15 July 2026

Low income households can register now to potentially save hundreds each year off their energy bills, as community batteries power up across the state.

The June State Budget included an additional $15 million over four years to continue the rollout of the emPowering SA community batteries program, with access prioritised for SA Housing Trust tenants that do not already have solar or battery at their home.

A partnership between the South Australian government and energy retailer AGL, the emPowering SA program is rolling out a fleet of community batteries that, when complete, will bring bill savings to more than 10,000 nominated households facing cost of living pressures.

Hundreds of low income households are already seeing cost-of-living savings on their energy bills through the established batteries in Magill and Edwardstown, while construction on the latest battery in Port Pirie was completed just weeks ago.

A new awareness program is now underway, inviting potential participants to register their interest in signing on for lower-cost renewable energy through emPowering SA.

While priority is being given to SA Housing Trust tenants in council areas where emPowering SA community batteries are already installed and operational, new batteries will join the fleet regularly, so eligible tenants are being encouraged to register their interest now at www.empowering.sa.gov.au/join to ensure they can be contacted as soon as places come available.

Households nominated by the South Australian Government will have access to a special electricity plan from AGL that delivers large discounts against the Default Market Offer (DMO), the default price for electricity.

The electricity plan currently delivers electricity rates 26% below the Default Market Offer (DMO_. On current figures, this means a typical household benefitting from emPowering SA could save up to $608 off their annual electricity bill (based on the annual saving estimate for a new residential customer with an annual energy consumption of 4,000 kilowatt-hours per year when compared to the 2026/27 DMO).

The emPowering SA fleet currently consists of three active batteries, in the City of Marion, Campbelltown City Council, and Port Pirie Regional Council areas, with more in the pipeline. When complete, the fleet of 18 batteries across the state is expected to deliver around $60 million of value to low-income and energy hardship households across South Australia over the life of the batteries.

Community batteries store excess energy from the grid when renewable energy is abundant and make it available at night, during periods of high demand, or when the grid needs support. In addition to direct financial benefits to connected households, community batteries also serve to improve the stability of the electricity grid, improve understanding of household energy use patterns, and help reduce barriers to the deployment other large-scale community energy infrastructure.

Councils and local communities are supporting the emPowering SA roll out by helping to identify suitable locations for the batteries. The Australian Government has also contributed funding through its Community Batteries for Household Solar program.

Find out more about the emPowering SA program