Many Australians can get three free hours of power from today. Here’s how | Energy
Residents of Queensland, New South Wales and South Australia with a smart meter can access the Solar Sharer energy offer from 1 July
The Guardian5 min read10 views
Beginning Wednesday, households across three Australian states will be able to sign up for an electricity plan that provides three hours of free power each day through the launch of Solar Sharer.
A survey indicates that almost half of Australians are interested in the government-regulated initiative, although energy specialists caution that the offer will not necessarily suit every household.
The following outlines the key details of the new program.
Solar Sharer is a regulated electricity offer that gives customers access to free electricity during the middle of the day. Energy retailers will begin offering it in Queensland, New South Wales and South Australia from 1 July.
Residents of Victoria will be able to access a comparable program, known as the Midday Power Saver, beginning on 1 October.
Energy Minister Chris Bowen says the initiative is intended to allow more Australians to take advantage of the country’s abundant and low-cost solar energy, even if they do not have rooftop solar systems installed.
“When the sun is shining at its brightest and power is negative or at its cheapest, then consumers, whether they have solar panels or not, whether they be renters or not, should be able to benefit from that.”
The complimentary electricity window will run from 11am until 2pm in New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria. In South Australia, the free period will instead operate from noon to 3pm.
The offer does have a usage limit rather than providing unrestricted free electricity. Customers can receive up to 24kWh per day at no charge. According to the Australian Energy Regulator, that amount is roughly equal to the daily electricity consumption of a five-person household. Any electricity used beyond that threshold will be billed at the applicable rate.
Renew, a not-for-profit organisation that promotes sustainable living, says this limit is relatively generous, noting that most households typically consume between 10kWh and 20kWh of electricity in an average day.
To participate in the scheme, customers must have a smart meter installed. Those without one can generally request installation through their electricity retailer, and in most cases retailers will fit the meter without charging the customer.
Electricity retailers serving fewer than 1,000 customers are not obligated to provide the Solar Sharer offer. The scheme is also unavailable in Australia's other states and territories, as well as to customers connected to embedded networks, which are private electricity systems commonly found in some apartment complexes, retirement communities and shopping centres.
The Australian Energy Council, which represents energy retailers, says Solar Sharer offers the greatest benefits to households equipped with battery storage, electric vehicles or other large electrical loads that can easily be shifted to different times of the day.
The offer may also be particularly suitable for people who work from home.
For customers who choose the Solar Sharer plan, maximising savings will depend largely on moving as much electricity consumption as possible into the designated free-power period.
Renew recommends charging a home battery or an electric vehicle during the free hours, where applicable, and setting hot water systems to operate within that timeframe.
“Run your heating or cooling during those hours to pre-heat or pre-cool your home. This way you’ll use far less power later in the day,” the organisation says.
“If your dishwasher, dryer, or washing machine has a timer, set it to run during the free period. The same goes for EV charging, though to get a meaningful charge in three hours, you’ll need a fast charger rather than a standard trickle charger.”
Even so, Solar Sharer is not automatically the lowest-cost electricity option available. Because it forms part of the default market offer framework, the scheme is designed to function more as a pricing benchmark than as a highly competitive retail plan. In addition, retailers may offset the cost of the free electricity by charging higher rates outside the designated free period.
Energy Consumers Australia (ECA) supports the introduction of the initiative but says governments and electricity retailers must clearly communicate the compromises involved, particularly the balance between receiving free daytime electricity and potentially paying higher prices during other parts of the day.
“We don’t want to have people signing up to these plans assuming it will decrease their bills, when in fact it could do the opposite,” the consumer advocacy group says.
Independent energy consultant Tim Forcey says that simply scheduling appliances such as a dishwasher, washing machine or clothes dryer to run during the daytime may not provide enough benefit on its own.
“People need to assess if they can get their money’s worth during the free period,” he says, noting they may end up paying more at other times of the day through higher charges or lower solar feed-in tariffs.
The regulator says that if enough customers adopt the offer and move a significant portion of their electricity consumption away from peak periods into the middle of the day, the broader electricity network could also experience lower overall costs.
“Shifting more demand to the middle of the day would lower the cost of the electricity system for all consumers as we don’t need to build as much generation or poles and wires to meet the evening peak.”
A number of electricity retailers already provide plans featuring free electricity periods.
For instance, GloBird Energy offers products that include free or discounted electricity windows aimed at households with home battery systems, electric vehicle owners, as well as its “Four4Free” plan, which provides four hours of complimentary daytime electricity.
Another example is AGL’s Three for Free plan, which the company introduced in South Australia in 2025.
“The common thread across all of these products is giving customers more control and more ways to lower their bills by shifting energy use and export to the times that deliver the most value to them,” an AGL spokesperson says.
The Australian Energy Regulator says customers are free to switch electricity plans whenever they choose and encourages consumers to compare available offers. “Customers should also check their bills to see if they are on their retailer’s best plan. Retailers are required to tell their customers at least once every 100 days if they can offer them a better plan,” an AER spokesperson says.
Both the federal government and the Victorian government operate comparison websites that allow consumers to review available electricity plans and identify the lowest-cost option.
Because many electricity retailers revise their plans after 1 July, this period is considered a suitable opportunity for consumers to examine the latest offers available.
Originally reported by The Guardian on Jun 30, 2026.
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