DEBS is the scheme that pays you for the solar power you send back to the grid in Western Australia. It’s on every Synergy bill that includes a solar export; it’s usually the second-biggest financial input into whether solar and a battery make sense at your property, and almost everything written about it elsewhere is either out of date or buried inside a rebate article that treats it as an afterthought.
This guide is the reference. What DEBS is, what the rates are right now, who’s eligible, how you apply, how it interacts with a battery, what changed in May 2026, and how to read your Synergy bill to check you’re being paid the right amount. It’s written for WA homeowners, whether your system is three weeks old or you’ve been exporting under the old REBS scheme since 2015. Strap yourself in, this is your comprehensive Synergy DEBS guide.
⚠️ Rates and rules change. Everything on this page is current as at the review date at the bottom. DEBS rates are reviewed by the WA Government each year, and grid rules were materially updated from 1 May 2026. Always cross-check current rates against synergy.net.au before making a buying decision based on them.
Contents
DEBS, the Distributed Energy Buyback Scheme, is the feed-in tariff for WA residential solar, battery, and export-capable EV owners on the Synergy or Horizon Power network. It pays you a credit on your electricity bill for every kilowatt-hour of surplus power your system exports to the grid.
It’s a time-of-export scheme. That means the rate you earn depends on when your system exports, not just how much. Exporting between 3pm and 9pm earns a higher rate than exporting in the middle of the day. This is deliberate. The WA grid has too much solar between roughly 10am and 2pm and not enough between 4pm and 8pm, so DEBS is structured to pay you more for exports that actually help balance the grid.
DEBS was introduced on 31 August 2020, replacing the older flat-rate Renewable Energy Buyback Scheme (REBS) at 7.135c/kWh at any time of day. If your system was approved and installed before 7 September 2020, you’re probably still on REBS. See the REBS section below for guidance on whether to transfer.
DEBS is administered by the WA State Government through Synergy (for the South West Interconnected System, Perth metro, and the south-west) and Horizon Power (for regional WA). The scheme is funded by retailers and flows through to customers as a credit on the bill.
Current DEBS rates
Synergy customers (Perth metro and south-west)
| Time period | Export window | Rate per kWh |
|---|---|---|
Peak | 3:00pm – 9:00pm, every day | 10 cents |
Off-peak | 9:00pm – 3:00pm, every day | 2 cents |
Horizon Power customers (regional WA)
| Time period | Export window | Rate per kWh |
|---|---|---|
Peak | 3:00pm – 9:00pm, every day | 10 cents |
Off-peak | 9:00pm – 3:00pm, every day | 3 cents |
Some Horizon Power towns that rely on diesel generation (parts of the Kimberley, Pilbara, Gascoyne, Mid West, and Goldfields) pay higher DEBS rates to reflect the higher cost of local generation. Horizon Power publishes a town-by-town schedule; if you’re in a regional town, check the Horizon Power website for your specific rate rather than assuming the 10c/3c default.
Temporary Export Credit. If Synergy has accepted your DEBS application but you’re waiting on a bi-directional meter upgrade from Western Power, Synergy pays a flat Temporary Export Credit of 7.135c/kWh for net exports in the interim. Once the meter is installed and DEBS starts properly, the Temporary Export Credit stops, and the normal peak/off-peak rates apply.
Daily cap. DEBS only pays on the first 50kWh exported to the grid per day from an eligible system. In practice, this almost never comes up. A 5kW system in Perth can’t generate 50kWh on its best day of the year, but the cap exists, particularly relevant for systems with a battery exporting during peak dispatch.
How rates change. The WA Government reviews DEBS rates annually alongside other electricity price reviews, usually taking effect on 1 July each year. Rates have generally been declining; the original DEBS rate in 2020 was higher than the current rate. This is worth knowing if you’re running a payback calculation: using today’s rate for a 20-year projection is optimistic.
DEBS eligibility
DEBS is available to residential customers, not-for-profits, and educational institutions on the C1 or D1 tariff, connected to either Synergy (SWIS) or Horizon Power (regional WA). The system has to meet specific technical criteria.
