Key statistics
A snapshot of how Australians are paying for, monitoring and powering their homes in 2026.
expect their energy bills to be higher in 12 months
say their electricity bill is already higher than a year ago
have gone without heating or cooling due to cost
of homes have solar panels (23% solar only, 16% + battery)
don't monitor their energy usage at all
of solar owners don't know their feed-in tariff rate
of solar owners feel disappointed or misled by solar
are planning to buy solar panels this year
The year the gap widened
THE HEADLINE
Australians are increasingly anxious about energy bills (48% expect them to rise in the next 12 months), increasingly likely to have already gone without heating or cooling (27% have, up notably among renters and younger generations), and – for the 39% who have solar panels – increasingly unsure whether the investment was worth it.
Energy is the single most volatile household bill in Australia. Wholesale prices move daily, regulated retail prices reset once a year, and the gap between the household that has invested in solar and the household that hasn't is widening fast.
Finder's 2026 Energy Report explores how Australians are absorbing higher bills, what they understand about their energy plan, and whether the solar investments they've already made are paying off.
This report draws on two nationally representative Finder surveys: a May 2026 survey of 1,009 Australian adults covering bill expectations, household behaviour and energy literacy, and a June 2026 survey of 1,008 Australian adults – including 391 solar-panel owners – covering current setup, the solar experience, feed-in tariffs and how their bill compares to a year ago.
The strongest patterns in the data are demographic – homeowners are spending and saving on energy in ways renters mostly can't, and Boomers report fundamentally different bill experiences to Gen Z. We've called out the biggest gaps in each section.
Half of us are paying more
Bills today vs 12 months ago
Nearly half of Australians surveyed in June 2026 (47%) say their electricity bill is higher than it was a year ago – 28% said it was slightly higher and 19% said it was much higher. Just 14% report a lower bill, while 34% say theirs is about the same.
Renters and homeowners report near-identical movement (47% higher in both groups), but Boomers are the most likely generation to say their bills are much higher (25%) – likely reflecting more time spent at home and greater reliance on heating, cooling and appliances.
How your electricity bill compares to 12 months ago
Source: Finder survey of 1,008 Australian adults, June 2026
What people expect over the next 12 months
Looking ahead, the picture is starker. Nearly half of Australians (48%) expect their energy bills to be higher a year from now, and just 6% expect them to fall. The rest are split between steady (36%) and unsure (10%).
Do you expect your energy bills to be higher, lower or about the same in 12 months?
Source: Finder survey of 1,009 Australian adults, May 2026
Bill anxiety is strongly divided by generation. 60% of Baby Boomers expect their energy bills to rise, compared with 57% of Gen X, 44% of Gen Y and just 25% of Gen Z. That doesn't necessarily mean Gen Z won't face higher bills. Instead, it suggests younger Australians are less engaged with household energy costs. Baby Boomers are more likely to be paying the bills themselves, have lived through previous price hikes and expect those trends to continue. Homeowners are also more likely to anticipate higher bills (55%) than renters (38%), reflecting who is typically responsible for the household energy bill.
Bill expectations by generation
Source: Finder survey of 1,009 Australian adults, May 2026
Finder tip
Set a bill-rise reminder in your calendar.
Your retailer has to give at least 5 business days' notice before lifting your rates (10 in Queensland), usually by email – that notice is your cue to shop around. It's also worth comparing after 1 July every year: even if your own plan doesn't change, the market reprices around the annual reset, so it's the best time to check at least three offers against what you're paying. Renters can switch too, unless you're in an embedded network – common in apartment blocks – where you're tied to a single supplier.
Going without heating or cooling
More than 1 in 4 Australians (27%) say they've gone without heating or cooling at some point because of the cost – 15% have done so before, and 12% say it happens regularly. Another 25% haven't been in that position but worry they could. Just under half (48%) say they've always been able to afford to heat or cool their home.
Has energy cost ever caused you to go without heating or cooling?
Source: Finder survey of 1,009 Australian adults, May 2026
Age is the sharpest divide here. 68% of Baby Boomers say they've always been able to afford heating and cooling, compared with just 36% of Gen Z – a 32-point gap. On the other side, 36% of Gen Z and 32% of Gen Y have already had to go without, versus just 14% of Boomers.
Going without heating or cooling, by generation
Source: Finder survey of 1,009 Australian adults, May 2026
The renter/homeowner gap on this question is just as wide. 33% of renters have already gone without heating or cooling at some point, compared with 21% of homeowners. Only 41% of renters say they've always been able to afford it, versus 53% of homeowners.
