Why do I still need to pay for electricity with solar connected?

You pay to be connected to the network and only pay for electricity when your panels aren't producing enough energy to power your home. 

You can certainly save on your electricity costs when you have a solar system, but how much you could save depends on how you consume electricity. If you’re running a lot of energy-hungry appliances such as air conditioning or a pool pump (particularly at night), the solar energy your system produces generally won’t be enough to power those appliances.

You can make the most of your solar investment by adopting a few habits to shift your use of some of your appliances to during the day – such as setting your dishwasher, pool pump or washing machine to run between 10am – 2pm on sunny days.

Additionally, your electricity bill includes a daily supply charge – which is a fixed amount per day that contributes to maintaining the electricity network that distributes electricity from generators to homes and businesses. It is charged for each day your premises are connected to the electricity network and does not change with your electricity consumption.