Which States Have Free Electricity Hours ?
Solar Sharer Offer, Midday Power Saver, and Solar Soak: Free Midday Electricity by State
Last Updated: 2026-09-15
Key Takeaways
- Which states have free electricity hours: New South Wales, South Australia, and south-east Queensland have the federal Solar Sharer Offer. Victoria has Solar Soak now, and Midday Power Saver is planned.
- None of these schemes is available in Western Australia. As at September 2026, the schemes do not cover Tasmania, the ACT, or the Northern Territory.
- The Australian Federal Government runs the Solar Sharer Offer (SSO). The Victorian state government runs Solar Soak and Midday Power Saver.
- Solar soak hours are a reduced rate. The Solar Sharer Offer and Midday Power Saver give free electricity inside their windows, up to a daily cap.
- A retailer's own free hours electricity deal is a separate product from a government scheme.
- Cheap midday electricity is worth most to a household that can move its use into the window.
What Is a Free Electricity Window ?
A free electricity window is a set block of hours each day in which a plan charges nothing for grid electricity. All four names in this guide describe the same idea: midday hours of free or cheaper electricity. The schemes exist to move household use into the middle of the day, when rooftop solar can generate more than homes use.
| Name | Run by | Where it applies | Price in the window | Daily window |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solar Sharer Offer | Australian Federal Government | NSW, SA, and south-east QLD | Free, up to a daily cap | 11am–2pm (NSW and QLD), 12pm–3pm (SA) |
| Midday Power Saver | Victorian state government | Victoria | Free, up to a daily cap | 11am–2pm |
| Solar Soak | Victorian state government | Victoria | Reduced rate | 11am–4pm |
| Free hours (general label) | Each retailer | Any state | Free, on the plan's terms | Set by the plan |
Window hours are subject to confirmation.
Free Electricity Hours by State and Territory
The table shows the scheme in each state and territory as at 15 September 2026.
| State or territory | Scheme | Status |
|---|---|---|
| New South Wales | Solar Sharer Offer | In effect |
| Queensland (south-east) | Solar Sharer Offer | In effect |
| South Australia | Solar Sharer Offer | In effect |
| Victoria | Solar Soak and Midday Power Saver | Solar Soak in effect. Midday Power Saver announced but not yet in effect. |
| Western Australia | None | None of these schemes is available |
| Tasmania, the ACT, and the Northern Territory | None | Not covered |
Western Australia is outside the National Electricity Market, the wholesale market for eastern and southern Australia. That separation is the reason the schemes do not reach the state (subject to confirmation).
What Are Solar Sharer, Midday Power Saver, and Solar Soak ?
- Solar Sharer Offer (SSO): a scheme run by the Australian Federal Government, with free midday hours in New South Wales, South Australia, and south-east Queensland. For the windows, the daily cap, and who can switch, see our guide to the Solar Sharer electricity tariff.
- Midday Power Saver: a Victorian state-government scheme with free midday hours, announced for 1 October 2026 but not yet in effect (subject to confirmation). For the window and the cap, see our guide to the Midday Power Saver electricity tariff.
- Solar Soak: a reduced-rate band in the time-of-use plans of the Victorian Default Offer, set by Victoria's Essential Services Commission. A time-of-use plan has a price that changes with the time of day, and our guide to the Solar Soak electricity tariff explains the band.
In New South Wales, Endeavour Energy uses "Solar Soak" and Essential Energy uses "Sun Soaker" for tariffs on electricity that rooftop panels send to the grid. Both companies are electricity distributors, which own the local poles and wires.
Is It a Government Scheme or a Retailer Offer ?
Some retailers offer "free hours" deals of their own. Under a government scheme, the government sets the rules and retailers deliver the scheme through their plans.
How to Tell Them Apart on a Plan Summary
- The name: a plan under a government scheme usually carries the scheme name.
- The window: a government scheme sets the window hours for its area. A retailer deal sets its own hours.
- The rest of the plan: check the daily supply charge (the fixed amount a plan charges each day) and the rates outside the window. For step-by-step instructions, see our guide to interpreting your electricity bill.
Who Can Benefit from Cheap Midday Electricity ?
A midday window has the most value for a household with:
- A smart meter: a smart meter records use in short intervals, so a retailer can measure the use inside the window.
- A plan that carries the window: the free or reduced price applies only on a plan that includes the window.
- Use that can move: load shifting moves use to a chosen time of day. Appliances with a timer, such as a dishwasher or an electric vehicle (EV) charger, can often run inside the window.
A retailer may recover the cost of free hours through higher rates at other times or a higher daily supply charge. A household that cannot move its use may pay more overall. To judge whether the other rates outweigh the window, see our buyers guide to weighing up electricity bill components. For step-by-step detail, see our guide to calculating the savings from free electricity hours.
