 a year, a $20 bill credit every quarter
- Event credit: $1 per kWh, for every kWh your battery charges from or discharges to the grid during VPP events, up to 250 kWh a year, paid at the end of each 12-month period
AGL's bring-your-own-battery VPP: AGL can use your battery during VPP events in exchange for a welcome credit, quarterly bill credits and a per-kWh event credit.
AGL Virtual Power Plant: full terms and eligible batteries →
Origin Loop
- Sign-up bonus: $200, credited to your Origin electricity account (incl. GST)
- Event credit: $1 per kWh, for energy exported to the grid during Loop events, up to 200 kWh a year
Origin's VPP: Origin can draw up to 200 kWh a year from your battery during Loop events and pays $1 for each kWh, on top of a $200 sign-up bonus and your normal feed-in tariff.
Amber SmartShift
- Export earnings: Wholesale price, exports are paid at the wholesale spot price, which moves every five minutes and can go negative
- Fees: Membership: $25 a month
Amber passes wholesale electricity prices straight through to you. SmartShift automatically charges your battery when prices are low and exports when they're high.
Queensland availability is south-east QLD only.
EnergyAustralia PowerResponse
- Per event: $1, each time you choose to take part
- Energy saved: $2 per kWh, for every kWh you save during an event
A demand-response program, not a battery VPP: EnergyAustralia pays you for using less electricity during events you choose to take part in. No battery is needed.
EnergyAustralia PowerResponse: full terms and eligible batteries →
ActewAGL VPP
- Battery Saver plan: Half the daily supply charge, while you're connected to the VPP
- Battery Power Top-Up: $60 a quarter, $240 a year, added to another ActewAGL residential plan
- Sign-up bonus: $100, new customers, conditions apply
ActewAGL's VPP comes two ways: the Battery Saver plan halves your daily supply charge, or the Battery Power Top-Up add-on pays a $60 credit every quarter on another ActewAGL plan. ActewAGL never drains your battery below 20%.
In NSW, ActewAGL's Battery Saver plans are listed in the AER plan data on the Essential Energy and Endeavour Energy networks.
CovaU VPP Plan
- VPP event credit: 15c per kWh, for battery discharge during VPP events, 5pm to 9pm; outside events your normal feed-in tariff applies
- Free import window: $0/kWh, 11am to 2pm, per CovaU's plan table
CovaU pays 15c/kWh for battery discharge during VPP events (5 to 9pm) and never dispatches below about 20% of your battery. Bring your own battery month to month, or take a discounted battery on a three-year term.
Diamond Energy WATTBANK VPP
- WATTBANK VPP credit: $250 to $450 a year, set by your solar, battery and inverter size: $250 (up to 7 kW solar, 10 kWh battery, 5 kW inverter), $275, $350, or $450 (up to 18 kW solar, 20 kWh battery, 15 kW inverter); incl. GST
- Battery usage credit: 30c per kWh, for energy exported to the grid between 6pm and 8am (incl. GST)
- Fees: Establishment fee: $68, incl. GST; waived for new systems financed with Plenti
Diamond Energy's VPP pays a yearly credit of $250 to $450, depending on your system's size, plus 30c/kWh for battery exports between 6pm and 8am. There's a $68 establishment fee and no exit fee.
Queensland availability is the Energex network only.
Diamond Energy WATTBANK VPP: full terms and eligible batteries →
ENGIE VPP (Battery Sharing Rewards Network)
- Sign-up credit: Shown after ENGIE's eligibility check, ENGIE shows the amount only once you've checked eligibility
- Monthly credit: Shown after ENGIE's eligibility check, paid every month you're in the VPP, whether or not ENGIE uses your battery
ENGIE's VPP pays a sign-up credit and a monthly bill credit, even in months it doesn't use your battery. In return it can charge, discharge or hold up to 400 kWh in your battery over any 12 months. It replaced the retired Simply Energy VPP.
ENGIE VPP (Battery Sharing Rewards Network): full terms and eligible batteries →
Programs that have ended
- Tesla Energy Plan (Tesla) ended on 30 September 2025 for all customers. Its page says what happened and which open programs take the same battery.