System size requirements
- The total inverter capacity must be more than 500 watts and no more than 5kW (or 5kVA, treated as equivalent)
- A 6.6kW solar panel array on a 5kW inverter is explicitly accepted; the cap is on the inverter, not the panels
- There is no eligibility cap on battery capacity or EV battery size; DEBS only pays on the first 50kWh/day, regardless of battery size
- On three-phase properties, the inverter capacity is aggregated across phases, not per phase
If your inverter is larger than 5kW, you can still connect the system to the grid, but you’re not eligible for DEBS. Western Power may also impose export limits on systems above 5kW; a larger system on a single-phase property typically gets export-limited to protect the local network. If you’re being told you need to go above 5kW for your consumption, it’s worth a proper analysis of whether self-consumption savings at the retail tariff (32.37c/kWh on A1 as of 1 July 2025) outweigh the loss of DEBS. For most high-consumption households, larger self-consumption beats smaller DEBS, but the maths depends on your usage pattern.
What else do you need to be eligible
- Your system must be designed and installed by a Clean Energy Council (CEC) accredited designer and installer
- You must have Western Power’s approval to connect to the grid before the system is energised
- You must have a bi-directional meter installed (or accept a temporary arrangement while one is organised)
- You must comply with Western Power’s Basic Embedded Generator Connection Technical Requirements
- From 14 February 2022, your system must meet the Emergency Solar Management (ESM) capability, which enables the network operator to remotely curtail your system during rare grid stability events. ESM events are infrequent and brief; the capability is a connection requirement, not a routine curtailment tool
- You must agree to the DEBS Terms and Conditions at application time
If you’re renting, occupying, or leasing, you need the system owner’s consent to apply for DEBS. DEBS pays the account holder on the Synergy bill, which is usually the tenant. The tenant gets the credit while living there, and the system owner retains the asset.
Applying for DEBS
In almost every case, your installer handles the DEBS application as part of the grid connection process. You don’t lodge a separate form. The application is bundled with the Distributed Energy System (DES) application that Synergy and Western Power both need before a system can be energised. The sequence runs like this:
- Your installer lodges the DES application with Synergy. This tells Synergy the system is coming, what inverter and panels are going on, and whether it meets ESM requirements. Synergy issues a Retailer Reference Number (RRN).
- Using the RRN, your installer applies to Western Power. Western Power reviews the connection against their Basic Embedded Generator Connection Technical Requirements, checks the local network capacity, and issues approval-to-connect. For systems above 5kW, or where ESM can't be met, this step gets more involved and can trigger an export limit.
- Your installer installs and commissions the system. For PSW installations, this happens on the day booked, and the system is electrically ready the same day.
- Western Power registers the system via the Embedded Generation Registration Form. If you don't already have a bi-directional meter, this step triggers a meter upgrade or reconfiguration request. Synergy coordinates the meter change with Western Power.
- Synergy activates the DEBS contract and starts paying credits from the meter installation date. If there's a delay in the meter upgrade, you receive the Temporary Export Credit (7.135c/kWh flat) in the interim.
What the customer does: signs the application forms your installer presents, accepts the DEBS Terms and Conditions, and checks that DEBS credits appear on your first bill after the meter upgrade. That’s it.
Metering costs. A new bi-directional meter supplied by Western Power is free of charge for the meter itself. Some fees, typically around the meter reprogram or reconfiguration, paperwork associated with the DES application, and any network-side changes, can appear on your next Synergy bill. These are Synergy-administered charges, not installer charges. For a standard residential install, the total metering-related charges usually sit in the $100–$250 range, depending on what the existing meter can do.
Timing. From application to DEBS credits appearing on a bill, the process typically takes six to twelve weeks for a Synergy customer, though it can stretch longer if the meter upgrade queue is busy or the property has a non-standard supply configuration. The system starts generating and self-consuming from day one; the DEBS-paid portion catches up once the meter is live.
Viewing DEBS on your Synergy bill
DEBS credits appear as a separate line item on your Synergy bill, usually on the second or third page, under a heading such as “DEBS credit” or “Export credit.” The bill shows the number of kWh exported in each time band and the rate applied, and calculates the credit for that period.
What to check on your first post-install bill
1. Is the DEBS line present at all? If your system has been generating for the full billing period but DEBS shows zero, the meter upgrade may not have happened, or the bill may have been estimated. Check the “meter reading method”: if it says “estimated,” that’s the issue, and it’ll correct itself on the next actual read
2. Does the total exported kWh roughly match your monitoring app? Don’t expect it to match exactly. The inverter app reports AC generation, and the bill reports net exports measured at the meter. A 10–25% difference is normal because much of your solar is self-consumed before it reaches the meter. A 70% difference is not normal
3. Is the peak/off-peak split reasonable? If you’ve got solar-only (no battery), most of your exports happen during the off-peak 9am–3pm window, so expect the 2c/kWh rate to dominate. If you’ve got a battery and it’s exporting during the 3pm–9pm peak window, the 10c/kWh rate should be more prominent
For more details on what a typical Synergy bill looks like after a new install, including the supply charge and usage charge, and how DEBS interacts with both, see the first bill after solar guide (coming soon).
