Big news for solar owners and smart energy use. The Government has just announced it will expand the statutory low voltage range from 230 volts ±6% to ±10%. This 4% difference can help clear the way for more rooftop solar, greater exporting limits, and smarter use of the grid.
We’re backing this change because it unlocks real benefits for consumers:
- Homes will be able to export more solar, with modelling showing this could boost solar investment and generation by 507 GWh (that's a decent boost at around 1.3% of the country’s total annual electricity use).
- It brings us more in line with Australia and international norms — most appliances and gear are already built to handle this range.
- It supports more options for generating and storing electricity closer to where it’s used.
We'd like to give a big shout-out to the engineering and policy experts across the lines companies for working with us to advocate for this decision. We first wrote to MBIE asking for this in early 2022 — and the distribution sector has been advocating for it since then. It's great to see it get over the line.