How do demand tariffs work with a battery?

Read our general information about Demand Tariffs with Amber here.

There are a number of ways that having a battery and/or being with SmartShift can help you to minimise costs while on a demand tariff. If your battery covers all peak time usage, you may expect demand charges to be negligible.

How SmartShift works with demand tariffs

While we cannot guarantee that you will never draw from the grid in the demand window, SmartShift does knows you're on a demand tariff and it is designed to reduce your exposure to high demand charges in the following ways.

Charging ahead of the demand window

SmartShift aims to bring the battery up to a sufficient state of charge before the demand window begins. It will determine whether the battery is on track to reach that level in time and on days where solar production alone isn't going to get it charged up, SmartShift may charge the battery from the grid, timing that charging to take advantage of lower wholesale prices where possible.

Prioritising self-consumption during the demand window

Once the demand window begins, SmartShift will prioritise powering your own load with stored energy rather than drawing from the grid. At the same time, it will avoid exporting excess battery energy back to the grid. By keeping stored energy in reserve for your own consumption, SmartShift makes sure the battery's capacity is used to avoid high demand charges.

Smoothing demand if the battery is expected to run out

In some cases, where the battery energy isn't going to last the entire demand period, SmartShift may direct the battery to discharge at a lower rate to stretch coverage. This is to avoid a scenario where the battery is empty partway through leaving a sharp spike in grid demand. Slowing the discharge rate is one way to produce a lower peak demand overall.

If your battery is managed by a 3rd party

If your battery/devices are optimised by a third party, you will need to check with their support team to confirm whether their automation is able to factor in your demand tariff.

Why is my battery charging during a demand window?

If you are experiencing unexpected behaviour that doesn't align with what the SmartShift is meant to be doing during the demand window, you may still have a time-based control (or NetZero for Powerwall owners) set up in your battery's app. You will need to change to self-powered or remove so that it doesn't interfere with SmartShift's Plan.

Seasonal demand tariffs

If you are in the NSW Ausgrid network area, from 1 July 2024 the residential demand charges only apply in Summer (November to March) and Winter (June to August). So for September - October and April - May you will benefit from your low flat network rate, with no demand penalties.