If the numbers don’t look right, Synergy is the right first call. They hold the meter data and the billing system. PSW Tech Support can help diagnose any system-side reporting issues (for example, if the inverter is throwing an export-related error code), but we can’t see your bill data.
DEBS with a battery
Adding a battery to a DEBS-eligible system changes the numbers in ways that are worth being deliberate about.
Without a battery, your surplus solar exports whenever it’s generated — so most of your exports happen between 9am and 3pm, earning the off-peak DEBS rate of 2c/kWh. Typical Perth residential solar (6.6kW panels, 5kW inverter) exports 3,000–5,000kWh per year without a battery. At 2c/kWh, that’s $60–$100 in DEBS credit per year.
With a battery, the strategy shifts. The battery charges from surplus solar during the day (storing what would otherwise have been exported at 2c/kWh), then discharges in the evening. The discharge can go two ways:
- Self-consumption (the battery covers household loads after sunset). This avoids drawing from the grid at the retail rate of 32.37c/kWh. That's a 30.37c/kWh saving versus exporting at 2c
- Peak export (the battery pushes power back to the grid during 3pm–9pm), this earns 10c/kWh. That's an 8c/kWh uplift versus exporting at 2c
Self-consumption wins on the maths almost every time. Avoiding the 32.37c retail rate is worth roughly three times what you earn exporting at the peak DEBS rate. That’s why a properly configured Perth battery system prioritises covering the evening household load first, and only exports surplus after the house is covered.
Example: A 10kWh battery in a typical Perth home can shift 6–9kWh per day from off-peak export (2c) to evening self-consumption (32.37c avoided). Over a year, that’s roughly $700–$1,100 in additional savings compared to a solar-only system. The number varies significantly with household consumption patterns, solar system size, and the trajectory of the DEBS rate.
For the full breakdown of how adding a battery changes your Synergy plan and DEBS arrangement, including whether you need to reapply for DEBS when the battery is commissioned, see what happens to your Synergy plan and DEBS when you add a battery.
DEBS and Virtual Power Plants (VPPs)
If your battery is enrolled in a Virtual Power Plant: Synergy Battery Rewards, Plico’s VPP, or Horizon Power’s Community Wave, DEBS and VPP credits stack. They’re separate payments calculated separately.
DEBS pays for every kWh exported to the grid at the scheduled peak/off-peak rates, every day, regardless of whether there’s a VPP event happening
VPP dispatch credits pay for the energy your battery exports during a dispatch event, at a much higher rate (Synergy Battery Rewards pays around 70c/kWh during dispatch events, for example)
During a VPP dispatch event, you get both. The kWh exported during the event earns the DEBS peak rate (10c) and the VPP dispatch rate on top (around 70c for Synergy Battery Rewards). The economic case for joining a VPP is the dispatch income, not a replacement for DEBS.
VPP participation is a requirement for the WA Residential Battery Scheme state rebate. If you’re claiming the state rebate, you’re committing to a two-year VPP enrolment. For a complete comparison of the major WA VPP options and how they interact with DEBS, see Plico vs Synergy Battery Rewards.
DEBS and your Synergy tariff
DEBS is a separate scheme from your electricity tariff (your A1, Midday Saver, or EV Add-On plan). You can be on DEBS and on any residential tariff, they don’t conflict.
That said, your choice of tariff materially affects the financial outcome of a solar or battery system, because the tariff sets the rate you pay for grid imports (which is what self-consumption offsets).
- Synergy Home Plan (A1): flat 32.3719c/kWh all day. Simple, works well for most solar and battery homes. Self-consumption always saves 32.37c
- Midday Saver: cheap super off-peak 9am–3pm (around 8.6c/kWh), moderate off-peak 9pm–9am, expensive peak 3pm–9pm (around 56c/kWh). Only makes sense if you can shift significant consumption into the 9am–3pm window and you're willing to pay a very high rate for any evening consumption not covered by a battery. A battery is essentially required to make Midday Saver work
- EV Add-On: overlay on A1 or Midday Saver that adds a discounted overnight EV charging rate. Relevant if you're charging an EV overnight from the grid
What changed from 1 May 2026
Two changes took effect on 1 May 2026 that affect how DEBS interacts with new and upgraded systems.
