Just got a battery and have switched to Amber.
I don’t understand how this works! Why are the rates so much more than the FIT?
But during lower rates say 18c, the FIT is around 12c?
Is the FIT a percentage of the rate charged?
Amber showing huge spike expected today afternoon. What happened suddenly? Is it just the weather?
I recently joined Amber under their VPP, in NSW. I have a sigenergy battery and 20kw solar with the sigenergy 20kw inverter on 3p. My hot water system is a Solahart PowerStore 2.
Since starting with amber, I noticed the hot water system is not heating well at all. It only has the reserve tank full (roughly one third of the tank size) and it takes 10 minutes of running the hot water tap in order to start using that reserve hot water - all other hot water is around 20C, implying the main heating unit is not heating correctly.
Frustrated as I am with Solahart, I can't help but feel their PowerStore product is fundamentally flawed due to it needing signals from a unit with CT clamps connected I order to switch on he heating element. Under the hood it's just a Rheem hw system.
Would anyone have experienced this problem? And of so what would a solution be? Solahart have come in and confirm the PowerStore is working without fault, it's just not being told to heat. They want to charge me $1850 to wire it up. I laughed at this.
I have done significant research and note that it's possible to interface to the Solahart controller (a product from Combined Energy called the PM2 to which all CT clamps connect), with some smarts to turn relays on / off to control hot water heating at specific times of day or under certain conditions like solar generation thresholds etc. The combined energy usage comes with monthly subscription fees.
I also note that the sigenergy inverter can be interfaced with a second ethernet connection and enabling a port (502) by switching on the ModBus option - which can be done by installer or sigenergy.
Any info or help would be much appreciated. Am pretty close to giving up and throwing it out and getting a regular heat pump hw system.
Edit: to make things worse Solahart give absolutely NO way to control the function or management of the hot water system. No way for an owner to set an override, or to "heat now" etc. This is what frustrates me the most.
I’m wondering if I have my set up configured incorrectly here.
In the Amber app it’s charging me for controlled load usage. Yet I can see via the FoxESS app that I’m only using battery power. I can also see I’m exporting the same amount of energy used by my controlled load at the same time.
Unsure if this is an Amber issue or an installation one. Maybe there’s no issue but my bill is coming out to be the same price as before the battery so it has me confused.
Trying to pull data from Amber's api for it's price prediction but only seem to get back 3 hours worth despite putting a longer request window.
Anyone else using the API and seeing similar or different results?
**Note: This is beta software that is actively being developed. It is not perfect, and it can make mistakes. Please don’t make big decisions based on its output without considering things yourself. Not financial advice. **
In the vein of making cool stuff that I was wanting myself, I've developed an app that uses Amber API details mixed with publically available data, some estimations and some other algos to see if youd be better off on another provider without having to move.
It's called VoltCompare - https://voltcompare.au - I've been working on this for a month so it's still a little flakey but I'm happy enough with it for the moment. I'm still actively developing it daily however.
What it does:
Compares spot prices (Amber) against fixed-rate plans (GloBird ZEROHERO, Flow Home, Energy Locals) right now. Shows you which plan would've actually won yesterday based on your real world data, as well as over 7/14/30 days.
Only uses about 3 Amber API calls per session.
Key bits:
- Connect your Amber account to see live costs and usage
- Upload your NEM12 file if you're not on Amber (no API key needed)
- If you're not on Amber you can use an OpenElectricity API key for wholesale rate info
- Live spot price updates every 5 minutes
- % chance of solar tomorrow
- Current status of Flow Home and Globird against Amber
- Tracks peak FiT windows so you know when you're earning the most
- Shows you yesterday's winner and how much you'd save switching
- Some cool tips and analysis
Privacy-wise it's 100% browser-based, no backend, no tracking, no ads, no subs. Your API keys and data stay on your device - I dont see or store anything. It's free.
There's probably a ton of bugs and other stuff, so happy to take any suggestions for features or any bug fixes.
Known Weirdness:
- If you login as a non-amber user, its the least tested part of the app and it shows
- Flow Home is based on the structural formula, but since its algorithm is personal, the result is an ESTIMATE
Stuff I want to add:
- More gentailer information for comparison
- Android/iPhone app with notifications
- More comparison-ing
Edit: Thanks for the praise! I really appreciate it - it’s been a lot of work and testing. If you have any features you’d like added please let me know!
