NSW
- Scheme
- Solar Sharer Offer
- Free hours
- 11am-2pm
- Since
- 1 July 2026
- Daily cap
- 24 kWh
Every rate sourced and dated
Free midday power,
with the sums done
Three hours of free electricity a day sounds simple. It is paid for by higher rates in the other twenty-one. We check whether you can get it, show what every retailer charges around it, and work out whether it beats the plan you are on.
The three findings this site is built on
60 of 72retailer plans priced at the regulated maximum. Which retailer barely matters.
$0saved by a typical Sydney home that changes nothing. It was designed to break even.
$667a year saved by a Brisbane family charging an EV at midday instead.
The free window is real and it can save serious money, but only for households that move usage into it: the dishwasher, washing and dryer at midday ($309 a year in our Sydney example), hot water on a timer, an EV or a battery. A home with solar that moves nothing can end up paying more ($225 a year in our Adelaide example), because these plans pay little for exports.
What the headlines leave out: the rates outside the free hours. The regulator set them 1 to 4 cents per kWh above its standard time-of-use reference price, and most retailers charge the maximum. Our register lists every one, from the government's own plan data.
Where it is available
| Where | Scheme | Free hours | Since | Daily cap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NSW | Solar Sharer Offer | 11am-2pm | 1 July 2026 | 24 kWh |
| South East Queensland | Solar Sharer Offer | 11am-2pm | 1 July 2026 | 24 kWh |
| South Australia | Solar Sharer Offer | 12pm-3pm | 1 July 2026 | 24 kWh |
| Victoria | Midday Power Saver | 11am-2pm | 1 October 2026 | 24 kWh |
| Regional Queensland | Tariff 12F (QCA) | 11am-2pm | 1 July 2026 | 24 kWh |
| ACT, Tasmania, WA, NT | none yet | - | - | - |
South East Queensland
- Scheme
- Solar Sharer Offer
- Free hours
- 11am-2pm
- Since
- 1 July 2026
- Daily cap
- 24 kWh
South Australia
- Scheme
- Solar Sharer Offer
- Free hours
- 12pm-3pm
- Since
- 1 July 2026
- Daily cap
- 24 kWh
Victoria
- Scheme
- Midday Power Saver
- Free hours
- 11am-2pm
- Since
- 1 October 2026
- Daily cap
- 24 kWh
Regional Queensland
- Scheme
- Tariff 12F (QCA)
- Free hours
- 11am-2pm
- Since
- 1 July 2026
- Daily cap
- 24 kWh
ACT, Tasmania, WA, NT
- Scheme
- none yet
- Free hours
- -
- Since
- -
- Daily cap
- -
Where to start
Eligibility checker
Five questions: your state, network, meter, retailer and solar. Find out whether a free-power plan is open to you.
Savings calculator
Enter your usage and current rates. See whether free midday power beats your plan once the higher evening rates are counted.
Retailer register
Which retailers offer free midday power, with the window, the cap and the rates outside it. Every row sourced and dated.
Free electricity
Every free-power scheme in Australia, state by state: the window, the cap and the catch.
Compare plans
How to compare electricity plans honestly, state by state, including the free government tools.
Guides
Plain-English guides to meters, tariffs, batteries and EVs.
How we make money
Every company that pays us, what it pays, and why we do not compare every plan in the market.
About
What this site is, how we source and check figures, and how to report an error.
Common questions
Is the electricity really free?
The usage is, for three hours a day, up to 24 kWh. You still pay the daily supply charge, and you pay for every other hour, usually at higher rates than a standard plan. Whether the total comes out lower depends on how much you can move into the free window. Our calculator works it out for your usage.
Do I need solar panels?
No. The free hours come from the grid, so you do not need solar. In fact homes with solar usually gain the least, because their panels already cover midday usage and these plans tend to pay a lower feed-in tariff.
How do I get it?
Ask your retailer for its Solar Sharer Offer (or Midday Power Saver in Victoria), or switch to another retailer that offers it. You need a smart meter, and you must opt in: no retailer can move you onto it without your consent. Start with the eligibility checker.
Which retailer has the best free-power plan?
For the regulated plan it barely matters: 60 of the 72 retailer plan records we hold are priced at the regulated maximum. The real choice is between the free-power plan and your current plan. Compare them in the calculator, and see every rate in the retailer register.