You’ve asked, and we’ve listened. One of the most common questions we get from customers is: “How long will it take for my battery to pay for itself?”
It’s a fair question - and until now, the answer hasn’t always been straightforward. Your payback period depends on a lot of moving parts: the size of your battery, whether you already have solar, how much energy you use, whether you access government rebates, and even where you live. Add in Amber’s wholesale pricing and battery automation, and you’ve got another layer of potential savings and earnings to consider.
That’s why we’ve built the Amber return on investment (ROI) calculator. It’s a simple, transparent tool that gives you a tailored estimate of how long it could take for your battery and solar setup to pay for itself - based on your real situation.
A calculator that reflects how you actually use energy
This isn’t just a generic payback chart. The ROI calculator gives you results based on your actual household inputs, including:
Your postcode - Used to reflect local wholesale price trends and feed-in tariff assumptions.
Quarterly grid electricity use - Helps estimate how much energy you’re likely to charge, store, or export.
Your usage rate - What you currently pay per kilowatt-hour from the grid.
Daily supply charge - The fixed daily fee to stay connected to the grid.
Your current solar setup - If you already have solar, you’ll enter your system size (kW) and current feed-in tariff.
Planned solar system size - If you’re planning to add solar alongside a battery, you can enter the proposed size here.
Battery size - You’ll enter the kWh capacity you’re considering, which helps model both storage and export potential.
Total system cost - An estimate of what you expect to pay for your solar and battery setup, including any rebates.
All of this combines to give you a personalised estimate of your payback period, and shows how much faster you could pay off your system with access to Amber’s wholesale pricing.
Why location makes a difference
Wholesale prices aren’t the same everywhere. In some states, like South Australia, price volatility is higher, meaning bigger potential earnings from exports during price spikes. In other states, prices are more stable, which might mean a slightly longer payback but still strong long-term savings.
Be sure to check your own location in the calculator to see the most accurate estimate for you.
Designed to give you clarity
We know that energy decisions can feel complex. Our goal with this calculator is simple: to give you a clear, personalised picture of how quickly your investment could pay off and how your circumstances and choices might impact that. No guesswork. No hidden assumptions. Just a transparent way to make an informed choice.
Whether you’re motivated by cutting your bills, reducing your emissions, or earning extra income from your energy, the ROI calculator is here to help you decide what’s right for your home.
See for yourself
Give Amber’s ROI calculator a try today and see how soon your battery could start paying you back - and how much more you could earn with wholesale pricing on your side.
