Independent / Australia / Not a retailer
Menu

Can you get free midday power?

Six questions. The first four decide whether a free-power plan is open to you at all. The last two decide whether it is likely to save you money.

Scheme rules checked

1. Where do you live?
2. Is it for your home?
3. Who sends your electricity bill?
4. Do you have a smart meter?

If your bill says "actual read" every month or shows usage by time of day, you almost certainly have one. How to tell.

5. Could someone run appliances between 11am and 2pm?
6. Solar panels?

The rules in full

  • Where: NSW (Ausgrid, Endeavour and Essential Energy networks), South East Queensland (Energex) and South Australia for the Solar Sharer Offer, from 1 July 2026. Victoria, all five networks, for the Midday Power Saver, from 1 October 2026.
  • Regional Queensland: not covered by the national rules, but the Queensland Competition Authority added tariff 12F from 1 July 2026 with the same window, cap and rates as South East Queensland, through Ergon Energy Retail.
  • Not covered: the ACT, Tasmania, Western Australia and the Northern Territory.
  • Who: residential customers, owners or renters, houses or apartments. Solar panels are not required.
  • Meter: a smart meter is required. If you do not have one, your retailer can arrange it; see smart meters for costs.
  • Embedded networks: excluded from the Solar Sharer Offer. In Victoria, exempt sellers may offer the Midday Power Saver but do not have to.
  • Retailers: every retailer with more than 1,000 residential customers in the Solar Sharer regions must offer one (1,000 or more domestic customers in Victoria). If yours is smaller, you can switch to one that offers it.
  • Opt in only: no retailer can move you onto it without your explicit consent.
  • Controlled load: a separate off-peak hot water or pool circuit does not get free power.

Eligible is not the same as better off. The free-power plans charge more for the other twenty-one hours, so the households that gain are the ones that can move real usage into the window. Run your own numbers in the calculator before you switch.

Common questions

Who can get the Solar Sharer Offer?

Residential customers in NSW, South East Queensland (the Energex network) and South Australia who have a smart meter and are not supplied through an embedded network. Renters and owners both qualify, in houses or apartments, and you do not need solar panels. Every retailer with more than 1,000 residential customers in those regions must offer it.

Can I get free midday power in Victoria?

Yes. Victoria runs its own scheme, the Midday Power Saver, from 1 October 2026: free electricity 11am to 2pm, up to 24 kWh a day, for domestic customers with a smart meter. Retailers with 1,000 or more domestic customers must offer it. See free electricity in Victoria.

I live in regional Queensland. Can I get it?

Yes. The national rules do not cover the Ergon Energy network, but the Queensland Competition Authority added its own version from 1 July 2026: tariff 12F, with the same free 11am to 2pm window, 24 kWh daily cap and rates as the South East Queensland Solar Sharer Offer. It is for residential customers with a smart meter, and you opt in through Ergon Energy Retail.

I live in Canberra, Tasmania, WA or the NT. Can I get it?

Not yet. The Solar Sharer rules do not apply in the ACT, Tasmania, Western Australia or the Northern Territory. The federal government has said it will work with those jurisdictions on extending it, but no start date has been announced.

What is an embedded network?

A private network inside an apartment block, retirement village, caravan park or shopping centre, where you buy electricity from the building or its operator rather than a normal retailer. Embedded network customers are excluded from the Solar Sharer Offer. In Victoria, exempt sellers are not required to offer the Midday Power Saver but may choose to.

Does my hot water get free power too?

Not if it is on controlled load (a separate, cheaper off-peak circuit). Controlled load is excluded from the free window in both schemes. If your hot water is on your main meter and can be put on a timer, it can be one of the biggest loads you move into the free hours.

Sources

  1. energy.gov.au, Solar Sharer Offer: eligibility, checked 17 October 2026
  2. ACCC and AER, joint compliance bulletin: Electricity Retail Code (regions in scope, embedded networks), checked 17 October 2026
  3. AER, Solar Sharer Offer fact sheet (threshold, controlled load, opt-in), checked 17 October 2026
  4. Victoria Government Gazette S 498, Midday Power Saver Pricing Order 2026, checked 17 October 2026
  5. Queensland Competition Authority, Solar sharer offer for regional Queensland: decision notice (tariff 12F), 30 June 2026, checked 17 October 2026
  6. DCCEEW, Default Market Offer (expansion to other areas), checked 17 October 2026