Hey @Lester, great point you bring up there!

Just so you are aware, the Battery Rewards Plan is a separate offer to our VPP. If you meet the eligibility requirements for our VPP, you can join and start earning more rewards even if you’re already on the AGL Battery Rewards Plan.

In terms of the Digital Vist Gift Cards, they can be used anywhere Prepaid Visa Gift Cards are accepted online and in-store with contactless point of sale terminals. Your AGL Prepaid Digital Visa Card cannot be used as a credit card or linked to any deposit account.  You first need to activate the card, following the prompts in your email or SMS.  Your card will remain valid for 3 years. 

Use of the AGL Prepaid Digital Visa Card is subject to the following Terms & Conditions and Excluded Merchants apply see: agl-battery-rewards-prepaid-digital-visa-card-terms.pdf.

Cheers Basil,

I dug deeper and saw that the rewards were not just for that 700kWh - 750kWh, there are lower tiers too, so any sort of bonus is on top of other benefits one might be on (VPP etc).

Good to know about the card and useful anywhere, much nicer having that option.

I'm guessing AGL are trying various offers to see what people might be more aligned to, maybe after I finish the Solar Grid Savers trial (sans battery) I will look at all on the table for VPP and other such.

Thanks again for the reply.

Thx for this. Are you saying that the rewards will stack. i.e. under VPP says 'AGL is pay $1 for 1kWh exported from 5pm to 9am' (with a cap of 250kWh in a quarter).

Under Battery Rewards, you are tracking and accumulating total exports towards gift cards. 

Does that mean that the exports between 5pm-9pm count towards both ... i.e. $1 under VPP plan and also towards Gift Cards under Battery Rewards?

..

@prayas where are you getting the "$1 for 1kWh exported from 5pm to 9am' (with a cap of 250kWh in a quarter)" from ?

I know things are different in various states / regions, but I'd be flabbergasted to know any get near that, eg Solar Savers pays 8c for first 10kwh a day, then 2c thereafter.

The $150 / quarter offer (up to $600 a year) is pretty good for those that want such a reward.

The 700kwh - 750kwh export per quarter is equal to 7.6kwh - 8.2kwh a day, quite achievable for most average mid size 10kw PV systems even through some winter days.

You'd probably want 20kwh of battery capacity to enable dumping of that (say safe) 10kwh a day, and still have enough to carry you through the usage needs for the evening / next morning before the sun's producing again for you to recharge.

A $150 reward for 700kwh exported a quarter would be equal to 21.4c / kwh.

A $150 reward for 750kwh exported a quarter would be equal to 20c / kwh.

Nothing to sneeze at if you can use it for groceries, other essentials, or even a nice reward of something one just wants.

Based on what I understood, yes that is on top of whatever VPP rate you get normally for exports.

For SA, that appears to be the usual 2c / kwh on this plan.

@Lester 

I am in NSW ... the standard AGL VPP plan in NSW (with $200 sign-on bonus)

I don't think there is a limit. I have been exporting an average of 10kWh each day between 5-9pm, since September. (At some point, I will sign-up to the VPP). Looking forward to that gift card. 🙂

I am particularly keen to understand how you calculate the 'quarter' ... does it start from the day we signed-up and activated the Battery Saver Plan (or you go by calendar quarters)?

An additional question for AGL team --- if we sign-up to your VPP (on the Battery Saver plan), the kWh energy we export for each VPP event (capped to 250kWh per year) will also count towards the 'Battery Saver plan' gift cards, right? 

@prayas I get a message that I would get the sign up credit in January meaning 3 months from joining makes me assume that the quarter is the billing quarter from the day you join. 

@Gihan I am waiting for AGL to confirm .. regardless, this will be quarterly and will align with 90 days from your sign-up date (or the next quarterly bill) ... 

Hey @rejul333, 

We are in the process of expanding our VPP capability and will be announcing new eligibility across the coming months as this expands.

HI BASIL

Can a $400 electricity credit be used for the supply charge?