Notes specific to New South Wales
NSW's Peak Demand Reduction Scheme pays an upfront incentive when you connect a battery of more than 2 kWh (up to 50 kWh) to a VPP. It's based on usable capacity up to 28 kWh and can be claimed once per meter. The government doesn't set a dollar amount: the VPP provider pays it, as an upfront payment, instalments or bill credits, and the amount depends on the provider and contract. The NSW home battery discount applied only to batteries installed before 1 July 2025, and the Empowering Homes battery loan has closed.
VPP credits and the NSW feed-in tariff
A VPP pays on top of, or instead of, what your retail plan pays for exports. Before you join, check four things on the program page: how much of your battery the operator keeps in reserve for you, any cap on event energy a year, whether there's a lock-in, and whether you keep your plan's feed-in tariff. Then set that against the NSW feed-in tariff you'd earn exporting the same energy yourself.
Checking whether a battery suits a particular program? The VPP battery compatibility table lists every battery each program names.
Common questions
What VPP programs are available in New South Wales?
As checked between 28 and 29 September 2026: GloBird ZEROHERO VPP (GloBird Energy), battery VPP, open to new customers; AGL Virtual Power Plant (AGL), battery VPP, open to new customers; Origin Loop (Origin Energy), battery VPP, open to new customers; Amber SmartShift (Amber Electric), wholesale-price battery trading plan, open to new customers; EnergyAustralia PowerResponse (EnergyAustralia), demand-response program that needs no battery, open to new customers; ActewAGL VPP (ActewAGL), battery VPP, open to new customers; CovaU VPP Plan (CovaU), battery VPP, open to new customers; Diamond Energy WATTBANK VPP (Diamond Energy), battery VPP, open to new customers; ENGIE VPP (Battery Sharing Rewards Network) (ENGIE), battery VPP, open to new customers. Tesla Energy Plan ended on 30 September 2025.
How much do VPPs pay in New South Wales?
It depends on the program. Here's what 6 of the 9 open programs pay (the cards above list all 9), as checked between 28 and 29 September 2026: GloBird ZEROHERO VPP (Free grid charging: 3 hours a day; ZEROHERO credit: $1 a day, when you avoid grid usage between 6pm and 9pm local time; Evening battery exports: Up to 10c per kWh, for up to 15 kWh a day exported between 6pm and 9pm; the exact rate is in your plan's Energy Fact Sheet; Critical peak (ZEROLIMIT add-on): Up to $1 per kWh, during price spikes; fees: Sign-up and ongoing fees: None, per GloBird). AGL Virtual Power Plant (Welcome credit: $200; Ongoing credit: $80 a year, a $20 bill credit every quarter; Event credit: $1 per kWh, for every kWh your battery charges from or discharges to the grid during VPP events, up to 250 kWh a year, paid at the end of each 12-month period). Origin Loop (Sign-up bonus: $200, credited to your Origin electricity account (incl. GST); Event credit: $1 per kWh, for energy exported to the grid during Loop events, up to 200 kWh a year). Amber SmartShift (Export earnings: Wholesale price, exports are paid at the wholesale spot price, which moves every five minutes and can go negative; fees: Membership: $25 a month). EnergyAustralia PowerResponse (Per event: $1, each time you choose to take part; Energy saved: $2 per kWh, for every kWh you save during an event). ActewAGL VPP (Battery Saver plan: Half the daily supply charge, while you're connected to the VPP; Battery Power Top-Up: $60 a quarter, $240 a year, added to another ActewAGL residential plan; Sign-up bonus: $100, new customers, conditions apply).
Do I need to switch retailers to join a VPP in NSW?
For the programs listed here, yes: GloBird ZEROHERO VPP requires you to be a GloBird Energy customer, AGL Virtual Power Plant requires you to be a AGL customer, Origin Loop requires you to be a Origin Energy customer, Amber SmartShift requires you to be a Amber Electric customer, EnergyAustralia PowerResponse requires you to be a EnergyAustralia customer, ActewAGL VPP requires you to be a ActewAGL customer, CovaU VPP Plan requires you to be a CovaU customer, Diamond Energy WATTBANK VPP requires you to be a Diamond Energy customer and ENGIE VPP (Battery Sharing Rewards Network) requires you to be a ENGIE customer.
Does NSW require VPP enrolment for the federal battery rebate?
No. The federal Cheaper Home Batteries Program requires your battery to be VPP-capable, meaning it can support enrolment, but actual enrolment is optional. You can claim the rebate and never join a VPP.