{"id":55143,"date":"2026-03-13T14:14:14","date_gmt":"2026-03-13T04:14:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/flowpower.com.au\/residential\/tips-and-insights\/what-is-a-virtual-power-plant-2\/"},"modified":"2026-03-13T14:34:49","modified_gmt":"2026-03-13T04:34:49","slug":"how-to-manage-solar-exports","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/flowpower.com.au\/residential\/tips-and-insights\/how-to-manage-solar-exports\/","title":{"rendered":"How to manage your solar exports"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":40066,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-55143","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-energy-knowledge"],"acf":{"page_builder":[{"acf_fc_layout":"blog_hero","title":"

How to manage your solar exports<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>","blurb":"Learn how to export solar at the right time, schedule your battery and get more from Flow Home\u2019s Happy Hour feed-in tariff.","read_length":"4 mins","background_colour":"dark-blue"},{"acf_fc_layout":"blog_article","sections":[{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"If you have solar panels at home, your system will often generate more electricity than you use. When that happens, the extra energy flows\u00a0back\u00a0into the grid. This is called a solar export, and you can earn money for it through a feed-in tariff. The rate you get paid varies depending on\u00a0the size of your system and\u00a0your electricity provider.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nSince the rapid uptake of rooftop solar in Australia,\u00a0feed-in tariffs have dropped industry wide, simply because there\u2019s now so\u00a0much solar in the grid during the day.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nThe\u00a0electricity market has changed drastically over the last decade, and now, the\u00a0grid typically\u00a0doesn\u2019t\u00a0need more electricity fed in during peak solar hours.\u00a0That\u2019s\u00a0why today,\u00a0the time\u00a0you export electricity\u00a0is\u00a0\u00a0 just as\u00a0important as how\u00a0much as how much you export.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nWith the right\u00a0storage\u00a0setup, you can time your exports, so they occur when energy is more valuable\u00a0\u2013 to you and\u00a0to the grid.\u00a0This\u00a0guide explains how solar exports work, how Flow Home rewards smart exports, and how to manage your exports using your inverter, battery and the Flow Power app.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\r\n

What are solar exports?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\r\nSolar exports\u00a0occur\u00a0when your solar system generates more electricity than your home needs at that moment.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nYour home uses\u00a0the\u00a0solar power first.\u00a0Then, any extra electricity flows back into the\u00a0grid,\u00a0and your retailer\u00a0may\u00a0pay you for it through a feed-in tariff.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nAlthough many electricity retailers offer a flat export rate, rates across the board are dipping due to the influx of rooftop solar.\u00a0For households seeking better returns,\u00a0there\u00a0are new alternatives coming into the market that offer higher feed-in rates, in line with conditions on the wholesale market\u00a0\u2013 like Flow Home.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\n[button text='Learn more' link='https:\/\/flowpower.com.au\/residential\/pricing\/our-feed-in-tariff\/']\r\n

<\/h3>\r\n

Why the timing of solar exports matters<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\r\nDuring the middle of the day, millions of Australian homes are producing solar power. This means the grid often has more solar energy than it needs.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nIn the evening, the situation flips. Demand increases as people cook dinner, run\u00a0appliances\u00a0and turn on heating or cooling.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nBecause of this, electricity exported in the evening can be much more valuable to the grid than daytime exports.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nThat\u2019s\u00a0why Flow Home rewards exports during peak demand periods\u00a0with\u00a0the\u00a0<\/span>highest rate in the market<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0We call this window Happy Hour.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\r\n

What is Flow Home Happy Hour and how does it work?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\r\nFlow Home\u2019s Happy Hour is a daily export window that rewards customers for sending electricity to the grid when\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0needed most.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nThe export window runs from:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\n5:30pm to 7:30pm (local time), every day<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nDuring this time,\u00a0you\u2019ll\u00a0receive a boosted feed-in tariff\u00a0of:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\r\n