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Amber SmartShift

Operated by Amber

Wholesale-price retailer whose SmartShift automation trades your battery against the live market — earnings are uncapped but variable, and a $25/month membership applies. QLD availability is the Energex (south-east) network only.

Open to new customers
  • NSW
  • VIC
  • QLD
  • SA
  • ACT
Last checked 1 Sep 2026

At a glance

Signup
Not offered
Ongoing
Not offered
Events
Market-linked · up to ~$19/kWhper kWh, at market pricesThe full wholesale price is passed through on every exported kWh; Amber's official SmartShift guidance says there is no earnings cap, while the advertised up-to-$19/kWh figure is an example of a possible spike rather than a guaranteed rate. SmartShift also charges the battery when prices are cheap or negative.
Membership fee
Cost:$25 per month
Min reserve
Unknown
Retailer
Provider electricity account required

Compensation

Each component listed separately. One-off, per-period and per-kWh amounts are never added together.

Signup creditNot offered

No signup credit forms part of this program.

Ongoing creditNot offered

No ongoing credit forms part of this program.

Event paymentsMarket-linked · up to ~$19/kWhper kWh, at market pricesThe full wholesale price is passed through on every exported kWh; Amber's official SmartShift guidance says there is no earnings cap, while the advertised up-to-$19/kWh figure is an example of a possible spike rather than a guaranteed rate. SmartShift also charges the battery when prices are cheap or negative.

Value is linked to variable market prices, so no fixed amount is recorded.

Solar feed-inNot offered

The program adds no feed-in premium; exports are paid at the underlying plan's standard rate.

Other valueNot a cash amount
  • Exports earn the live wholesale price — there is no fixed feed-in tariff
  • SmartShift charges your battery from the grid when wholesale prices are cheap or negative

Costs & fees

Anything payable by you, shown in the cost treatment beside the credits above. Where nothing is charged we say so explicitly.

Membership feeCost:$25 per month

Charged per month whether or not any event is called — it comes off whatever you earn.

Setup feeUnknown

Not stated in the provider's published terms, so recorded as Unknown rather than zero.

Exit feeNone

Not charged by this program.

Required plan

The standard public subscription is $25/month. The current Detailed Information Sheet controls customer-specific tariffs and fees; technology/API services, payment methods and distributor service work may add charges. The SA RSR reference tariff charges 0.75c/kWh ex GST above an 11 kWh/day allowance pooled across each bill period. Indicative scenarios require confirmation of the matching standard tariff and fees; profiles crossing that allowance need bill dates and action chronology. Amber's Market Electricity Supply Contract states "we will not charge you an exit fee" and "Amber does not charge any additional fee for cancelling this contract, either during the cooling off period or at any other time"; no setup/establishment fee is stated for the retail contract or the SmartShift Contract.

The underlying plan’s rates are not part of this comparison — compare them separately.

Requirements & lock-ins

What you agree to, and the limit on how much energy the operator may take.

Contract length
No minimum term
Electricity account & required plan
Provider electricity account requiredThe standard public subscription is $25/month. The current Detailed Information Sheet controls customer-specific tariffs and fees; technology/API services, payment methods and distributor service work may add charges. The SA RSR reference tariff charges 0.75c/kWh ex GST above an 11 kWh/day allowance pooled across each bill period. Indicative scenarios require confirmation of the matching standard tariff and fees; profiles crossing that allowance need bill dates and action chronology. Amber's Market Electricity Supply Contract states "we will not charge you an exit fee" and "Amber does not charge any additional fee for cancelling this contract, either during the cooling off period or at any other time"; no setup/establishment fee is stated for the retail contract or the SmartShift Contract.
Minimum battery reserve
Unknown
Dispatch cap
Unknown
Government incentives
  • NSW VPP Incentive

Listed because this program can be combined with the scheme — eligibility for the scheme itself is decided by the scheme, not the provider.

Compatible systems

Battery products the provider lists as supported. Some require a specific inverter pairing.

Exact battery/inverter combinations require the official SmartShift Compatibility Checker, including SA enrolment approval. The current official compatibility list (updated 8 April 2026) also covers 1KOMMA5, Neovolt, Enphase (with an IQ 7 or IQ 8 inverter), GivEnergy, Fronius Reserva (with a GEN24 series inverter), Hive and REA Power systems, none flagged as beta on that list. Brand inclusion alone is not installation approval.

Compatibility is an initial screen from the provider's published lists — final eligibility sits with the provider.

How control works

Who decides when your battery discharges, and what you keep a say over.

Who dispatches
SmartShift automates charge/discharge against wholesale prices and offers app controls where supported. Its published direct-discharge floor is 25%; a higher manufacturer reserve takes priority. Current terms permit temporary overrides during extreme market or weather events, require at least 90% internet accessibility, prohibit competing optimisation, and limit Amber-directed cycling to twice per 24 hours. Cancellation requires at least 14 days written notice and control may continue during unenrolment. Technology/API fees may apply when notified.
Mobile app
App control: Yes
Opting out
Opt out per event: Yes

Sources

Every figure above comes from these pages, each dated the day we last read it.

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