Any bugs too :D
EDIT: 9:16pm AEST - Apologies for the downtime folks, the issue was with my attempt to get 12 months of data. The main issue is that the Amber API is quite restrictive with API calls and getting that much data is incredibly difficult within the quick and responsive framework the app is built on.
I will work it into a V2, which will be much more expansive and involve mobile apps, but for now I’ve removed it to make sure th app, well, works.
Edit: 28/4 - I’ve made some big changes to logic, added some battery inverter settings and calculations, tariff updates, and a few other things - check the changelog.
Hi everyone, I signed up to flow yesterday app is all activated (waiting for their smart meter) how do I set my battery to export at peak times?
Amber charge me monthly $25 subscription but they also charge me $25 for my exports because my exports exceed 10MWh per annum. I made good profits with the 14 spikes since October last year.
I have PV set up on two properties in the same complex.
Site 1 with 32kW of PV and 48kW sig battery, does not use any grid power (Amber Site)
Site 2 with 21kW of PV and no battery (Energy Australia Site)
Both sites are on the same tariff types, both 3 phase.
Site 1 - Amber Bill for April was $94
Site 2 - Energy Australia Bill for April was $4.85
The difference is that site 2 pumps solar to the grid non stop all day at 4.4c per kWh. Site 1 is curtailed because of negative FIT penalty. Due to the grid stability in NSW the amber offer is no longer tasty.
Hi guys,
Recently switched to GloBird, I had a great summer with Amber and did not pay any bills since install of battery in October. I ended up leaving Amber with $150 in credit after a couple of crap months ate away at my $400 credit from a couple of excellent spikes. Amber Smart Shift just didn’t work and I found myself spending way too much time manually controlling the discharge and charge. Hopefully they will still honor the credit but their customer service is so crap I’m not holding my breath. After reading about GloBird decided a set and forget option that made a little each month would be perfect.
So I have a 40kw Sigenergy battery, gateway on 3 phase with 10kw inverter and 10kw solar array that is 8 years old.
On HeroZero, so what’s the best set up, should I go with
Auto Mode or Schedule Mode?
Does anyone have experience with Automode? Has it worked ? I’m skeptical after experiencing Smartshift.
Thanks in advance!
Hello All,
I have put together this guide based on my learnings from the last month or so, since becoming a Globird customer and having my FoxESS system installed. Happy for feedback and to keep it accurate based on my on-going learnings. As someone who had zero experience with solar/batteries/fox/etc, I would've loved a step by step guide.
Note: Everything depicted is based on my personal experience, issues I've had, reddit posts I personally made, emails to Globird support etc. I did use AI to tidy this and all my thoughts up into a single, coherent document. Enjoy!
A first-hand guide for Australian homeowners navigating solar battery systems with GloBird Energy's Zero Hero plan, with a focus on FoxESS inverters/batteries. Written from real-world experience in Victoria, including direct correspondence with GloBird's escalations team.
GloBird Energy's Zero Hero plan is designed for customers with solar and/or batteries. It is classified as a Virtual Power Plant (VPP) electricity product, and the full plan details can be found at: https://www.globirdenergy.com.au/energy-saver/zerohero-c/
>Referral link: If you're not yet a GloBird customer, you can sign up using this referral link: https://quote.globirdenergy.com.au/quote?pcode=refer&ref=V2G78T](https://quote.globirdenergy.com.au/quote?pcode=refer&ref=V2G78T) (Referral offers are time-limited (this one expires 26/05/26) — confirm current terms on sign-up. Note: any referral bonus may not appear on your bill until the second billing cycle.)
The plan has four components:
ZeroCharge A $0.00 usage rate between 11 AM and 2 PM every day on all standard energy circuits. This is the free grid charging window — designed to let you top up your battery cheaply, even on cloudy days or in winter. Note: controlled load or dedicated circuits (e.g. hot water systems) are charged at the normal usage rate during this window.