1. Grid-interaction restrictions for batteries.
New systems commissioned from 1 May 2026 must comply with time-windowed restrictions on battery grid interaction:
- No grid charging between 6:00pm and 9:00pm every day (protects the peak demand window)
- No grid discharging between 10:00am and 3:00pm every day (prevents adding to the midday solar surplus)
These restrictions apply only to the battery’s interaction with the grid: solar charging, home self-consumption, and DEBS export during 3pm–6pm and after 9pm are unaffected. A battery behaving normally (charging from solar during the day, discharging to the house in the evening, exporting surplus to the grid at 3pm onwards) complies with these rules without any special configuration. Existing systems installed before 1 May 2026 are not affected retrospectively; they continue to operate under their original connection terms.
2. CSIP-AUS and Western Power’s new connection options.
From 1 May 2026, new systems on the SWIS must be set up under one of two connection frameworks:
- Flexible export (CSIP-AUS compliant): the inverter supports dynamic export limits set by Western Power, typically 1.5–10kW depending on grid conditions. Full access to DEBS, full eligibility for VPP participation
- No grid discharging between 10:00am and 3:00pm every day (prevents adding to the midday solar surplus)
REBS: the legacy scheme
REBS (the Renewable Energy Buyback Scheme) is the pre-2020 flat-rate scheme that DEBS replaced. If your system was approved before 7 September 2020 and you haven’t made any changes since, you’re probably still on REBS. REBS pays 7.135c/kWh flat. The same rate regardless of when the export occurs. No peak/off-peak split. The question most REBS customers eventually face: Should I switch to DEBS?
Stay on REBS if:
- Your system is solar-only (no battery) and you export mostly during the off-peak window
- Your total annual exports are modest
- You don't plan to upgrade or add a battery
The maths: REBS at 7.135c on typical off-peak exports beats DEBS at 2c on the same exports. A 3,500kWh/year solar-only exporter earns roughly $250 under REBS versus around $70–$110 under DEBS (depending on how much falls in the peak window). Staying on REBS is often the right call.
Switch to DEBS if:
- You're adding a battery (required, batteries are not REBS-eligible)
- You're upgrading your inverter or panels in a way that triggers a new DES application
- You've moved into a property as a new owner/tenant since 6 November 2020 (the new occupant can't inherit REBS)
- Your system can deliberately shift exports into the 3pm–9pm window and the 10c peak rate beats the flat 7.135c you're earning now
How to switch: contact Synergy (13 13 53) and ask to transfer from REBS to DEBS. Some metering costs may apply if your current meter isn’t already bi-directional and compatible. Once you switch to DEBS, you can’t switch back to REBS; the old scheme is closed to new applications.
Pre-2011 FiT customers: a separate group from REBS, continue to receive the 40c/kWh net feed-in tariff until the ten-year anniversary of their original application. This scheme is closed, can’t be transferred, and expires on its own timetable. If you’re on FiT and still within the ten-year window, don’t change anything about your system until you’ve taken advice; changes that trigger a new DES application can end FiT eligibility.
Common DEBS questions
My inverter is 5kVA and my panels are 6.6kW, am I eligible?
Yes. The 5kW cap applies to the inverter. A 6.6kW panel array paired with a 5kVA (treated as 5kW) inverter is explicitly eligible.
What if I have a 6kW inverter?
You’re not eligible for DEBS. You can still connect the system and self-consume the generation, but there will be no feed-in credit. If you’ve been quoted a 6kW inverter, ask the installer to confirm the DEBS eligibility implication. For most residential homes, this isn’t the right trade-off.
Does DEBS apply to every hour of export?
DEBS pays on the first 50kWh exported per day from eligible systems. A 5kW solar system can’t generate 50kWh on its best day, so in practice the cap only becomes relevant for systems with a large battery exporting during VPP events or prolonged peak dispatch.
I added a battery. Does my DEBS automatically continue?
Adding a battery triggers a new DES application, which re-establishes your DEBS contract. Your installer handles this as part of the battery commissioning. You don’t lose DEBS, but the paperwork needs to happen. If you added a battery and DEBS disappeared from your bill, the application probably didn’t close out properly. Call PSW Tech Support to investigate.
