Households opening their electricity bills in February are seeing a number that feels wrong. You didn’t change your usage. Your rates look similar. You didn’t switch retailers. Yet the total is noticeably higher than your last bill.
It feels like another price rise. It isn’t. Your bill didn’t go up. The credit disappeared.
The relief most households forgot was there
For the past two years, the Federal Government has been quietly helping cover part of your electricity costs through the Energy Bill Relief Fund, administered via Energy.gov.au
That support came in two stages:
| Budget | Relief | How it appeared on bills |
| 2024–25 | $300 | $75 per quarter credit |
| 2025–26 | $150 extension | $75 per quarter for two quarters |
These weren’t rebates you had to apply for. They were automatic credits applied directly to electricity bills as a small line item.
Over time, most households stopped noticing them. The lower total simply started to feel normal.
What ended on December 31, 2025
The final $75 quarterly credit was applied to bills covering the end of 2025.
On January 1, 2026, the program officially ended. February 2026 is the first time many households have received an electricity bill without any federal credit applied since 2024.
Why February is when you feel it
Most homes are billed quarterly.
- Your October–December bill still includes the credit
- Your January–March bill does not
- That bill arrives in February
So the jump you’re seeing now is the first “full price” bill in two years.
It looks like a sudden spike. In reality, it’s the removal of a background discount that had been softening your totals for a long time.
What this means for households in 2026
This moment is revealing something important.
The federal credits were cushioning the real cost of electricity. Now that the cushion is gone.
Which means:
- Solar savings are more noticeable
- Battery value becomes clearer
- Load shifting and efficiency matter more
- High evening usage is more expensive than it was in 2024 and 2025
Households are no longer seeing a government-assisted version of their bill. They’re seeing the real one.
What you can do now to bring your bill back down
Now that federal credits are no longer softening electricity costs, households are seeing the true price of their energy use for the first time in two years. The good news is that this also makes the impact of smart changes much clearer.
Here are the three moves that make the biggest difference in 2026.
Install solar to cut daytime grid use
Solar reduces the amount of electricity you need to buy from the grid during the day, which is when most homes run appliances, cooling, washing machines, and pool pumps.
Without the quarterly credits, every kilowatt-hour you don’t buy from the grid is now more valuable than it was in 2024 and 2025.
Add a battery to avoid expensive evening rates
Evening power is typically the most expensive part of your bill. A battery lets you use your stored solar energy after sunset instead of buying peak-rate electricity.
With no federal credit masking costs, the savings from evening self-consumption are easier to see.
Check if you’re on the right electricity plan
Many households are still on legacy plans that don’t suit how they use energy today.
Time-of-use tariffs, solar feed-in rates, and demand charges vary widely between retailers. A quick comparison can reduce costs immediately without changing anything in your home.
The era of cushioned power bills is over
For the first time since 2024, Australian households are paying the full price of electricity again.
What looks like a $75 price rise is actually the end of a quiet support program that had been sitting in the background of your bills for two years.
And for many homes, this February bill is the moment they’re noticing.
Energy Matters has been in the solar industry since 2005 and has helped over 40,000 Australian households in their journey to energy independence.
Complete our quick Solar Quote Quiz to receive up to 3 FREE solar quotes from trusted local installers – it’ll only take you a few minutes and is completely obligation-free.
