Innovative electricity prices pilot to harness sun’s rays

  • New Midday Saver electricity tariff to be piloted by Synergy customers
  • The pilot incentivises households to shift their energy use to the middle of the day 
  • Vital part of DER Roadmap, helping integrate renewables into WA’s energy system 
  • The McGowan Government is pleased to announce it is trialling a new Midday Saver tariff to help households take advantage of the abundant amount of solar power flowing into our grid. 

    The tariff offers lower rates for electricity in the middle of the day, compared to in the evenings when the cost to supply power is more expensive.

    More than 400 residential Synergy customers will participate in the pilot, paying eight cents per unit from 9am to 3pm and 20 cents per unit from 9pm to 9am. 

    A higher rate of 55 cents per unit will apply during the 3pm to 9pm peak to reflect the higher cost of supplying energy at that time.

    Participants will also be able to view their daily usage data to track their costs and manage their electricity use.

    The pilot is being delivered as part of a broader program of work within the McGowan Government’s Distributed Energy Resources Roadmap, which is designed to better integrate renewable energy into our electricity system.

    As stated by Energy Minister Bill Johnston:

    “Western Australia is undergoing a significant energy transformation; one in three households currently have solar panels and that’s expected to rise to 50 per cent by 2030.

    “Due to this enormous growth, we have plentiful renewable electricity when the sun is shining and ideally this is when Western Australians should shift most of their power consumption.

    “The Midday Saver tariff encourages households to shift their power use outside of peak times, which also provides benefits to the grid’s maintainability.

    “If successful, a time-of-use tariff could be the way of the future, and is a great example of the McGowan Government’s Distributed Energy Roadmap being put into action.”

    /Public Release. View in full here.