ZeroHero A $1.00 daily credit awarded when you draw zero power from the grid during the evening peak window of 6 PM to 9 PM. "Zero" is officially defined as less than 0.03 kWh per hour (i.e. less than 0.09 kWh total across the three-hour window). This adds up to $365 per year, or $3,650 over 10 years.
Important: You can earn the Zero Hero bonus even if your meter is not yet configured for feed-in export. Zero Hero is solely about not drawing from the grid during 6-9 PM — it is independent of whether you are exporting anything. This means you can start earning the $1.00 daily credit as soon as your battery is configured correctly, even while the meter registration process is still being sorted out.
ZeroWastedSolar / Super Export Credit An elevated feed-in tariff during the evening peak. You earn a standard feed-in rate plus a Super Export top-up credit on the first 15 kWh exported between 6 PM and 9 PM each day. Check the GloBird quote page for the current rates in your state.
ZEROLIMITS (optional VPP add-on) An optional feature that earns $1 per kWh during wholesale price spike events. GloBird remotely charges and discharges your battery during these events.
Note: FoxESS is not currently eligible for ZEROLIMITS. This add-on is only available for the following battery brands: Alpha ESS, Anker, Redback, SunGrow, SolaX, Sigenergy, SAJ, Neovolt, eCactus, and Solis + Dyness.
To be eligible for Zero Hero, you must be:
From 1 July 2025, the Australian Government's Cheaper Home Batteries Program provides a rebate worth approximately 30% of installation costs for eligible home battery systems. Additional state government incentives are available in NSW and SA. See GloBird's rebate guide for current details.
The Zero Hero $1.00 daily credit is the trickiest part of the plan to nail consistently. Understanding exactly how it works saves a lot of frustration.
GloBird measures your grid import during the 6-9 PM window via your smart meter. The official definition of "Zero" is:
>Less than 0.03 kWh per hour, which equals less than 0.09 kWh total across the three-hour window.
This is a tight threshold. Even 0.001 kWh over the allowance costs you the bonus for that day.
GloBird's escalations team has confirmed that some baseline grid draw is expected and considered normal system overhead, even when no one is home and nothing is running. This includes:
GloBird's position: approximately 0.09 kWh over the three-hour window is within the range of expected system overhead. The threshold is set to accommodate this baseline draw. The problem arises when your inverter's default configuration adds additional grid import on top of this baseline — which is precisely what the Grid Compensation fix (Section 4) addresses.
This is commonly misunderstood. If your battery is force-discharging at 5,000W and your house is using 1,000W, your net export is approximately 4,000W. You are not drawing from the grid in that scenario. However, if your house usage exceeds your forced discharge rate, the inverter draws the difference from the grid, and that will push you over the threshold.
Running a dryer, dishwasher, EV charger, or similar high-draw appliances during the 6-9 PM window significantly increases the risk of missing Zero Hero. Scheduling these outside the window is strongly recommended.
This is the single most important thing to check before anything else. It is easy to overlook and can silently cost you weeks of feed-in credits and Zero Hero bonuses.
When a solar or battery system is installed, the installer is responsible for notifying your electricity distributor (e.g. AusNet in north-east and outer Melbourne; or CitiPower, Powercor, United Energy, or Jemena depending on your area) that your property has an export-capable system. If this registration is not completed:
This exact scenario commonly occurs on new builds, where the builder's electrical contractor installs the solar system as part of construction but does not complete the grid connection and export registration paperwork before handover.
GloBird's confirmed position: "As the energy retailer, we work strictly from the metering data we receive, and billing must reflect that data. So, if a solar system hasn't been registered to the meter or feed-in hasn't been configured, we're still required to bill based on the recorded usage data provided to us."
Contact GloBird and ask them explicitly:
>"Can you confirm that my meter is configured to record solar/battery feed-in export, and that my distributor has my system registered as export-capable?"
GloBird contact details:
If the answer is no, proceed with the steps below.
The fix involves two parties working in sequence.
Part A: The installer's responsibility — distributor registration
Your solar installer must lodge an application through your distributor's online portal (for AusNet customers, this is the AusNet online portal). Note: this is the responsibility of the solar installer specifically — not the battery installer if these were done by separate companies. This is the installer's responsibility, not the customer's. The documents required for AusNet (confirmed by GloBird's customer service and escalations team) are:
Contact your installer and ask them to complete the lodgement and provide you with a reference number. If they are unresponsive, escalate to the installer's management, or for CEC-accredited installers, the Clean Energy Council.
