3 hours of free electricity: who gets it, and the catch

Two schemes, one idea

The Solar Sharer Offer is the federal scheme. It started on 1 July 2026 on the five Default Market Offer networks: Ausgrid, Endeavour Energy and Essential Energy in NSW, Energex in South East Queensland, and SA Power Networks in South Australia. Retailers with more than 1,000 residential customers must offer it, and the Australian Energy Regulator sets the maximum prices.

Victoria runs its own version, the Midday Power Saver, from 1 October 2026. Same 11am-2pm window and 24 kWh cap, but the prices are set by a Victorian pricing order and are lower than the interstate caps.

State pages go network by network: NSW, Queensland and South Australia.

Who is left out

Regional Queensland is covered, by a different route. The federal Code does not apply on the Ergon Energy network, but the Queensland Competition Authority approved tariff 12F, a Solar Sharer Offer for regional Queensland, from 1 July 2026. Ergon Energy Retail customers with a smart meter on a standard contract can opt in to free power 11am-2pm, up to 24 kWh a day, with the same structure and rates as the Energex Solar Sharer. See Solar Sharer in Queensland.

The federal minister said in March 2026 that the Government will work with non-DMO states on extending the Solar Sharer Offer nationally by 2027. No start date for the ACT, Tasmania, WA or the NT has been published. Not sure where you stand? The eligibility checker asks five questions.

The catch

• The other hours cost more. The regulator set Solar Sharer rates outside the window 1 to 4c/kWh above the standard time-of-use reference price. In Sydney the Ausgrid peak rate is 63.72c on the Solar Sharer against 60.20c on the standard time-of-use reference plan.
• Shift nothing, save nothing. A typical home that changes no habits pays about the same as the time-of-use reference price, by design. Energy Consumers Australia modelled a Sydney household on a market plan: with 20% of its use in the 3pm-9pm peak it came out about $210 a year ahead; with 40% in the peak it was about $320 a year worse off.
• The supply charge still applies. Free usage does not cover the daily charge, which on these plans is often higher than on discounted market plans.
• Solar exports earn little. Most retailers pay 0-3c/kWh feed-in on these plans. See feed-in tariffs.
• Controlled load is excluded. A hot water system or pool pump on a separate controlled-load circuit does not get free power in the window.
• The cap. Use above 24 kWh in the window is charged, at the rate shown in the table. That is plenty for most homes, but two EVs charging at once can pass it.

The Australian Energy Council estimated in September 2026 that about 10,000 customers had opted in, and that retailer tracking suggested only about half were better off than on that retailer's best offer.

Retailers' own "free power" plans

Some retailers also sell market plans with free periods. These are not the regulated plan: the retailer sets the window, the cap and every other rate. A few give four or five free hours. We pulled them from the government plan feed:

A longer window is not automatically better. GloBird's FOUR4FREE, for example, stretches its peak rate to 4pm-11pm. See our GloBird page for the full rates, and the retailer register for every regulated plan. For the whole market, use Energy Made Easy or Victorian Energy Compare.

How to get it

1. Check you have a smart meter. If not, ask your retailer to fit one. See smart meters.
2. Ask your current retailer for its Solar Sharer Offer (or Midday Power Saver in Victoria). You do not have to switch retailer.
3. Compare its rates with your current plan, using your own bills, in the calculator.
4. Opt in. Retailers cannot move you onto it without your explicit consent.

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

Common questions

Is the 3 hours of free electricity real?

Yes. Since 1 July 2026 retailers in NSW, South East Queensland and South Australia must offer the Solar Sharer Offer, regional Queensland has an equivalent regulated tariff (12F), and since 1 October 2026 Victorian retailers must offer the Midday Power Saver. Usage in the three-hour window costs 0c up to 24 kWh a day. The supply charge still applies, and the other 21 hours are charged at higher rates.

Do I need solar panels to get free electricity?

No. Neither scheme requires rooftop solar. You need a smart meter, a home in an eligible network area and a retailer required to offer the plan. Solar owners should check the feed-in tariff, which is often 0-3c on these plans. See the eligibility checker.

Why can't I get free electricity in the ACT, Tasmania or WA?

The Solar Sharer Offer was built on the Default Market Offer, which only covers NSW, South East Queensland and South Australia. Victoria made its own scheme, and Queensland created an equivalent tariff for regional customers. The federal minister has said the Government will work with non-DMO states on extending it nationally by 2027, but no start date has been set.

Will free electricity lower my bill?

Only if you move a meaningful share of your use into the free hours. The regulator priced the plan so a typical home that changes nothing pays about the same as the standard time-of-use reference price. Someone on a cheap market plan can pay more. Test it in the calculator.

Are there free-power plans with more than 3 hours?

Yes. Some retailers sell their own market plans with free periods, such as GloBird FOUR4FREE and OVO The Free 4 Plan, which are free 11am-3pm. These are not regulated the same way, so their other rates, caps and feed-in tariffs differ. Compare them line by line before switching.

Sources

1. AER, Default Market Offer 2026-27 final determination (Solar Sharer Offer tariff caps), checked 17 October 2026
2. AER, Solar Sharer Offer fact sheet, checked 17 October 2026
3. ACCC and AER, joint compliance bulletin: Electricity Retail Code (regions in and out of scope), checked 17 October 2026
4. QCA, Solar Sharer Offer for regional Queensland (tariff 12F), final determination, June 2026, checked 17 October 2026
5. energy.gov.au, Solar Sharer Offer, checked 17 October 2026
6. Minister Bowen, media release, 19 March 2026, checked 17 October 2026
7. Victoria Government Gazette S 498, Midday Power Saver Pricing Order 2026, checked 17 October 2026
8. Energy Consumers Australia, Solar Sharer Offer modelling (15 June 2026), checked 17 October 2026
9. Australian Energy Council, Solar Sharer: is it delivering benefits for customers?, checked 17 October 2026
10. AER Energy Made Easy and Victorian Energy Compare plan data (CDR product feed): market plans in the table above, checked 17 October 2026