4.2 / 5
Amber is the best retailer in Australia for households with solar and a battery — wholesale feed-in rates and SmartShift automation can push bills near zero or into credit. Without a battery or flexible usage, the wholesale-spike risk and $25/month fee make a low-rate flat plan the safer pick.
✓ What we like
- Wholesale prices passed through at cost — no retail margin on usage
- Wholesale feed-in rates for solar exports, far above standard FITs during evening peaks
- SmartShift automates battery charge/discharge around price forecasts
- No lock-in contract, GreenPower and carbon-neutral options
✗ What could be better
- Exposed to wholesale price spikes (rare, but rates can jump to $20+/kWh in extreme events)
- $25/month subscription erodes savings for low-usage households
- Recent reviews report slow support, especially around SmartShift and VPP exits
- Needs a smart meter, and savings depend on shifting usage
Amber Electric flips the standard retail model: instead of selling you a marked-up “plan”, it passes through the real-time wholesale price of electricity — which changes every 30 minutes — and charges a flat $25/month subscription for the privilege. When renewables flood the grid on sunny spring afternoons, wholesale prices can fall to a few cents (occasionally below zero). When the grid is strained on a 40-degree February evening, they can spike dramatically.
That cuts both ways, and it’s why Amber is simultaneously one of the best-rated and most polarising retailers in the country.
How Amber’s pricing works
| Component | What you pay |
|---|---|
| Subscription | $25/month flat |
| Usage | Wholesale spot price (changes every 30 min) + network/metering/environmental costs at cost |
| Solar feed-in | Wholesale rate at time of export |
| Lock-in / exit fee | None |
Amber states it passes through wholesale energy, hedging, network, metering and environmental costs without a margin — the subscription is its only revenue from you. You’ll need a smart meter, and Amber is available in VIC, NSW, SA, ACT and south-east Queensland.
Who saves with Amber
Solar + battery households are the clear winners. A battery lets you buy when prices are near zero and export during evening peaks at wholesale feed-in rates that can dwarf standard 4–6c feed-in tariffs. Amber’s SmartShift automation handles the timing for you, and owner reviews on Trustpilot (4/5 from 1,400+ reviews as of May 2026) are dominated by battery owners reporting bills near zero or in credit.
EV owners and load-shifters do well too — charging overnight or in solar hours at wholesale rates routinely beats any flat-rate plan.
Set-and-forget households should look elsewhere. If you can’t move usage away from evening peaks, you keep the spike risk without the upside, and the $25/month fee ($300/year) typically exceeds what a low-usage household saves. Amber’s own positioning is honest about this — it’s a tool for engaged users.
The risks to understand before switching
- Price spikes are real. In rare extreme-demand events, wholesale rates can exceed $20/kWh for short periods. Amber’s app sends price alerts, but you carry that risk — a flat-rate plan’s retailer carries it instead (and charges you a margin for it year-round).
- Support strain. Reviews from 2025–26 flag slow responses around SmartShift issues and exiting VPP arrangements. ProductReview sits lower than Trustpilot at 3.7/5.
- Savings aren’t guaranteed. Your result depends on your network area, usage pattern and hardware. Model your last bill against Amber’s pricing for your postcode before switching.
How to decide in 10 minutes
- Grab your last bill and note your usage (kWh) and total cost.
- Get a quote from Amber for your postcode — it shows the recent wholesale average for your network.
- Have a battery or EV? The maths almost always favours Amber. Flat usage profile, no hardware? Compare against the cheapest flat-rate plan on Energy Made Easy first.
- There’s no lock-in either way — trying Amber for a quarter costs you nothing to exit.
Frequently asked questions
Can my bill really go negative? Yes — battery households exporting during price peaks regularly report credit months. It requires hardware and some engagement.
What happens during a price spike? You pay the wholesale rate for what you use during the spike window. The app warns you in advance; battery owners can ride spikes out (and profit by exporting into them).
Is the $25 fee charged even if I use nothing? Yes — it’s a flat subscription, which is why Amber suits medium-to-high usage households best.