Thanks 

Hi @Basil_AGL

Still waiting for your response regarding the $400 electricity credit.

Can this credit be used toward the supply charge?

Thank you!

@Sam85 thats what my account says - will get $400 bill credit at 3 months - I just joined though -

so have to wait till January 

Hi @Sam85,

Yes, AGL bill credits can be used towards supply charges, as credits are applied to the total balance of your bill which includes both usage and supply charges.

Check out this section of the landing page here on how much you could earn https://www.agl.com.au/residential/energy/compare-plans/energy-offer?webid=BRPLAN&cidi=AGL-B1003589#...

For every 1-40 kWh exported, you’ll earn $10 worth of Digital Prepaid Visa Gift Cards (to a max of $400 in each 3-month period). The $600 per year is just a promotional headline we're using based on an average home battery  exporting up to 600 kWh ($150 worth of Digital Gift cards) per quarter. 

At the end of your 3-month period, we’ll let you know how much you’ve exported, along with your Prepaid Digital Visa card via email and SMS.

Hope that helps. 

Hi Ab12345,

I have an Alpha ESS battery and have signed up to battery rewards, and VPP.

I'm disappointed, as Alpha told me their app only enables discharge settings to home and they may update it in future. A helpful AGL solar guy explained this is the case... AGL may put pressure on Alpha. He said even on VPP, AGL can't enable auto time discharge settings for me. I'm willing to wait it out for 6 months, because of the generous account credits AGL has offered me for joining and staying as  a VPP

 Hi Mal_1,

Just build a Home Assistant integration and you can control all aspects of your battery, including discharge time and power. See screenshot. 

@DJW . . .

https://www.agl.com.au/residential/solar-and-batteries/virtual-power-plant 

Down the bottom in the things you should know compatible batteries and inverters.

Yes the above link is for VPP, but just t ocheck about the usual compatibility of the Sungrow inverters / batteries.

There are even less strigent requirements that come up when you bring up the Battery Rewards page . . .

https://www.agl.com.au/residential/energy/compare-plans/energy-offer?webid=BRPLAN 

In the elegibility criteria "Have a solar battery of any brand installed at the supply address"

Have you spoken to anyone at AGL, beyond the support front line ?

They can sometimes be limited in their knowlege base.

Maybe a tech dept type can assist more.

Hi @Graeme1,

You can download full data on the usage tab. sort by date and solar. See download near the billing period. You can copy the date to another column, change format to date and sort by 5pm to 8.30pm if looking for peak exports only. On you meter code 13 will also give you exports.

I am also new to AGL and the Battery Rewards plan which is a very good plan but I have to say I am both shocked and disappointed that customers have to track how they are progressing towards their quarterly gift cards themselves. Surely it is not that complicated for AGL to enhance the app to show this all important information so that customers are both informed and encouraged re their 5-9 pm energy exports. Very poor for a large and supposedly professional corporation not to be doing this well before customers have to complain and point out the obvious. 

That is not correct. Most batteries are simply limited to 5kW/ phase.

Those few on dynamic supply may export 10kW/phase, EXCEPT ""Support for the Generation (G) compliance type is required for Solar PV. Support for both the Load (L) and Generation (G) compliance type is required for Dynamic EVSE and BESS. Any inverters or devices at the site that are not supported by the communication client must be set to non-export and non-import for the site to be compliant.” 

So maybe you are referring to dynamic supply x a battery brand without explicit network approval for both Load and Generation

Thank you for expert response. Is there any solution available for Alpha Ess 5 Kwh inverter.

Hi @Mustansarnazir 

Aside from the $800 sign up credit, one of the other perks is earning up to $600 in gift cards each year. 
To find out more please follow this link : AGL Battery Rewards Plan
Thanks, Chris

I am in the previous / initial Battery Rewards scheme - I jumped in when it was first advertised - so just got $400 credit for being with AGL for 3 months and $390 for the quarter for peak exports ( max is 400 per quarter in the old one) / seems like when they launched the NEW Battery Rewards scheme - they cut back on the “ rewards” 😁😁😁