Five practical ways farmers can improve power supply and cut electricity costs

Farms on Single Wire Earth Return (SWER) and remote power supplies occasionally experience flickering lights, low voltage, brown outs and even outages. There are a number of reasons this can occur and there can be practical steps that farmers can take to reduce costs as well as improve their power supply starting with free and low-cost actions.

 When a number of farms connected to the same power line have multiple loads running at the same time this can cause peak demand spikes and may lead to lower voltage, brown-outs or even outages.

Many farms report that these issues tend to occur in the late afternoon and early evening.

These five tips will help reduce power costs and assist in reducing the chance of supply disruptions, particularly in the afternoons and evenings:

1. Understand your power use
2. Shift flexible loads into the daytime solar window and out of the afternoon peak
3. Install simple timers and controls
4. Upgrade inefficient equipment
5. Consider solar and batteries 

Understand your power use

It helps to know your pattern of energy consumption during the day: how much power you use and when.  

If a lot of appliances like air conditioners, pumps, welders, bore and pressure pumps and hot water systems all operate at the same time, it can cause high demand. 

What is the main equipment on the farm and when is it used?  Start by identifying:

• What equipment uses the most electricity?
• What runs between about 4 pm and 9 pm?
• What equipment may not need to operate at those times?

Energy use patterns change throughout the year with different irrigation, on-farm processing and workers living on site for harvesting, planting or mustering. 

Review your energy data to help with this understanding:

• Check your power bills to look for changes in consumption and demand as well as export from solar systems.
• Register for your electricity retailer’s data portal such as Ergon Energy’s My Account
• Review the data from your solar system’s inverter
• Find out if you have any other data available – such as smart meters, or apps from any equipment that might track energy consumption.

If you regularly check the energy data for the farm, you will know the patterns of consumption and be able to manage it more easily.

Shift flexible loads into the solar window and out of the afternoon peak

The solar window occurs during the day while solar power systems are generating power and generally coincides with when the usage charges on Time of Use tariffs are lowest. 

The afternoon peak is between 4PM and 9PM and when there is generally a high demand on the network and can also be when the electricity usage charges on time of use tariffs are highest.

If there are appliances you can run during the solar window instead of the afternoon peak, it may help reduce costs and reduce the chance of afternoon brown outs.

If possible, run bore pumps, water transfer, workshops, ice machines or other flexible loads during the middle of the day when solar generation is highest and network demand is lower. 

For example: if your water tanks are large enough, you can fill water tanks with the bore pump before 4pm, and still gravity feed or use smaller pressure pumps during the evening peak if needed.

The strategy to use solar power is the same as to make the most of Time of Use electricity Tariffs, which have cheaper power during the day and more expensive in the evening peak.

Install simple timers and controls 

Consider installing some simple timers and controls. Timers on hot water systems, pumps or irrigation can make it easy to shift loads and stop several loads starting at once.

Low-cost upgrades include:

• Timers installed in the meter board can be used to turn appliances on or off, or stop them operating during peak times, like hot water systems.
• Smart relays that can switch appliances under certain conditions: For example, a hot water optimiser can be used to divert excess solar energy to the hot water system rather than exporting it.
• Pump sequencing controls set with timers to fill tanks and troughs prior to 4PM so they can be switched off during the peak.
• Switchable smart meters can be installed that can provide real-time consumption and demand data information and also allow you to remotely switch circuits.

For example, adding a timer can stop your hot water systems from heating during the evening peak.

Upgrade inefficient equipment 

Choosing more efficient appliances can reduce power use. When replacing equipment, select high-efficiency models:

• Replace high intensity shed lighting with LED fluorescents or high bays as these tend to be used during the afternoon peak
• Replace old ‘box’ air conditioners with split system inverter air conditioners which are more efficient for cooling and heating. Many models have wifi or other smart controllers that  you can set  to pre-cool during the afternoon, to avoid having to try to cool a hot room during the peak evening period.
• Upgrade to high efficiency pumps and motors, with variable speed drive where suitable.
• Consider solar or heat pump hot water systems to replace electric storage or gas models.
• When designing or renovating rooves and buildings, use light colours which reflect heat better.

Better shading of cold rooms and the doors and windows on houses and workers quarters can also reduce cooling demand significantly during hot weather.

Consider solar and batteries 

A solar PV System will generate power during the day using the sun’s energy.  Batteries are able to store excess power generated during the day for use in the evening.

Some farms are now adopting hybrid systems consisting of grid connected solar and battery systems with generator back-up.

Batteries may help with reducing the impact of poor power quality and outages and they work best when designed specifically for the farm’s loads and operating patterns. Batteries can also be installed with off-grid capability, so that they can disconnect from the grid and provide power when grid conditions are unstable or when there is an outage during bad weather.

Automatic generator controls can also improve reliability by starting backup systems when voltage drops or outages occur. Before investing, farmers should seek advice from installers who understand SWER and rural power constraints. 

Photo: SWER line and farm transformer on a remote Queensland Farm.

A SWER community

Farms on SWER lines can work together on this. Where several farms are connected to the same SWER line, coordinated action may make a difference in reducing local network demand, in turn reducing the potential for supply issues.

If neighbouring farms all take similar action, it may make the potential benefits more significant.

This article is based on findings from the SWER Fringe-of-Grid Customer Assessment project, delivered in partnership between Queensland Farmers’ Federation (QFF) and Ergon Energy Network. 

The project involved surveys, energy data reviews and visits to agricultural properties connected to SWER lines across regional Queensland in 2025, in partnership with Ergon Energy Network. The work explored how farms use electricity, the challenges they experience with power supply quality and reliability, and practical opportunities to improve energy management, reliability and electricity costs through a combination of behavioural changes, efficiency upgrades and distributed energy technologies. QFF and Ergon Energy Network acknowledges and thanks those farmers for their participation.

Energy Information Service for Landholders 

Farmers who are unsure where to start can contact The Energy Information Service for Landholders to discuss bills, tariffs, energy data, load shifting opportunities and questions to ask installers. This is a free phone service for farmers and landholders in Queensland. 

The service is available Monday – Friday from 8:30am – 5pm and can assist by providing information and guidance on a range of energy matters. 

Call 07 3329 7500 to access the service today.