Feed-in payment
The feed-in payment is the amount per kilowatt-hour your energy supplier pays for electricity you export to the grid.
Who sets the feed-in payment?
Your energy supplier sets it, and it appears in your supply contract rather than in legislation. Suppliers compete on it, so it is a negotiable figure and not a national rate.
Unlike net metering, which cancels exports against imports, this pays out for exports as a separate line.
Is there a legal floor?
Yes. Until 2030 the payment must be at least 50 percent of the bare supply rate for electricity.
"Bare" excludes energy tax and VAT. The floor is therefore a share of a smaller number than the per-kilowatt-hour price on your bill, which is why exporting can never match the value of consuming the same unit yourself.
Why is exported electricity worth less than electricity you use?
Because self-consumption avoids the full retail price including tax, while export earns only the bare payment. The gap between those two is what makes self-consumption the decisive variable after 2027.
Feed-in costs then come off the top. A comparison that counts the payment but ignores those costs overstates what exporting returns.
What should I check in a supply contract?
Check three things together: the level of the payment, whether feed-in costs sit alongside it, and whether the payment is fixed or tracks market prices.
Compare suppliers on the combination rather than on the headline payment. A generous payment paired with high processing costs can return less than a modest payment with none.
Common questions
What is the actual rate?
It varies by supplier and contract and is stated in your own supply agreement. What is fixed is the statutory floor: at least 50 percent of the bare supply rate, until 2030.
Is this the same as net metering?
No. Net metering offsets exported against imported units at the same rate and ends on 1 January 2027. A feed-in payment buys your exported units at a lower rate and continues after that date.
What happens to the floor after 2030?
The 50 percent minimum runs until 2030. Beyond that nothing is fixed, so any calculation extending past 2030 rests on an assumption rather than on a rule.