A household with rooftop solar often covers part of its midday use from its own panels (self-consumption). A midday window can then add less value on sunny days. For background on home batteries, see our guide to what a virtual power plant is.
Where to Go Next
- To compare plan types against your own setup, see our buyers guide to choosing an electricity plan for your setup.
- For more guides, browse our buyers guides and our how-to guides.
Before a household changes plans, an energy assessor can check whether the household's daily pattern of use suits a midday window.
A household can also check its own smart meter data. The data shows how much electricity the home uses at each time of day, including the midday hours.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Is Solar Sharer available in my state? The Solar Sharer Offer covers New South Wales, South Australia, and south-east Queensland. In regional Queensland, Ergon Energy carries the offer through its own tariff (subject to confirmation).
- Is Midday Power Saver available in my state? Midday Power Saver is a Victorian state-government scheme, and it applies only in Victoria. Households in New South Wales, South Australia, and south-east Queensland have the federal Solar Sharer Offer.
- What are the free power hours NSW retailers offer? On a New South Wales plan under the Solar Sharer Offer, the free window runs from 11am to 2pm each day (subject to confirmation). Check the hours on the plan summary.
- Is there a government scheme with free electricity hours Victoria households can use now? Not as at 15 September 2026. Midday Power Saver brings free hours from a planned start of 1 October 2026 (subject to confirmation), and Solar Soak is a reduced rate.
- Are solar soak hours free electricity? No. Solar soak hours are a reduced-rate band in the time-of-use plans of the Victorian Default Offer. Your retailer still charges for the electricity you use in them.
- What is the difference between Solar Soak and the Solar Sharer Offer? Solar Soak is a Victorian state-government measure that gives a reduced rate at midday. The Solar Sharer Offer is a federal scheme with free midday hours in New South Wales, South Australia, and south-east Queensland.
- Is the Solar Sharer window in South Australia the same as in NSW? The South Australian window runs from 12pm to 3pm, one hour later than the New South Wales window (subject to confirmation).
- Why is Solar Sharer not available in Western Australia? None of these schemes is available in Western Australia. The state is outside the National Electricity Market, and that separation is the reason the schemes do not reach it (subject to confirmation).
- Is a retailer's own free hours electricity deal the same as a government scheme? No. A retailer sets the hours and terms of its own deal, and under a government scheme the government sets the rules for the window.
- Do I need a smart meter to use cheap midday electricity? A household generally needs one. A smart meter records use in short intervals, so a retailer can measure the electricity used inside the window.
- Do I need solar panels to get free midday electricity? No. The Solar Sharer Offer and Midday Power Saver apply to electricity from the grid, so households without panels can take up a plan.
- Can a free hours plan leave a household worse off? It can. A retailer may recover the cost of the free window through higher rates at other times or a higher daily supply charge.
Glossary
- Daily Supply Charge
- The fixed amount an electricity or gas plan charges for each day a property is connected to the network, whatever amount of energy the household uses. Also called a Daily Connection Charge.
- Electricity Distributor
- See DNSP.
- Essential Services Commission
- Victoria's state regulator for essential services, including electricity retail pricing. It sets the Victorian Default Offer and, until 1 July 2025, set the state's minimum solar feed-in tariff.
- Free Hours
- A general term for a period each day or week in which a plan charges nothing for the electricity you import, usually up to a daily limit.
- Load Shifting
- Moving discretionary electricity use, such as a dishwasher or an EV charge, to a chosen time of day — usually out of a peak tariff and into an off-peak tariff or sunniest solar generation hours — using timers, schedules, or habit.
- Midday Power Saver
- A Victorian state-government scheme offering a free midday electricity window to Victorian households, announced with a planned start on 1 October 2026.
- National Electricity Market
- The wholesale electricity market covering eastern and southern Australia. Western Australia and the Northern Territory are outside it and run their own systems.
- Self-Consumption
- The share of the electricity generated by your own solar panels that your household uses on site, rather than exporting it to the grid.
- Smart Meter
- An electricity meter that records consumption and export in fixed intervals and reports them remotely. Time-varying tariffs and free-hours schemes require one.
- Solar Sharer
- A regulated offer from the Australian Federal Government giving households a free midday electricity window, covering New South Wales, South Australia, and Queensland.
- Solar Soak
- A Victorian state-government measure: the reduced-rate midday band within the Victorian Default Offer time-of-use tariff structure. Cheaper than peak, but not free.
- Time-of-Use (TOU) Tariff
- A tariff with different prices at different times of day or days of the week (Peak, Shoulder, Off-Peak).
- Victorian Default Offer
- A mandated maximum electricity price set by the Victorian Government that all Electricity Retailers in Victoria must offer to Households and Small Businesses. Acts as a safety net for consumers who do not shop around.
- Virtual Power Plant (VPP)
- A pooled network of home batteries that a retailer or aggregator can discharge into the grid at times of high demand, paying participating households a credit or per-event payment.