Going without heating or cooling: homeowners vs renters
Source: Finder survey of 1,009 Australian adults, May 2026
Finder tip
Energy concession schemes are state-based and underclaimed.
Every state and territory runs an energy concession program for low-income households, pensioners and Health Care Card holders – yet research consistently shows tens of thousands of eligible households never claim. Federal bill relief through the Energy Bill Relief Fund ended on 31 December 2025, which makes these ongoing state and territory concessions more important than ever. Check Services Australia and your state's energy department website for what you're eligible for. Applications are usually online, take about 10 minutes, and the rebate typically lands straight on your next bill.
From understanding to action
Do Australians understand their energy plan?
Just over a third of Australians (34%) say they understand their energy plan and are confident they're on the best deal. A further 28% understand their plan but aren't sure it's the best available. The rest fall somewhere between confused and disengaged: 14% have never looked at an energy bill, 14% find energy plans too confusing to compare, and 14% don't fully understand their plan and have never reviewed it.
Do you understand your energy plan well enough to know you're on the best deal?
Source: Finder survey of 1,009 Australian adults, May 2026
The gender gap on energy literacy is one of the widest in the survey: 40% of men are confident they're on the best deal, compared with just 28% of women – a 12-point spread. Women are also more likely than men to say they've never looked at an energy bill (17% vs 11%) and to find energy plans too confusing to compare (16% vs 11%).
Energy plan understanding, by gender
Source: Finder survey of 1,009 Australian adults, May 2026
The renter gap is wider still. 22% of renters say they've never looked at an energy bill, compared with just 8% of homeowners – almost a 3x difference. Homeowners are also far more likely to feel confident they're on the best deal (40% vs 26%).
Finder tip
Check your plan every 6 to 12 months.
You don't need to watch energy prices constantly, but it's worth reviewing your plan every 6 to 12 months, or whenever you're notified of a price rise. Comparing offers takes only a few minutes and is the quickest way to tell whether you're overpaying for the same electricity or gas. If you're happy with your retailer but unsure you're on their best plan, ask them directly. By law your bill has to flag whether the retailer has a cheaper plan for you, under a "Could you save money on another plan?" heading. But they won't move you automatically, so it's on you to act.
How Australians monitor their usage
Most Australians still track their energy passively. 40% rely on the paper bill or email that arrives each quarter as their main view of usage, another 32% use their retailer's app or online portal, 11% use a smart meter in-home display, and 28% don't monitor their usage at all.
Younger Australians are the most likely to use an app – 41% of Gen Y monitor through an app or portal, compared with just 19% of Boomers. But the disengaged aren't only the young: 32% of Gen X don't monitor their energy use at all, the highest of any generation.
How do you primarily monitor your energy usage?
Source: Finder survey of 1,009 Australian adults, May 2026
"House rules" to cut energy use
Almost 4 in 10 Australians (38%) have set household rules to cut energy use – things like shorter showers, lights-off checks, easing off the heater and opening curtains for warmth. Another 20% plan to, 28% have no such rules and don't intend to, and 14% live alone, so the question doesn't apply. Generationally, Gen X is the most active rule-setter (41% have rules in place), while Gen Z has the highest "planning to but haven't yet" rate (30%). Boomers are the most likely to opt out entirely (33% say no and aren't planning to).
Have you implemented "house rules" to keep energy costs down?
Source: Finder survey of 1,009 Australian adults, May 2026
What Australians are buying – and skipping
Planned energy purchases this year
64% of Australians aren't planning any significant energy-related purchase this year. Among those who are, solar panels lead the way – 18% of all respondents plan to buy or have already bought solar this year – followed by home battery storage (13%), energy-efficient appliances (12%), electric vehicles (9%) and solar hot water or heat pumps (8%).
Energy-related purchases planned this year (% selecting each – multi-select)
Source: Finder survey of 1,009 Australian adults, May 2026
Generationally, planned purchases skew sharply younger. At 24%, Gen Y is the most likely of any cohort to be planning solar this year, and 18% are eyeing a battery. Boomers are far less likely to be planning any major energy purchase (74% say no), and Gen X is the most settled of all (75% say no). Gen Y is also the only generation where battery intent (18%) comes close to solar intent (24%).
The renter–homeowner divide
Across every category of planned energy purchase, homeowners are 2–3x more likely to be buying than renters. 25% of homeowners are planning to buy solar this year, versus just 9% of renters, and 19% are planning a battery, versus 6% of renters. The gap reflects the structural barriers renters face in investing in fixed energy assets: the renovation involved, the need for landlord consent, uncertain tenancy length and a return on investment that mostly flows to the owner.