Part B: Send documentation to GloBird
Once your installer has completed the distributor lodgement and the documents are available, email them to GloBird:
Email: cs@globirdenergy.com.au
Include: CES, EWR (if available), Post Installation Form, and any other documents provided.
Important: There is an $88 (inc GST) distributor fee per attempt for the meter reconfiguration. This fee is charged by the distributor (AusNet), not GloBird, and covers the work of physically reconfiguring your meter to record exports. GloBird will notify you before submitting the request.
Part C: GloBird side reconfiguration
Once the distributor has updated the metering configuration, GloBird will update their systems to correctly bill your feed-in tariff. Follow up with GloBird after your next bill cycle to confirm feed-in credits, Super Export credits, and Zero Hero are all appearing correctly.
>A note on transparency: GloBird's onboarding process does not currently flag this issue automatically for new customers. The problem was raised formally as a complaint, and GloBird acknowledged the feedback. Until this is resolved at an industry level, new customers with solar or batteries should proactively check meter registration on day one rather than discovering weeks later that their exports have been going unrecorded.
This is the most impactful single change you can make if you have a FoxESS inverter/battery and are struggling to earn the Zero Hero bonus consistently.
The Grid Compensation value tells the FoxESS inverter how aggressively to push energy to the grid versus drawing from it. By default, FoxESS ships inverters with this set to 0 or a small positive number.
The problem: with the default setting, the inverter maintains a small but consistent grid import at all times — even during forced discharge. This is designed to ensure stable operation, but it works directly against the Zero Hero threshold. Even 0.01-0.03 kWh of import per hour during the 6-9 PM window causes you to miss the $1.00 bonus every single day.
Setting Grid Compensation to -50 (negative) biases the inverter towards pushing energy to the grid rather than drawing from it. Multiple community members have confirmed this results in consistently achieving Zero Hero every day.
This setting cannot be changed by the customer directly — it requires either your installer's portal access or a FoxESS support request.
Option A: Ask your installer or sparky (fastest)
Your solar or battery installer can often make this change remotely via the FoxESS installer portal within minutes. Contact them and say:
>"I need the Grid Compensation value on my FoxESS system changed to -50. Can you do this remotely?"
Option B: FoxESS support ticket (approximately 1 week)
If your installer is unable or unresponsive, contact FoxESS support directly. The change is typically actioned within about a week.
Raise a ticket using the direct link:
Alternatively, log into foxesscloud.com, go to the Support section, and raise a new ticket from there.
In the ticket, include:
Follow up if you have not heard back within 3-4 business days. One follow-up is usually sufficient.
Forced Discharge tells your FoxESS battery to actively discharge at a set power level during a defined time window. Configuring this correctly is essential for maximising both Zero Hero earnings and Super Export credits.
| Setting | What it does | Recommended approach |
|---|---|---|
| Forced Charge Window | When to charge from the grid for free | 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM (ZeroCharge window) |
| Forced Discharge Window | When the battery actively discharges | Cover the Zero Hero window: 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM |
| Forced Discharge Power | Watts the battery outputs during discharge | Set to system maximum (e.g. 5,000-10,500W depending on battery) |
| Discharge Cut-off SOC | Battery % at which forced discharge stops | Set to leave enough reserve for overnight use |
Set forced discharge power to your system maximum. This provides the most buffer against house load spikes and maximises Super Export earnings. Your house load is simply subtracted from the output.
Set a Discharge Cut-off SOC that ensures you can cover the full 6-9 PM window.
Before setting this, it helps to understand your theoretical maximum export. Your inverter has a rated output limit (e.g. a 5 kW inverter can output at most 5 kWh per hour, or 15 kWh over the 3-hour window). At zero house usage, that is the absolute maximum your system could export during the window. In practice, house usage will reduce this.
To work out whether your battery has enough charge to make it through the window without hitting the cut-off SOC:
If the battery hits the cut-off SOC before 9 PM, the inverter will start importing from the grid until the schedule finishes. This will cost you the Zero Hero bonus. It is better to set a lower cut-off SOC (accepting less overnight reserve) than to risk hitting it early and importing during the window. This behaviour applies when managing the system via the FoxESS app — third-party tools like Home Assistant or Socrates may handle this differently.
