REBS to DEBS: Perth solar export scheme history and current state

If you installed solar in Perth before 2020, you may have been on the Renewable Energy Buyback Scheme (REBS) — and you may have heard that the rate has changed significantly since then. Here's a history of Perth's solar export arrangements and what the current DEBS means for both new and existing solar owners.

The original REBS: what it was

The Renewable Energy Buyback Scheme (REBS) was WA's original solar export payment program. Residential customers who installed solar were paid a flat rate for every kWh they exported to the Synergy grid, regardless of time of day.

The original REBS rate (set in 2010–2011 when the scheme launched) was 47.135c/kWh — significantly above the retail electricity rate. This was designed to incentivise early adopters during a period when solar installation costs were very high.

Over subsequent years, the rate was progressively reduced:

• From 1 January 2012: 40c/kWh (new connections; existing 47.135c connections grandfathered)
• From 1 November 2014: 7.135c/kWh (new connections; existing higher rates grandfathered)
• From 1 October 2017: 3c/kWh (new connections)
• 2020: REBS replaced by DEBS for new connections; existing REBS customers gradually transitioned

What happened to REBS customers

Customers who installed solar and registered with REBS before the various cutoff dates were grandfathered at their registered rate for a period:

• Original 47.135c registrations: grandfathered for a fixed term (typically 10 years from installation)
• Later 7.135c registrations: grandfathered until their 10-year period expired

A Perth homeowner who installed solar in 2012 at the 40c/kWh REBS rate was receiving that rate until approximately 2022. When their grandfathered period expired, they transitioned to DEBS rates (10c/2c time-of-use).

If you think you're still on REBS: Check your Synergy bill for the export credit section. If it shows a flat-rate credit (e.g., 7.135c/kWh or another historical rate) applied uniformly to all exports, you may be on a grandfathered REBS arrangement. As of 2026, most 10-year grandfathered REBS periods have expired (covering installations from 2012–2016). Installations from 2016–2019 at the 3c/kWh rate had shorter transitional terms.

If you're unsure of your current export rate, call Synergy on 13 13 53 and ask which solar export scheme your account is currently on.

What DEBS replaced REBS with

The Distributed Energy Buyback Scheme (DEBS) launched in January 2020 for new solar connections. Unlike REBS (flat rate regardless of time), DEBS uses two rates based on time of day:

• Super Off-Peak (9am–3pm): 10c/kWh — the peak export window, reflecting the grid's high midday solar generation period
• Off-Peak (all other hours): 2c/kWh — the base export rate

The rationale for the time-of-use structure was to reflect the grid's actual value of exported power:

• At 9am–3pm: the grid has high demand from business and industry, and solar exports have genuine grid value → 10c/kWh
• At 7pm: the grid has plenty of supply (the evening demand has passed peak) and solar exports have lower marginal value → 2c/kWh

How DEBS compares to REBS financially

For a Perth household exporting 5,000 kWh/year under each scheme:

| Scheme | Export credit/year (5,000 kWh) | |---|---| | REBS 47.135c/kWh flat | $2,357 | | REBS 7.135c/kWh flat | $357 | | REBS 3c/kWh flat | $150 | | DEBS 10c/2c (80% Super OP, 20% OP) | $500 |

The transition from the original 47.135c REBS to DEBS represented a large reduction in export income for early adopters. However, in the years since 2012, solar system costs have fallen 70–80%, so the financial case for solar no longer depends on premium export rates — it depends primarily on self-consumption offset of retail electricity costs.

DEBS + Midday Saver interaction: On the Midday Saver tariff, DEBS export rates are the same (10c/2c). The Midday Saver tariff affects what you pay for grid consumption, not what you receive for exports.

Connecting a new system to DEBS

For Perth households installing solar in 2026, DEBS is the automatic arrangement. There's nothing to apply for separately — Synergy configures your meter for DEBS export credits when the NCN is approved and your meter is configured for solar.

Confirm DEBS is active: On your first Synergy bill after solar installation, look for the DEBS credit section. It should show two line items: Super Off-Peak exports (kWh × 10c) and Off-Peak exports (kWh × 2c). If only one rate appears or the section is absent, call Synergy to confirm the configuration.

Battery storage and DEBS

Batteries don't directly earn DEBS credits — only energy exported from the battery to the grid earns DEBS. However, a battery can be configured to export stored solar energy during the DEBS Super Off-Peak window (9am–3pm) even if the solar panels themselves aren't generating enough to export at that moment.

For example: solar charges the battery from 7am–9am, then at 9am the battery begins exporting to earn 10c/kWh DEBS credits (rather than just covering household load). This "DEBS arbitrage" strategy works on some hybrid inverters (Fronius Gen24, Sungrow SH) that can be configured to export at a programmed time.

The financial benefit is modest — the 10c/kWh credit vs. offsetting grid consumption at 33.26c/kWh means self-consumption is nearly always more valuable. But in periods of low household daytime demand (unoccupied house, efficient AC, away from home), DEBS export maximisation makes sense.

REBS was Perth's original solar export scheme, starting at 47c/kWh and declining to 3c/kWh before being replaced by DEBS in 2020. DEBS pays 10c/kWh for Super Off-Peak exports (9am–3pm) and 2c/kWh for Off-Peak exports. Most pre-2016 REBS grandfathered periods have now expired. New solar connections automatically receive DEBS; confirm the credit appears on your first Synergy bill after installation.