Planned energy purchases: homeowners vs renters
Source: Finder survey of 1,009 Australian adults, May 2026
Finder tip
Can't add solar? Work the plan.
You can't install solar on a place you don't own, but you can still cut your bill by getting the plan right – and that's the one thing a renter fully controls as long as they're not in an embedded network. If your schedule is flexible enough to run appliances outside peak hours, a time-of-use tariff can work in your favour if you have a smart meter; if it isn't, a simple flat-rate plan usually beats one with peak and off-peak pricing you can't take advantage of. The move is the same either way: compare offers with your most recent bill in hand to see if you can find a better deal.
The solar story
How many of us have solar?
Among Australian adults surveyed in June 2026, 39% have solar panels in some form – 23% have solar panels only, and 16% have solar panels plus a home battery. 52% have no solar and no battery, and 9% aren't sure what their setup is.
Which best describes your home's current energy setup?
Source: Finder survey of 1,008 Australian adults, June 2026
By state, South Australia leads the country: 60% of South Australians have solar in some form (36% solar only, 23% solar plus battery). Western Australia follows at 50%, then Tasmania (45%), Queensland (41%), Victoria (34%) and New South Wales (31%).
Solar adoption by state
Share of households with solar panels in some form (solar only + solar with battery)
Solar only + solar with battery. Source: Finder survey of 1,008 Australian adults, June 2026
Homeowners are nearly 2.5x more likely than renters to have solar (50% vs 21%). The gap narrows on batteries (18% of homeowners have one, versus 11% of renters – though batteries in rentals are typically installed by the owner rather than the tenant).
Solar adoption: homeowners vs renters
Source: Finder survey of 1,008 Australian adults, June 2026
The solar experience
Among the 391 solar owners in our June sample, the experience is mixed. 45% say their solar is performing about as expected, while 27% say it has beaten expectations, saving them more than they'd anticipated. But more than 1 in 4 (26%) report a disappointing experience: 22% are saving less than they were promised, and a further 4% feel actively misled, with bills higher now than before they installed solar.
How is your solar experience compared to when you first got it?
Source: Finder survey of 391 Australian solar-panel owners, June 2026
By state, Victorian solar owners are the most disappointed: just 24% say solar has been much better than expected (against a national average of 27%), and 24% call it a disappointment. South Australian owners, by contrast, report the highest "saving heaps" rate – 58%, versus 31% in Victoria – likely helped by strong sunlight and South Australia's high electricity prices, which make self-consumed solar more valuable.
The feed-in tariff problem
Almost a third of solar owners (32%) don't know what feed-in tariff they currently receive from their retailer. The most common rate is 3–5 cents per kWh (30%), followed by 6–9 cents (16%) and less than 3 cents (15%). Just 8% report receiving 10 cents or more.
What feed-in tariff rate are you receiving?
Source: Finder survey of 391 Australian solar-panel owners, June 2026
By state, Western Australia has the worst feed-in tariff awareness: 55% of WA solar owners don't know their rate. Queensland has the best actual rates – 19% of Queensland solar owners receive 10 cents or more per kWh, more than double any other state. Victorian owners are the most likely to be getting less than 3 cents (28%), and Victoria is the only state where no owners report receiving 10 cents or more.
Feed-in tariff awareness by state
Share of solar owners who don't know the feed-in rate they receive
SHARE RECEIVING 10C+ FEED-IN RATE
A dash means the sample was too small to report; NT and ACT are not reported. Source: Finder survey of 391 Australian solar-panel owners, June 2026
Finder tip
Don't assume your feed-in rate is fixed.
Feed-in tariffs have dropped sharply, and in most states retailers set them rather than the regulator – so yours can change. Your retailer has to notify you before it does, but the alert is easy to miss in a bill insert or email, so the rate you signed up on may not be what you're getting now. Check where you stand (it's on your bill, usually in small print) and if you're on only a few cents, compare. Don't just chase the biggest feed-in number, though – the plans advertising high rates often sting you with higher usage charges. And with export rates this low, you'll usually save more by using your own solar (running appliances in daylight, or adding a battery) than by hunting for a better feed-in tariff.
Solar regret and the battery question
Most solar owners are glad they made the switch: 74% don't regret it, with 44% "saving heaps of money" and another 30% happy with their solar but wishing they'd added a battery at the same time. On the other side, 34% have some regret – 22% say the savings fell short of what they were promised, 10% say the returns haven't justified the cost, and 2% point to the upkeep.
