SA Power NetworksSouth Australia
- Flat rate, a year
- $2,334
- Change vs 2025-26
- +1.4% (+$33); time of use -1.1%
- Time of use, a year
- $2,276
- Free-power plan, a year
- $2,276
- Usage assumed
- 4,000 kWh
Compare electricity in South Australia
The South Australian reference price for 2026-27 is $2,334 a year for a flat-rate home using 4,000 kWh, and $2,276 on time of use. SA is the only region where the flat-rate price went up, which makes comparing plans worth more here than anywhere else on the mainland.
South Australian reference prices and export tariffs checked
+1.4%flat-rate reference price change, the only rise of any DMO region
41.91 c/kWhflat usage cap, the highest of any DMO region
12pm-3pmfree power on the Solar Sharer Offer
South Australia reference price 2026-27
Set by the AER, 26 May 2026| Network | Flat rate, a year | Change vs 2025-26 | Time of use, a year | Free-power plan, a year | Usage assumed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SA Power NetworksSouth Australia | $2,334 | +1.4% (+$33); time of use -1.1% | $2,276 | $2,276 | 4,000 kWh |
Assumes 4,000 kWh a year and no controlled load. The free-power plan price assumes you move nothing into the free hours.
The SA Power Networks rates
Maximums for standing offers| Network | Flat: supply (c/day) | Flat: usage (c/kWh) | Time of use: supply (c/day) | Time of use: usage (c/kWh) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SA Power NetworksSA | 180.05 | 41.91 | 180.05 | Peak 56.22c (6am-10am and 4pm-midnight) Solar sponge 17.04c (10am-4pm) Off-peak 32.55c (midnight-6am) |
SA Power NetworksSA
- Flat: supply (c/day)
- 180.05
- Flat: usage (c/kWh)
- 41.91
- Time of use: supply (c/day)
- 180.05
- Time of use: usage (c/kWh)
- Peak 56.22c (6am-10am and 4pm-midnight)
Solar sponge 17.04c (10am-4pm)
Off-peak 32.55c (midnight-6am)
The finding: in SA, flat rate is the expensive way to buy power. The flat usage cap is 41.91 c/kWh at all hours. On time of use, 10am-4pm costs 17.04 c/kWh. A home that can run its big loads in the middle of the day pays far less than the flat rate for them, and the free-power plan makes 12pm-3pm free.
One network: SA Power Networks
South Australia's reference price covers one distribution network, SA Power Networks, so there is a single set of figures for the state. That makes comparison simpler than in NSW or Victoria, where prices change with the network. The main exception is an embedded network, where you buy power through the site owner rather than a normal retailer; the free-power scheme excludes those homes.
How to compare plans in SA
Retailers must quote their prices against the reference price as a percentage. Because the reference price assumes 4,000 kWh a year, the percentage is a starting point. Price your shortlist at your own usage, include the 180.05 c/day supply charge cap or the plan's own, and leave out discounts that depend on paying on time.
Check your bill too. At least every 100 days it must tell you whether your retailer has a plan that would have saved you more than $22 a year on your usage. Our full method is in how to compare electricity plans, and the national figures are on the Default Market Offer 2026-27 page.
Time of use in SA
SA's time-of-use structure is unusual. The peak rate of 56.22 c/kWh covers 6am-10am and 4pm-midnight, which includes breakfast. Off-peak (32.55 c/kWh) is only midnight-6am. The cheap band is the solar sponge, 17.04 c/kWh from 10am-4pm. So the rule in SA is simple: run the dishwasher, washing, pool pump and EV charging between 10am and 4pm. Our time-of-use guide covers the rest.
Free electricity in SA
The Solar Sharer Offer in SA makes 12pm-3pm free every day, up to 24 kWh, for homes with a smart meter. Every retailer with more than 1,000 residential customers must offer it. In exchange, the other hours cost more: peak 58.84 c/kWh against 56.22 c/kWh on the time-of-use reference plan, and the solar sponge hours either side of the window 19.66 c/kWh.
It is a poor fit for many solar homes. Take our worked example, Adelaide, two people, rooftop solar exporting 3,000 kWh: SA Power Networks, solar home profile, on the time-of-use reference plan with a 4c feed-in tariff. The free-power plan pays 0c for exports. Moves nothing. The engine puts that home $225 a year worse off on the free-power plan. The free-power plans in our register pay 0-3c for exports in SA. Run your own numbers in the savings calculator, and see the Solar Sharer in SA for the rules.
Feed-in tariffs and export charges in SA
South Australia has had no minimum retailer feed-in tariff since 1 January 2017. Retailers set their own, including time-of-use feed-in tariffs. The exception is the old distributor-funded 44c scheme, which continues until 30 June 2028 for systems approved to connect by 30 September 2011.
SA Power Networks also prices exports. For 2026-27, with a smart meter, the network charges 1.00c per kWh on exports beyond a free allowance of 9 kWh per day exported 10am-4pm; with an older accumulation meter the threshold is 11 kWh per day and the charge 0.75c. On its opt-in electrify tariff, exports 5pm-9pm earn a 13.22c credit. These are network charges billed to your retailer, which chooses whether and how to pass them on. Read feed-in tariffs by state for how this changes the maths.
Switching in SA
A market contract with no fixed term cannot charge you an early termination fee, and you have 10 business days to change your mind after signing. From 1 July 2026 a market plan's prices can rise at most once every 12 months. Read how to switch electricity provider for the steps.
We do not compare every plan. Energy Made Easy, run by the AER, lists every generally available plan in SA for free.
Common questions
Why is electricity so expensive in South Australia?
On the reference price, SA has the highest flat usage rate of any region the AER regulates: 41.91 c/kWh for 2026-27. It is also the only one where the flat-rate reference price rose, by 1.4% to $2,334 a year. Network and wholesale costs together make up most of every DMO bill.
What time is free electricity in South Australia?
12pm-3pm, an hour later than NSW and Queensland, every day up to 24 kWh, on the Solar Sharer Offer. You need a smart meter. Usage above the cap in the window bills at 19.66 c/kWh. See the Solar Sharer in SA.
Is there a minimum feed-in tariff in South Australia?
No. There has been no minimum retailer feed-in tariff since 1 January 2017, so retailers set their own rates. Households on the old distributor-funded 44c scheme keep it until 30 June 2028 if their system was approved to connect by 30 September 2011.
Does SA Power Networks charge for solar exports?
Its network tariffs do, above a free threshold. With a smart meter, exports beyond a free allowance of 9 kWh per day exported 10am-4pm bill at 1.00c per kWh. The charge goes to your retailer, which decides whether to pass it on.
Sources
- AER, Default Market Offer 2026-27 final determination (annual prices and tariff caps), checked 17 October 2026
- AER, Default Market Offer 2026-27 information kit, checked 17 October 2026
- SA Power Networks, 2026-27 customer overview (export tariffs), checked 17 October 2026
- IEA policy database, South Australian feed-in tariff scheme (no minimum since 2017; legacy 44c scheme), checked 17 October 2026
- AER Energy Made Easy and Victorian Energy Compare plan data (CDR product feed), free-power plan rows, checked 17 October 2026
- Energy Bill Guide calculator engine, run on AER half-hourly load profiles and the DMO 2026-27 tariff caps, checked 17 October 2026
- AER, Better Bills Guideline: key obligations for energy retailers (better offer message), checked 17 October 2026
- AEMC, National Energy Retail Rules v20 (rule 47 cooling off, rule 49A early termination charges), checked 17 October 2026
- Energy Made Easy (AER), the government plan comparator for NSW, QLD, SA, ACT and TAS, checked 17 October 2026