Can solar run my air conditioning?

In summer, solar output peaks from late morning to late afternoon, which is when many homes want cooling. Each kilowatt-hour you use there is one you do not export for a small credit.

Retailer feed-in tariffs ranged from zero to 5.5 cents per kWh at 30 June 2026. Running your air conditioner on your own solar is usually a much better use of that power, and your bill shows the rate you would otherwise pay.

Solar does not always line up with demand. Evenings can stay hot after generation stops. Winter heating often peaks early morning and at night, when output is low or nil. Cloud reduces output too.

So solar alone rarely covers all your air conditioning. A battery can move daytime solar into the evening, as long as there is enough left for everything else.

The SA Government publishes hourly running costs as a guide, based on one retailer’s standing offer rates, and they are dated. These are for grid power on a flat rate. Solar you generate yourself offsets them.

• Heating, small reverse cycle, 12 square metres: 10c to 14c (May 2025)
• Heating, reverse cycle, 36 square metres: 36c to 48c (May 2025)
• Heating, zoned ducted reverse cycle, 200 square metres: $1.44 to $1.95 (May 2025)
• Cooling, split system, up to 36 square metres: 69c to 93c (page dated December 2023)
• Cooling, ducted refrigerative: $1.79 to $2.42 (page dated December 2023)

A few habits make a real difference.

• Pre-cool or pre-heat the home in the middle of the day
• Use timers or scheduling on your system
• Set the thermostat sensibly, because the SA Government says each degree lower in winter can cut running costs by up to 10%
• Close doors and use zones, so you only condition the rooms in use
• Keep filters clean and service the system

Air conditioning sizing depends on room size, ceilings, insulation, sun exposure and occupants. An oversized or undersized unit reduces efficiency and comfort.

Solar sizing depends on the same home. It makes sense to plan them together, particularly if ducted air conditioning will be a big part of your load. See how much solar you need.

REPS includes efficient reverse cycle air conditioning, both non-ducted and ducted or multi-split. There is also an activity for connecting a system to an approved demand response aggregator. Discounts come from retailers and activity providers, and they vary.

We look at your bill, your current heating and cooling, and your solar, then show what would change. If gas heating is part of the picture, we include that too. Book a bill audit.