Do you regret getting solar? (% selecting each – multi-select)
Source: Finder survey of 391 Australian solar-panel owners, June 2026
The clearest finding: even satisfied solar owners now wish they'd installed a battery from the start. 30% of all solar owners say so, rising to 38% in Victoria. It's easy to see why – a lot has changed since most systems went in. Feed-in tariffs have collapsed in most states, retail power prices have climbed, and battery costs have fallen, which together make using your own solar far more valuable than exporting it.
Solar satisfaction by state
Source: Finder survey of 391 Australian solar-panel owners, June 2026
Finder tip
If you have solar but no battery, run the maths.
The case for adding a battery to existing solar has shifted a lot since 2022. If your feed-in tariff is below 5 cents per kWh and your peak electricity usage rate is above 30 cents, every extra kWh you use yourself instead of exporting is worth around 25 cents. On a typical 10 kWh system, that can pay back a battery in roughly 6 to 10 years. The federal Cheaper Home Batteries Program, launched in July 2025, helps too. It's currently worth about $250 per kWh off the cost of a standard-sized battery. That amount shrinks over time, so the sooner you install, the more you get. If your state offers a rebate on top, the payback gets shorter again.
How Australian homes are heated and cooled
Reverse-cycle split systems and ducted air conditioners are now the go-to for both heating and cooling in Australia. 45% of households rely on them as their main heater and 59% as their main cooler. Gas heating still warms 21% of homes, especially in Victoria and New South Wales, while evaporative cooling – common in WA and SA – accounts for 14% nationally.
How Australian homes are heated and cooled
HEATING – PRIMARY METHOD
COOLING – PRIMARY METHOD
Source: Finder survey of 1,009 Australian adults, May 2026
Just under a quarter of Australian households (24%) say they don't really heat their home, and 21% don't really cool it. That share is highest among renters and Gen Z, which likely reflects two things: apartment living, where there are fewer options for controlling temperature, and the cost-of-living squeeze documented earlier in this report, where people go without rather than pay to run heating or cooling.
Finder tip
A reverse-cycle split is the cheapest way to heat a single room.
Modern reverse-cycle split systems deliver 3-4 kWh of heat for every 1 kWh of electricity they use, making them 3-4 times more efficient than a plug-in electric heater. For a single room, running a split for an evening usually costs less than a gas heater, and far less than a portable electric one. If your home has ducted heating but you tend to use one room at a time, switching to a wall-mounted split (and zoning the ducts if you can) is one of the simplest ways to cut your energy bill. On a quality 5 kW unit, the savings can often pay back the cost within a few winters, though how fast depends on how much you run it and what you're replacing.
References, methodology & contact
References
This report draws on Finder's 2026 May Consumer Sentiment Tracker (one-off questions module on energy behaviour and attitudes) and Finder's 2026 June Consumer Sentiment Tracker (energy-setup and solar module). Both surveys were administered through Qualtrics and verified as nationally representative for age, gender and state distribution against Australian Bureau of Statistics population data.
References to the Cheaper Home Batteries Program, Default Market Offer, and the Energy Made Easy comparison platform reflect federal Australian Government policy and platforms current as of June 2026.
Methodology
The May 2026 survey ran in early May and collected 1,009 responses from Australian adults aged 16 and over. The eight energy questions analysed in this report cover household energy behaviour: house rules to reduce usage, planned energy-related purchases, going without heating or cooling, understanding of one's energy plan, monitoring method, primary heating and cooling appliances, and bill expectations over the next 12 months.
The June 2026 survey ran in early June and collected 1,008 responses. The five energy questions analysed: current home energy setup, the solar experience (only asked of solar owners – n=391), feed-in tariff rate (n=391), regret around getting solar (n=391), and how the current electricity bill compares to a year ago.
Cross-cuts by generation, gender, state and tenure (homeowner vs renter) are reported throughout where the underlying sample size supports them. Generation bands follow standard Australian definitions: Baby Boomers (1946–1964), Gen X (1965–1980), Gen Y / Millennials (1981–1996), and Gen Z (1997–2012). State allocation is derived from respondent postcodes.
Multi-select questions are reported as the percentage of respondents selecting each option, so totals exceed 100%. Single-select questions are rounded to the nearest whole percentage and may not sum to 100% due to rounding. State-level figures are reported where the sample supports them; the Northern Territory sample was too small to report.