One STC represents one megawatt hour of renewable electricity, deemed rather than metered. Its price is the single number that sets how big the discount on a solar quote can be.
The price range
At the time of writing (October 2026), STCs have been trading at roughly $38 to $40 on the spot market. The STC Clearing House buys any certificate offered to it at a fixed $40, which acts as a ceiling: nobody pays more than $40 when a $40 clearing house sale is available. Spot prices below $40 reflect time, risk and the cost of dealing.
Because the market is capped, the price moves in a narrow band. The old days of STCs at $20 to $30 are rare and when prices fall, the cause is usually a surplus of supply late in a quarter. See the longer story in what an STC is worth in 2026.
What you get is a different number
The spot price is what a retailer pays to buy. An installer selling to a trader receives that price less the trader’s margin. Some traders add processing fees on top. The only sound comparison is the published rate, net of fees, and the days to payment.
| Item | Typical figure at the time of writing |
|---|---|
| Spot market | roughly $38 to $40 |
| Clearing house | $40 fixed, with a slow process |
| What an installer is paid | a rate a little below spot, set by the trader |
What one STC means in dollars on a job
An STC is not tied to a dollar amount per kilowatt. It is a number of certificates multiplied by a price. A 6.6 kW system in a zone 3 postcode, installed in 2026, creates 45 STCs, because 6.6 kW times 1.382 times 5 years is 45.6, rounded down. At $38 to $40 that is $1,710 to $1,800. Next year the same system creates 36. The price might stay the same, but the number of STCs shrinks, so the dollars fall. See how deeming works year by year.
What this means for installers
Price moves are small; fees, payment timing and rejection risk are bigger. Look at the whole package. Energy Merchants publishes its rate daily on pricing and locks it on lodgement of a complete claim, so the number you quote the customer is the number you receive. For why the lock matters, see best STC price.
Check the arithmetic for any job with the STC calculator, or start trading. The FAQ covers related questions.