I'm moving house. Does my DEBS come with me?
DEBS is attached to the premises and the account, not the system. If you sell, the DEBS entitlement on that property transfers to the new owner (subject to them accepting the DEBS Terms and Conditions). If you move into a new property with existing solar, you apply for DEBS at the new address as part of your move-in with Synergy.
My export credit looks smaller than last year. Is there a problem?
Not necessarily. Exports vary seasonally (Perth winter generation is roughly 40% of summer), household consumption changes, and DEBS rates themselves have been reviewed downward over time. Before assuming a system fault, compare to the same billing period last year rather than the previous period, and rule out changes in household consumption. If export credit has dropped sharply with no explanation, see the troubleshooting hub and the section on exports that have stopped appearing on your bill.
Can I opt out of DEBS and be paid nothing?
You can choose not to apply for DEBS, in which case your exports go to the grid unmetered-for-payment, you get no credit, and the energy just feeds back into the grid. There’s almost no scenario where this is beneficial. DEBS credits are small, but they’re not zero, and the application is handled by your installer anyway.
My retailer isn't Synergy or Horizon Power. Am I eligible for DEBS?
Residential retail electricity in WA is supplied by Synergy (SWIS) and Horizon Power (regional). There are no other retail options for most WA residential customers. Commercial customers on the contestable market have different arrangements; DEBS, in its residential form, does not apply.
Getting the most out of DEBS
A few practical levers:
- Shift discretionary consumption to the middle of the day. Dishwasher, washing machine, dryer, pool pump, EV charging; anything on a timer can be set to run between 10am and 2pm. Every kWh you consume during solar production is a kWh you don't export at 2c, and don't buy back at 32.37c later
- If you've got a battery, configure it for self-consumption first, peak export second. Most batteries ship with a Self-Powered or equivalent default mode that does this correctly. Avoid modes that aggressively export at peak unless you've specifically worked out the maths for your consumption pattern
- Consider west-facing panels if you're designing a new system. The DEBS rate structure rewards afternoon generation. A north-west or west-heavy array generates more during the 3pm–9pm peak window than a pure north array, at the cost of lower midday peak generation. This is a design conversation for your installer
- Check your bill each quarter. DEBS errors do happen — meter reading issues, estimation rather than actual reads, occasional billing system glitches. A five-minute check of the DEBS line each quarter catches problems early
- Don't treat DEBS as the main game. For a solar-only system, DEBS typically accounts for 10–20% of total annual savings. Self-consumption at the retail tariff accounts for the rest. For a battery system, DEBS is a smaller share again, because the battery shifts exports into self-consumption. DEBS matters, but it's the smaller lever. Sizing your system to cover your daytime consumption is where the real savings sit
If something doesn't look right
with DEBS on your bill
Start by determining whether the issue is billing or system-related.
If monitoring shows your system has generated and exported normally, but the bill shows zero or unexpectedly low DEBS credit, this is likely a Synergy billing or meter issue. Call Synergy on 13 13 53 with your account number and the monitoring data handy
If monitoring shows the system has dropped generation or exports, this is a system-side issue. See the troubleshooting hub, specifically the sections on exports stopped appearing and on midday shutdowns
If DEBS disappeared entirely after a meter change, a system upgrade, or the addition of a battery, the DEBS application probably didn’t close properly. PSW Life Support can investigate and re-lodge if needed; the clock on any back-credit runs from when the issue is raised, so don’t let it sit.
Contact PSW Tech Support if you’re not sure which category your issue falls into. We can triage it quickly and send it to the right place.
Contact PSW Tech Support
- Phone: (08) 6171 4111
- Email: hello@pswenergy.com.au
- Hours: Monday to Friday, 9:00am – 4:00pm AWST
Related guides
- Solar and battery operation guide: the foundational reference for how your system works
Solar and battery system troubleshooting: symptom-based diagnostic walkthrough, including exports and bill issues
Plico vs Synergy Battery Rewards: WA VPP comparison
What happens to your Synergy plan and DEBS when you add a battery
Every Synergy rebate and concession you can stack with solar
First week with your new solar system (coming soon)
Export limits explained (coming soon)
Understanding your first electricity bill after solar (coming soon)
Government, grid rules changed on 1 May 2026, and Synergy tariffs update periodically. Contact PSW Tech Support or check synergy.net.au for the latest rates before making a decision based on any figure quoted here.
