Most Cairns households have never chosen their electricity plan, because in regional Queensland there is essentially nothing to choose. Ergon is the retailer, the tariffs are set through a regulated process, and the fine print on your bill decides more about your costs than any amount of shopping around.
The good news: once you understand the handful of tariffs that matter, you can arrange your home to pay less on the same rates. We are G-Solar & Electrical, based at 32 Magazine Street in Stratford, and helping FNQ homes beat their bills is literally our job.
Quick Answer
- Regional QLD homes cannot switch retailers the way capital city homes can. Ergon is it
- Tariff 11 is the standard flat rate most homes are on
- Tariff 33 is a cheaper controlled load rate, usually for hot water systems
- Demand tariffs charge you for your biggest usage spike, not just total usage
- The solar feed-in tariff is 6.006 cents per kWh for 2026-27
- Since you cannot switch plans, cutting grid usage with solar is the main lever you have
Why You Cannot Shop Around in Cairns
In Brisbane and the south east, dozens of retailers compete for your business. In the Ergon network area that covers Cairns and most of regional Queensland, the market works differently. Ergon Retail supplies homes at notified prices set through a regulated process, and the Queensland Competition Authority is involved in setting what those prices can be.
For you, that means two things. First, no plan-hopping tricks or discount games. Second, the only real way to cut your bill is to change what your home draws from the grid. That is worth knowing before you spend an afternoon on comparison sites that mostly cover the south east.
The Tariffs That Matter
Tariff 11: the standard flat rate
Most Cairns homes sit on Tariff 11. You pay a daily supply charge plus a flat rate for every kilowatt hour, whatever time you use it. Simple, predictable, and the rate that solar attacks most directly, because every kilowatt hour your panels supply is one you do not buy at the full flat rate.
Tariff 33: controlled load for hot water
Tariff 33 is a cheaper rate for appliances Ergon is allowed to switch on and off during the day, most commonly electric hot water systems on their own circuit. Your hot water heats when the network chooses, and you pay less per kilowatt hour for it.
If you have solar, though, there is often a smarter option than Tariff 33: heat your water in the middle of the day directly from your panels using a timer, so the energy is effectively free. We compare both approaches in our guide to heating water with solar.
Demand tariffs: paying for your biggest moment
Some newer tariffs include a demand charge. Instead of billing only total usage, they also bill your single highest usage window during peak times in the month. One evening of running the oven, aircon, dryer and pool pump together can set your demand charge for the whole month.
Demand tariffs reward smooth, spread-out usage. A home battery is the natural weapon here, because it shaves those evening peaks automatically by supplying your own stored power at exactly the moment demand pricing bites.
The feed-in tariff: what your exports earn
For 2026-27 the regional Queensland feed-in tariff is 6.006 cents per kilowatt hour, down about 29 percent from last year. We wrote a full breakdown in our QLD feed-in tariff guide. The short version: exporting is now pocket change, and self-use is where the value sits.
Reading Your Ergon Bill in 60 Seconds
Four numbers tell you almost everything:
- Daily supply charge. Fixed. You pay it regardless of usage. Solar cannot touch this line.
- Usage in kWh and the rate. The big lever. This is what solar, batteries and smart habits shrink.
- Controlled load lines. If Tariff 33 appears, you have a controlled circuit, usually hot water. Worth knowing before you redesign anything.
- Solar feed-in credits. Small and getting smaller. If this line is large and your bill is still high, you are exporting power you should be using. Our post on using more of your own solar fixes exactly that.
To estimate where your money goes room by room, our Cairns electricity bill calculator guide walks through typical FNQ usage patterns, and in this climate the honest answer is usually air conditioning. Our guide to running aircon on solar shows how to make the biggest load the cheapest one.
How Solar Changes Your Tariff Maths
Since you cannot switch retailers, here is the playbook that actually works in the Ergon area:
- Attack the usage line with panels. Every daytime kilowatt hour from your roof replaces a full-price grid one. Cairns averages about 5 peak sun hours a day, which is a lot of raw material. Start with our guide on whether solar is worth it in Queensland.
- Move flexible loads into daylight. Hot water, pool pumps, dishwashers, washing machines and EV charging can nearly all run while the sun does. Our EV charging guide shows the car version of this trick.
- Use a battery against evening rates and demand charges. Stored solar covers the evening peak, when the grid is dearest. With the federal rebate cutting roughly 30 percent off battery costs, the case is the strongest it has ever been. See our battery comparison and sizing guide. And if a battery salesperson has pitched you a virtual power plant, read our VPP guide for regional QLD before signing anything.
- Mind your export cap. Most Cairns homes can export up to 5 kVA. Our guide to solar export limits in QLD explains how to design around it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I switch electricity providers in Cairns?
For most homes, no. Regional Queensland is supplied by Ergon at regulated prices, unlike the south east where retailers compete. Cutting grid usage is the main way to cut your bill.
What is Tariff 11?
The standard residential flat rate in the Ergon area: a daily supply charge plus one rate per kilowatt hour at any time of day. Most Cairns homes are on it.
What is Tariff 33?
A cheaper controlled load rate for circuits Ergon can interrupt, most often electric hot water. The trade-off is that the network controls when the appliance runs.
What is a demand tariff?
A tariff that also charges for your highest usage spike during peak windows, not just your total. Spreading out appliance use and running a battery in the evening are the two best defences.
What is the Ergon feed-in tariff for 2026-27?
6.006 cents per kilowatt hour in the Ergon network area. That is roughly a quarter of what grid power costs to buy, which is why self-consumption now beats exporting.
Does solar still make sense if I cannot switch to a better plan?
More so, not less. Where there is no cheaper plan to flee to, generating your own power is the one price cut nobody can take away. A well-sized system with smart daytime habits routinely removes the majority of a home’s grid usage.
Beat the Tariff You Cannot Choose
You cannot pick your retailer in Cairns, but you can pick how much you buy from them. We design solar and battery systems around Ergon’s actual tariffs and your actual usage, backed by a 10 year workmanship guarantee. Call 07 4039 4914 or book a free consultation.