Free electricity in Victoria: the Midday Power Saver

What the Midday Power Saver is

The Midday Power Saver Pricing Order 2026 is an Order in Council under section 13 of the Electricity Industry Act 2000, published in Victoria Government Gazette S 498 on 8 September 2026. The Essential Services Commission recommended the first tariffs, which run from 1 October 2026 to 30 June 2027; from 1 July 2027 the commission sets them each year. The Premier announced the scheme on 25 March 2026.

It is separate from the federal Solar Sharer Offer, which does not apply in Victoria. For the national picture see free electricity.

Who can get it and who must offer it

• Domestic customers with a smart meter, in any of the five distribution zones. Solar is not needed.
• Customers on deemed contracts can ask for it.
• Every retailer with 1,000 or more domestic customers across Victoria must offer it (counted on 15 September 2026 for this first period).
• Retailers must publish and offer it under the name "Midday Power Saver".
• Controlled load (a separate hot water circuit, for example) is outside the offer and billed as before.

Before you sign up, the retailer must get your explicit informed consent and give you clear advice, including the risk you could pay more, that the Victorian Default Offer is available, where to find comparison information and, where practicable, an estimate of the dollar impact. You then have 10 business days to withdraw without a fee.

Against the Victorian Default Offer

The Victorian Default Offer (VDO) time-of-use tariff has a cheap solar soak from 11am to 4pm. The Midday Power Saver makes 11am-2pm free, keeps a soak rate for 2pm-4pm, and sets every other usage rate about 2.05c higher than the VDO. The supply charge is the same.

Cheaper than interstate

Victorian rates are lower than the Solar Sharer caps in other states. On CitiPower the supply cap is 121.14c a day against 176.41c on Ausgrid in Sydney, 31% less, and peak is 40.36c against 63.72c.

The Premier's office says rates outside the window are 12-19% cheaper on average than equivalent offers in South Australia, NSW and Queensland, that 2.6 million Victorian households are eligible (against 2.4 million in the other states combined), and that households could save $149 to $1,102 a year depending on how much they shift. Those are the government's figures; our worked example above shows the low end needs real shifting.

Which retailers offer it

We hold 14 CitiPower Midday Power Saver plans. Nearly all are priced at the maximum; Nectr undercut it slightly. Rows for the other four zones are not yet in our register; the maximums above apply. Every row is in the retailer register, and every plan is on Victorian Energy Compare.

Market plans with more free hours

Some retailers also sell their own free-power market plans in Victoria. These are not the regulated Midday Power Saver: the retailer sets every rate, and the windows and caps differ. CitiPower examples from the government feed:

How to get it

1. Check you have a smart meter. Most Victorian homes do. See smart meters.
2. Ask your retailer for its Midday Power Saver by name.
3. Compare its rates with your current plan in the calculator, and against the market on compare electricity in Victoria.
4. If it does not work out, use the 10-business-day withdrawal right.

General information only, not financial advice. We are not a retailer.