Expert Insights on Solar, Batteries and Power Bills

Hi everyone - Neil here, COO of Amber. We need to apologise. If you've been unable to get through to our support team, experienced long wait times, or struggled to get answers when you needed them - we're genuinely sorry. This is not the standard we aspire to, and it's definitely not something we're proud of right now. You deserve a full explanation of what went wrong, what we've done to fix it, and what's changing from here.

When award-winning landscape designer and sustainability champion Jamie Durie set out to create Future House, he was taking on one of Australia's biggest challenges: the housing crisis. His goal is to find solutions that are eco-friendly, budget-conscious, and fast to build - to prove that sustainable housing doesn't mean sacrifice or compromise. So when it came to choosing an energy retailer for the show's three families, Amber was the natural fit.

The government's home battery rebate program has been a massive success. Over 160,000 Australian households have already installed batteries with support from the scheme, with most of those installations happening in suburbs and regional areas.That's great news for the energy transition. But it's created a timing issue. Here's what's changing and what it means if you're planning to get a battery.

Air conditioning and heating can make a massive difference to your comfort at home, but they can also make a noticeable dent in your energy bill. If you've ever wondered exactly how much it costs to run your air conditioner or why your bill spikes in summer and winter, you're in the right place. Let's break down the real cost of running these appliances, what drives those costs, and most importantly, how you can keep them under control.

If you've got an electric vehicle and solar panels on your roof, you're probably wondering: can I actually power my car with sunshine? The short answer is yes, and it's a practical way to cut your charging costs while making the most of your solar system. In this guide, we'll walk you through how solar EV charging actually works, what equipment you need, how many panels it takes, and how to make the whole system work smarter with your lifestyle.

Daytime energy prices are dropping to zero or even going negative as Australia's solar systems pump out more energy than the grid needs. For Amber customers with batteries or EVs, these are golden opportunities to charge up for free (or get paid to do it). But if you charge everything at once at full speed, you might overload your home and lose power. The good news? A few simple tweaks to your charging settings mean you can safely soak up all that cheap energy without any drama.

Installing solar panels is a brilliant first step towards energy independence, but what happens when you're ready to take things further? Maybe you want to store excess solar energy for use at night, or perhaps you're eyeing off an electric vehicle and need more power flexibility. This is where a battery-ready solar system becomes invaluable.

If you're an Amber customer in NSW, you might have noticed something unusual on your app over the past couple of days. Electricity prices didn't just spike - they went on a rollercoaster ride that's relatively rare to see in the National Electricity Market. Let's unpack what drove these price movements and what they tell us about Australia's changing electricity system.