Virtual power plant
Your battery earns its keep. Your home still comes first.
HighFlow Energy's Bring Your Own Battery program puts a home battery to work supporting the grid when it has spare capacity, and pays for it with a monthly electricity allowance. New Ability Energy customers join through a dedicated sign-up.
Bill-free allowance, up to 1,000 kWh $380 to $420 a month worked at 38 to 42 cents a kWh
Check my eligibility$380 to $420 is the top tier, at 1,000 kWh a month. Every tier scales the same way, from about $190 to $210 at 500 kWh. Your tier is set by the size of the battery, the inverter and the solar on the roof. Above the allowance, electricity is charged at the rate on your price schedule. No daily supply charge, no fixed term, no exit fee.
How it works
Set it up once. HighFlow runs it in the background.
A virtual power plant is a fleet of home batteries operated together as one. Yours joins the fleet, your household keeps priority, and the allowance arrives on the bill every month.
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Check the system
Solar over 5 kW, a battery of at least 28 kWh and an inverter of at least 5 kW, all on HighFlow's compatible list and connected to the internet. That sets which allowance tier you land on.
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Sign up through New Ability Energy
A dedicated sign-up page for our customers. HighFlow manages the eligibility check, the switch and the ongoing program. There is no cost to check and no obligation to proceed.
What you sign -
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The battery joins the fleet
HighFlow may charge or discharge it remotely to support the grid. It only ever uses spare capacity. Your home always comes first, and you do nothing day to day.
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The allowance lands on the bill
Each bill shows the allowance, what you used, what was bill-free, and any excess. Usage above the allowance is charged at the excess rate on your price schedule.
The allowance
Six tiers. Bigger system, bigger allowance.
HighFlow's sizing guide sets the tier from three numbers. The solar system, the battery and the inverter all have to clear the minimum for a tier to apply.
| Tier | Bill-free allowance | Worth about | Battery, at least | Battery inverter, at least |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 500 | 500 kWh a month | $190 to $210 | 28 kWh | 5 kW |
| 600 | 600 kWh a month | $228 to $252 | 28 kWh | 8 kW |
| 700 | 700 kWh a month | $266 to $294 | 28 kWh | 10 kW |
| 800 | 800 kWh a month | $304 to $336 | 30 kWh | 8 kW |
| 900 | 900 kWh a month | $342 to $378 | 40 kWh | 10 kW |
| 1000 | 1,000 kWh a month | $380 to $420 | 50 kWh | 10 kW |
Solar must be greater than 5 kW for every tier. The allowance, battery and inverter figures are HighFlow Energy's, from the sizing guide linked below, and the retail agreement governs. Dollar values are the allowance multiplied by 38 to 42 cents a kWh, the usage rate band on a residential plan in New South Wales. They state what the allowance is worth at that rate. They are not a saving on your bill, which depends on what you were paying before.
Worked through
A 30 kWh battery on an 8 kW inverter is tier 800.
That is the storage in our small-home package. With solar above 5 kW on the roof, HighFlow's guide puts it at 800 kWh of bill-free electricity a month, worth about $304 to $336 at 38 to 42 cents a kWh.
New Ability Energy has arranged an additional monthly allowance for its customers on top of the tier. The exact figure is confirmed with HighFlow at sign-up, and it is written on the price schedule before anything is agreed.
Above the allowance, electricity is charged at the excess usage rate on your price schedule. One rate, printed before you agree to anything, and not a wholesale price that moves through the day.
Who it suits
The more a house runs on electricity, the more the allowance is worth.
HighFlow's own line is that you still get a bill every month, and it may be $0. The allowance does the work in winter, when the roof produces less and more of what a home uses has to come from the grid.
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Set and forget
HighFlow manages the plant and the battery in the background. There is nothing to schedule and nothing to watch.
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No service fee
There is no separate monthly charge for the program, and the daily supply charge is $0.
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Winter, covered
Solar falls in winter and grid purchases rise. The allowance is the same every month, so it carries the most weight when the roof carries the least.
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One rate above the line
Excess usage is charged at a set rate on the price schedule. It is not a wholesale plan, and there is no exposure to a spike in the evening peak.
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Works with a compatible battery you already own
Twenty brands are on HighFlow's list, including Fox ESS, Sigenergy, Sungrow and Tesla. No new hardware if yours qualifies.
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Built for high-use homes
An electric car, electric hot water, a pool pump or a large house with air conditioning all draw on the allowance. Those are the homes it was sized for.
Eligibility
Five things HighFlow checks.
- You live in New South Wales, where New Ability Energy installs.
- You own the battery, and it is connected to the internet.
- Solar of more than 5 kW on the roof.
- A battery of at least 28 kWh on an inverter of at least 5 kW, which is the entry tier. Larger systems reach higher tiers.
- The battery is on HighFlow's compatible list.
HighFlow's compatible list, as published:
- Alpha ESS
- Anker Solix
- BYD
- Deye
- Enphase
- Fox ESS
- Fronius
- GoodWe
- Hinen
- Hoymiles
- Lithium Valley
- Neovolt
- Sigenergy
- SodiumSafe
- SolarEdge
- Solis
- Sonnen
- Sungrow
- Tesla
- Victron Energy
There is no cost to check and no obligation to proceed. If the system on your roof does not clear the entry tier, we will tell you what would.
Before you ask
The questions we get about the plant.
Every answer here is HighFlow's published position, and the sources are at the bottom of the page.
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Does HighFlow control my battery?
It may charge or discharge the battery remotely to support the grid, and it only uses spare capacity. Your home's needs always come first. That is HighFlow's rule, not ours.
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Can I leave?
Yes. There is no fixed contract term, no exit fee and no cancellation fee. You can leave at any time.
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What does a bill look like?
Monthly or quarterly, and it shows the allowance, what you used, what was bill-free and any excess. HighFlow's own words: you still receive a bill, and it may be $0.
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I do not have a battery yet.
Then the package comes first. Our small-home package carries 30 kWh of storage, which clears tier 800 on an 8 kW inverter with the solar to match. We size the system and the allowance together.
Sources
- New Ability Energy sign-up. HighFlow Energy. The program name, the New Ability Energy partnership, and that usage above the allowance is charged at the applicable retail rate.
- Sizing guide. HighFlow Energy. The six tiers, their minimum battery and inverter sizes, and the solar minimum.
- Frequently asked questions. HighFlow Energy. That the home comes first, that the plant uses spare capacity only, the $0 daily supply charge, no fixed term and no exit fee, and what a bill shows.
- Eligibility. HighFlow Energy. Ownership and internet connection, the compatible brand list, no cost to check and no obligation to proceed.
A battery that pays its way, from a company that will still be here.
Every system we sell is installed, contracted and warranted by New Ability Energy, an electrical contractor of ten years with its own team of electricians.