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Real Townsville homes, real power bills. See what happened after Barra installed their batteries.
Battery added to existing solar
Jody: from $700+ bills to near grid independence
Jody already had a 10 kW solar system but was still drawing over 400 kWh a month from the grid overnight. Barra installed a SolaX battery to store her excess solar and power her home through the night.
10 kW solar (existing)20 kW SolaX slimline batteryErgon flat rate + controlled supply
400 kWh
Overnight grid use, down from 400+ kWh/month
0+ kWh
Solar still exported each month
0 kWh
Average daily grid use (latest bill)
0 kWh
Average daily solar exports (latest bill)
Jody’s monthly bill vs usage
Bars: monthly bill ($, left axis). Line: grid usage (kWh, right axis). Oct 2025 to Oct 2026, from Jody’s Ergon statement. ← Swipe back to see the months before the battery Oct 26 figures are exact from the 16/09/26 to 16/10/26 bill. Other months are est.: usage read from the bill’s chart, and dollars estimated at that bill’s rates (usage 28.9c/kWh incl. GST, service fee $54.15, feed-in credit 6.006c/kWh).$61.17
Net cost for the latest month ($61.17 charges − $55.09 solar credits)
$0 CR
Credit balance on her account, still building
0 kWh
Grid usage for the whole 30 days ($7.02)
0 kWh
Solar exported in the same 30 days ($55.09 credit)
Before the battery
- Buying power at night
- High electricity bills
- Exporting excess solar cheaply
After the battery
- Stores excess solar
- Uses it when power is most expensive
- Still exports surplus for credits
The result
- Lower bills
- Greater energy independence
- More control over her power
Jody didn’t need more panels. She needed control over when her solar is used, and that’s exactly what the battery delivered.
Battery added with federal rebate
Matthew: from rising bills to making money from the grid
Matthew’s 20 kW+ solar system was earning him credits until feed-in tariffs dropped and energy costs rose. He used the federal battery rebate to install a Sigenergy 3-phase 40 kWh battery. As predicted, it removed the charges he had started seeing again. On good-weather days, Matthew is now making money from the grid.
20 kW+ solar (existing)Sigenergy 40 kWh 3-phase
100 kWh*
Overnight grid use on good-weather days
0 kWh
Average solar exports per day
0 kWh
Average daily grid electricity use
0 kWh
Battery storage
Matthew’s grid usage over time approx
Line: monthly grid usage (kWh), Apr 2025 to Apr 2026. Figures are est., read from Matthew’s original usage chart. ← Swipe back to see the months before the batteryMonthly bill: before vs after
First-year monthly billBefore the battery
- Rising electricity costs
- Reduced feed-in tariffs
- Paying for power at night
- Losing value on excess solar
After the battery
- Stores excess solar
- Uses it when power is most expensive
- Still exports surplus for extra income
The result
- Freedom from the grid
- Rising charges removed
- Making money on good-weather days
Matthew took control of his energy future and turned his solar into real savings, even profit on good-weather days.
*0 kWh grid usage on good-weather days. View the original case study sheet
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