Eligible households can now let the sun cover some of their energy bills, even if they don’t have their own solar.
The Australian Government has introduced the Solar Sharer Offer, a regulated energy plan that provides 3 hours of free power during the middle of every day, when solar generation usually peaks.
The offer is now available to residential customers that:
- live in New South Wales (NSW), South Australia (SA) or South East Queensland (SE Qld)
- have a smart meter installed at their home
- are renters or homeowners.
Switch. Shift. Save.
The Solar Sharer Offer is an optional plan. Households need to contact their energy retailer to switch to it, and check if it is right for them.
To benefit from the offer, households must be able to shift some of their energy use to 3-hour free-power window. It is from:
- 11am to 2pm in NSW and SE Qld
- 12pm to 3pm in SA.
The more energy use households shift to the free-power window the more they can potentially save on their bills.
For bigger savings, people should use bigger energy consumers during the 3-hour window. For example:
- washing machines
- dryers
- dishwashers
- ovens
- heating and cooling systems.
Smart appliances can be programmed to run when the electricity is free. It’s also a good time to charge electric vehicles or home batteries and then use the stored free power during peak periods when electricity costs are higher.
To keep the Solar Sharer Offer fair and sustainable, there is a daily usage cap of 24 kilowatt hours (kWh). That’s enough power to meet the needs of an average 5-person household.
Benefits
The Solar Sharer Offer is part of the government’s reforms to the Default Market Offer (DMO). It lets more Australian households share in the benefits of cheaper, renewable energy when solar power is abundant during the day.
It also aims to provide long-term benefits for all customers by shifting demand away from peak periods. This change would ease pressure on the energy grid and enhance its reliability. It would also reduce system costs and the need for network upgrades, with those savings helping to lower electricity prices.
Whilst the Solar Sharer Offer is currently available in jurisdictions covered by the DMO, being NSW, SE Qld and SA, consideration is being given to introducing it or a similar offer in other areas.