Avoid large appliances during 6-9 PM. Dryer, dishwasher, EV charger — schedule these outside the Zero Hero window unless your forced discharge power far exceeds your typical house load plus the appliance draw.
During initial setup (while waiting for meter fix): Set only forced charge between 11 AM-2 PM. Do not run forced discharge until the meter is confirmed as registered for feed-in — there is no benefit to exporting if the meter is not recording it.
The FoxESS app provides basic control, but many users find it insufficient for consistently achieving Zero Hero. Here are the options from simplest to most powerful.
The FoxESS app (via foxesscloud.com) allows you to set Forced Charge and Forced Discharge schedules, SOC cutoffs, and monitor real-time power flows.
Limitations:
For most users, the FoxESS app is sufficient once Grid Compensation is correctly set to -50.
Socrates is a third-party platform that integrates directly with FoxESS and other inverter brands. It allows rule-based automation: force charge to a specified SOC, force discharge at a set rate, revert to self-use outside peak windows. Multiple community members recommend it as a straightforward upgrade over the FoxESS app without requiring the complexity of Home Assistant.
Home Assistant is an open-source home automation platform. With the FoxESS integration it provides full programmatic control over every system parameter. It can respond to real-time conditions including weather forecasts and live wholesale energy pricing.
The tradeoff: Home Assistant requires a home server (e.g. Raspberry Pi) running 24/7, a steeper learning curve, and ongoing maintenance. However, there is a large Australian solar and battery community with existing FoxESS automations available.
Recommendation: Start with the FoxESS app plus the Grid Compensation fix. If you are still missing Zero Hero regularly, try Socrates. Move to Home Assistant only if you want full control and are comfortable with some technical setup.
Most likely cause: Meter not registered for feed-in export with your distributor.
Diagnosis: If ZeroCharge shows 0 kWh exported day after day despite your battery actively discharging, the meter is not recording your exports.
Fix: See Section 3. Contact GloBird to confirm meter status first.
Most likely cause: Default FoxESS Grid Compensation setting is causing background grid imports that push you over the 0.09 kWh threshold.
Diagnosis: Check the ZeroHero Usage figure in the GloBird app for days you missed. Readings of 0.070-0.093 kWh on days with no activity strongly indicate the inverter's default grid draw behaviour.
Fix: See Section 4. Request Grid Compensation be set to -50.
Context: GloBird has confirmed that approximately 0.09 kWh over three hours is within normal system overhead. Once Grid Compensation is correctly set to a negative value, the baseline draw should fall within the allowed limit. The threshold is specifically designed to accommodate this background draw.
Fix: Request the Grid Compensation change and monitor for a few days.
Most likely cause: House load exceeded forced discharge power.
Diagnosis: Compare the GloBird app's ZeroHero Usage against your FoxESS app's power flow for that evening. Look for spikes coinciding with appliance use.
Fix: Schedule appliances outside the 6-9 PM window, or increase forced discharge power to exceed peak house load.
Most likely cause: The forced discharge window is longer than the battery can sustain at the current cutoff level.
Fix: Lower the cutoff SOC, shorten the discharge window, or both.
Most likely cause: Meter not registered for feed-in. The FoxESS app reflects physical system behaviour; the GloBird app reflects what the meter records. These can be completely different if the meter is not configured.
Fix: See Section 3.
Fix: Reply to the existing ticket thread to follow it up. The change is typically actioned within a week. One follow-up message is usually sufficient.
Work through this in order. Each phase builds on the last.
This guide reflects real-world experience as of May 2026, including direct correspondence with GloBird Energy's customer service and escalations teams. Tariff structures, plan terms, FoxESS firmware behaviour, and distributor processes may change. Always verify current plan details directly with GloBird and confirm documentation requirements with your installer and distributor.
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Are there other ABN holders out there registered for GST that are not being paid the GST on top of FIT?
I have not been paid my GST because "the billing system does not support it" excuse reason. I am planning to present evidence to the ATO as this is a breach of the GST act.