Hi everyone,
It's Chris here with your spring update on what's happening with energy prices and what it means for your bills.
I've got some good news about where prices are heading, plus an update on what we’re doing to make getting help from Amber faster if you need it.
Spring energy prices - expect cheaper power
The next few months should be some of the cheapest of the year for Amber customers. Here's why:
Australia's energy grid is about to be flooded with solar. Longer days mean rooftop solar panels across the country will be pumping out energy, especially between 10am and 3pm. When there's lots of solar, wholesale prices drop - sometimes all the way to zero, or even negative (yes, you can get paid to use power).
This doesn’t happen everyday, but it’s most likely to happen during spring and early summer.
What this means for you
If you have a battery, this is prime time for cheap charging and good earnings. SmartShift will help you charge up during the day when prices are low, then discharge in the evening when prices spike. Many of our battery customers earn their best returns during spring.
For any battery or solar-only homes, if you’re not yet signed up for solar curtailment, now’s a great time to register. This free feature will make sure you don’t export when feed-in rates drop below zero, as they can do more frequently in the spring and summer months. Check your eligibility and how to register.
If you have an EV, it’s time to plan some road trips as charging during the day over the next few months should cost you less - often under 10c/kWh, sometimes free, or there may even be times when the market pays you to charge when there’s an abundance of renewables flooding the grid.
For everyone, your bills should be lower than winter. And remember, the more you can shift your energy use to sunny afternoons, the more you could save.
What we’re doing about wait times
Our customer support hasn't been as fast as usual lately, and I want to let you know what's been happening and how we're fixing it.
When the government's battery rebate launched in July, it sparked exactly the kind of national momentum we'd been hoping for and Australians started embracing batteries faster than ever. We anticipated strong growth and prepared accordingly, but the surge has been even bigger than anyone expected - installations have skyrocketed across the country, and so too have Amber sign-ups.
That's fantastic news for Australia's energy transition, but it's meant our wait times have been longer than we'd like for both existing and new customers, which we know has been incredibly frustrating for those affected.
How we’re scaling up to meet the moment
More staff: We've already brought on and trained up more customer support staff and there’s more help on the way.
Better tooling: We’re upgrading our customer support systems so each team member can help more people, faster.
Prioritisation: We've taken another look at how we prioritise customer queries so the most urgent issues always get handled first.
Product improvements: Last but not least, we're improving the app and our battery automation software to make things run more smoothly from the start.
Need help right now?
For new queries, refer to our Contact Us page to find the best and quickest way to get the answers you need.
You can also check out our new tools:
- Amber Support Questions Answered series via our YouTube channel, which we’ll be adding new content to regularly.
- Known Issues Tracker for an overview of any technical issues affecting your battery brand that we’re aware of and working on a fix for.
Most common questions (billing, meter reads, setting up your battery) have quick answers in the app too. Look for the “?” symbol.
If you’ve previously reached out to us with a query and have a follow up question, we recommend replying to an existing email thread rather than starting a new one - this keeps the conversation in one place and makes it easier for our team to respond faster.
Getting this right is our top priority, and we promise you'll see positive changes very soon.
New features in the Amber app and website
We love building tech, so have added some things to the app and website to solve common queries:
Request your refund in the app. Got credit on your account? You can now request a refund directly in the Amber app (once every 3 months). No need to contact us.
Add your concession card. You can now add concession details in the app to make sure you're getting any eligible discounts.
Check if your battery works with SmartShift. Our new Compatibility Checker shows whether your current battery works with our automation, or lets you check any system you're thinking of buying. You can also join a waitlist there - so we can tell you the moment your preferred brand becomes compatible.
What this means for you
Spring should bring you lower energy costs, especially if you can use power during sunny afternoons or charge your battery or EV during the day.
We're working hard to get our customer support back to where it should be. Thanks for bearing with us while we catch up.
As always, we're here to help you get the most out of wholesale energy and accelerate Australia’s shift to 100% renewables. You’re already making great progress - with Australia recently passing a critical milestone of renewable generation overtaking energy from coal last month.
Thanks for leading the charge!
Cheers,
Chris
Co-CEO at Amber
