Free power in the middle of the day: Is the Solar Sharer Offer right for You?
A new scheme gives some households three hours of free electricity a day, but it won't suit everyone.
The Solar Sharer Offer
From 1 July 2026, households in parts of Australia can opt into the Solar Sharer Offer, a new electricity plan that gives a free three-hour block of power in the middle of the day. It's currently available to residential customers with a smart meter in South East Queensland, New South Wales, and South Australia. Victoria will get a similar plan, the Midday Power Saver, from October.
The free window is set at different times in each state: 11am to 2pm in NSW and Queensland, and 12pm to 3pm in South Australia. There's a daily cap of 24kWh on free usage. You'll need a smart meter to sign up, and if you don't already have one, your retailer is required to provide one on request. It's worth being clear about what this offer actually covers: it doesn't make your whole electricity bill free, just usage within that daily window.
Why the scheme exists
The plan is designed to let households benefit from Australia's abundant daytime solar generation, whether or not they have panels of their own. It also helps flatten out a known grid problem: rooftop solar floods the system with cheap power around midday, then demand spikes again in the evening as people get home and switch things on. Shifting some household use into the middle of the day helps even out that pattern.
Who benefits, and who might not
The savings depend heavily on individual usage patterns. Modelling by Energy Consumers Australia found that a household shifting 30% of its usage into the free period, but still using 40% of its power during the expensive evening peak, could end up around $320 worse off over a year. A household shifting the same 30% into the free window, while keeping evening peak use down to 20%, could be about $210 better off.
In practice, that means the offer works best for people who are home during the day and can shift flexible loads, like laundry or dishwashing, into the free hours. It's less useful for households that are out most of the day, or whose biggest energy use (like hot water systems or EV charging) is hard to move. A University of Queensland survey also found that fewer than half of Australians had heard of the scheme before it launched, so understanding how it works is a real first step.
Before you switch
Check whether you have a smart meter, look honestly at when your household actually uses power, and compare this offer against your current plan and other time-of-use options. It's a genuine opportunity for some households, but not an automatic upgrade for everyone.
Want help understanding how time-of-use pricing might affect your household? Get in touch at info@pingala.org.au.
Sources: Sophie Vorrath, "Households are about to be offered 3 hours of free power. Who should sign up, and who should think twice?", Renew Economy, 29 June 2026 (reneweconomy.com.au). Australian Government, "Solar Sharer Offer" (energy.gov.au/rebates/solar-sharer-offer); Australian Energy Regulator, Solar Sharer Offer fact sheet, DMO 8 final determination, 26 May 2026 (aer.gov.au).
