Rooftop solar has transformed how Melbourne households use electricity — but for a significant number of homes, one frustrating limitation has remained. If your property is in an area where United Energy's network was already running close to capacity, your solar connection may have been approved with a 0kW export limit. That means your panels generate power for your home, but any surplus — the energy that would otherwise earn you a feed-in tariff — simply goes to waste.
That changes on 1 July 2026. United Energy has announced the first phase of its Flexible Exports rollout, and it's specifically designed to unlock export capability for customers in exactly this situation.
Why Do Export Limits Exist in the First Place?
The Australian electricity grid was originally designed for one-way power flow — from large generators out to homes and businesses. Rooftop solar flipped that model on its head. When thousands of homes in the same neighbourhood export solar at the same time, the local network can come under pressure.
To manage this safely, distributors like United Energy set export limits on new solar connections. In most areas that's typically around 5kW per phase. In network-constrained areas — where hosting capacity is already tight — new connections have sometimes been approved at 0kW export.
What Is Flexible Exports, Exactly?
Flexible Exports is a dynamic approach to export limits. Instead of a fixed cap that never changes, your allowed export level adjusts in real time based on how much capacity the local network has available at any given moment.
When the network has spare capacity, your export allowance goes up — potentially to around 10kW. When the network is under pressure, it comes back down. Your smart inverter communicates with United Energy's systems and adjusts automatically.
Flexible Exports doesn't affect your ability to use your own solar energy — it only governs what you send to the grid when you have surplus.
How It Works — Four Steps
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Your inverter talks to the network Via your home internet, your smart inverter communicates with United Energy's systems using CSIP-AUS — the national standard protocol for this type of real-time grid management.
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Available capacity is assessed continuously United Energy monitors the hosting capacity of each section of the network in real time. When capacity is available, your export allowance is raised — potentially up to around 10kW.
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Your inverter adjusts automatically No action required from you. Your system keeps generating, your home's loads are served first, and surplus energy exports within the current allowed limit.
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You earn feed-in credits on exports Whatever is exported earns your retailer's current feed-in tariff rate. Feed-in rates aren't as generous as they were in the early solar days, but they're meaningfully better than earning nothing at all.
The Two Choices Available From 1 July
United Energy is not forcing anyone to change. Customers currently on a 0kW pre-approved export limit will be given a straightforward choice:
0kW Static Limit
- No change to your current setup
- Surplus solar continues to be wasted
- No feed-in tariff earnings from exports
- No internet requirement for exports
- No action needed
Flexible Exports Connection
- Dynamic export — up to ~10kW when available
- Earn feed-in credits on surplus energy
- Exports adjust automatically in real time
- Requires compatible inverter & home internet
- Enrol via eConnect / myEnergy portal
Am I Eligible?
Phase 1 is specifically targeted at customers who already have a 0kW pre-approved export limit with United Energy. Here's a quick breakdown of who's likely in scope:
✓ Likely Eligible
- Currently on a 0kW export limit with United Energy
- CSIP-AUS compatible inverter installed
- System installed on or after October 2024
- Home internet connected to inverter
- Property in United Energy's service area (Melbourne south & east)
⚠ May Need Assessment
- Older system without dynamic export support
- Inverter installed pre-October 2024
- No internet connection at the property
- Already on a 5kW static limit (different process)
- Served by Jemena, AusNet, CitiPower, or Powercor
Not sure which distributor covers your home? Properties across Frankston, Dandenong, Glen Waverley, Knox, Ringwood, and the Mornington Peninsula are generally in United Energy's service area.
What Do You Actually Need to Do?
United Energy has updated both its eConnect and myEnergy portals so that enrolment in Flexible Exports happens as part of the standard solar alteration request — not a separate bureaucratic process. Your solar installer can handle this on your behalf.
Your action checklist
- Confirm your inverter is CSIP-AUS compatible and has the latest firmware installed.
- Check your internet connection to the inverter is active — if the Wi-Fi password or modem has changed since installation, this needs updating.
- Contact your solar installer to lodge the alteration request via eConnect or myEnergy and handle the enrolment steps.
- Accept United Energy's T&Cs for the Flexible Exports connection — this is done as part of the alteration request workflow.
- Confirm your inverter's LFDI (Long Form Device Identifier) is correctly registered with United Energy.
Battery Owners: This Matters Even More for You
If you have a solar and battery system, Flexible Exports unlocks more of the value in your investment. Your battery charges from solar during the day, and when the grid has capacity, your system can export at times of higher network demand — which are also often the times when feed-in rates are better value.
Systems like the Sigenergy SigenStor, Tesla Powerwall 3, and GoodWe hybrid inverters are already designed to operate within dynamic export frameworks. CSIP-AUS compliance is built into these platforms — the key step is ensuring registration and enrolment are completed correctly with United Energy.
What About Other Victorian Networks?
This Phase 1 rollout covers United Energy customers only. However, Flexible Exports are coming across all Victorian distributors. Jemena is targeting 2026, while CitiPower, Powercor, and AusNet Services are rolling out progressively through the 2026–2031 period. If you're not with United Energy today, your turn is coming.
Common Questions
Do I need a new inverter to participate?
Not necessarily. If your system was installed after October 2024, it almost certainly already has a CSIP-AUS compatible inverter — this was a mandatory requirement from that date in Victoria. If your system is older, compatibility depends on the specific inverter model. Your installer can check this quickly.
Is the 10kW export limit guaranteed at all times?
No. The ~10kW figure is the upper range when network hosting capacity allows it. Your actual export limit changes in real time based on local grid conditions. There will be times when the limit is lower — or effectively 0kW — even after you enrol.
Will this affect how much solar I use in my own home?
No. Your household loads are always prioritised. Flexible Exports only regulates surplus energy that would otherwise be exported (or curtailed). Self-consumption in your home is unchanged.
What if I'd prefer to stay on the 0kW static limit?
You can. United Energy is offering a genuine choice — staying on 0kW static means no change to your current setup and no enrolment required. You simply won't earn feed-in credits on surplus solar.
I'm with Jemena / AusNet / CitiPower — does this apply to me?
Not yet in Phase 1. This July 2026 launch is for United Energy customers on a 0kW pre-approved export limit. Other Victorian distributors are rolling out Flexible Exports on their own timelines through 2031.
Can my solar generation ever be turned off remotely?
Flexible Exports adjusts your export limit, not your ability to generate for self-consumption. In extreme grid events, distributors have existing powers to curtail exports network-wide — but that's separate from day-to-day Flexible Exports operation and applies under established safety frameworks.
Ready to Unlock Your System's Full Potential?
Our team can confirm your inverter's compatibility, handle the United Energy enrolment process, and get you exporting before 1 July 2026.
Guide for Melbourne & Victoria homeowners on United Energy Flexible Exports (Phase 1, 1 July 2026). For enrolment and technical requirements, refer to United Energy's published Flexible Exports documentation and your accredited installer.