Solar Sharer Offer
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The Solar Sharer Offer (SSO) is a regulated energy offer that will provide eligible households with 3 hours of free electricity in the middle of the day.
You don’t need your own rooftop solar to get this offer. It’s designed to give more households access to solar power when its abundant during the day, instead of letting it go to waste.
The SSO will be available from 1 July 2026 to eligible households in Default Market Offer (DMO) areas. These areas are:
- New South Wales
- South Australia
- South East Queensland.
The SSO is being introduced as part of reforms to the DMO, which safeguards households that don’t or can’t shop around for electricity deals.
The reforms aim to strengthen consumer protections and ensure households on standing offers pay prices that reflect the efficient cost of supplying electricity.
As part of these reforms, the SSO aims to:
- help lower household electricity bills where households can shift their energy use to the free-power period
- share the benefits of abundant renewable energy more equitably
- spread demand to ease pressure on the grid during peak periods, particularly in the evening.
How the Solar Sharer Offer works
The Solar Sharer Offer will be optional. You can choose whether to sign up after considering whether it suits your home and energy use.
Energy retailers with more than 1,000 customers in DMO areas must make the SSO available to eligible households.
The Australian Energy Regulator will set the main tariff settings for the offer, including:
- the daily free-power period for each area
- the daily supply charge and usage rates that apply outside the free-power period
- the charge that may apply if a household uses more than 24 kWh during the free-power period.
Households will be able to access up to 24 kWh of free electricity during the 3-hour window each day. Usage above this cap may be charged at a rate set by the Australian Energy Regulator.
The free-power period does not mean your whole electricity bill is free. You will still pay for electricity used outside the 3-hour window and your daily supply charge.
Eligibility
The Solar Sharer Offer will be available to households that:
- live in New South Wales, South Australia or South East Queensland
- have a household smart meter installed
- are renters or homeowners
- are not supplied through an embedded network
- are with a retailer that is required to offer the Solar Sharer Offer.
You will not need to have rooftop solar to opt in to the SSO.
If you do not have a smart meter, ask your retailer if one can be installed and whether any fees apply.
Households can choose to opt in to the SSO after considering whether it suits their circumstances.
Is the Solar Sharer Offer right for me?
The Solar Sharer Offer can help eligible households to make bill savings if they are able to shift electricity use to the free-power period.
When determining if the SSO is right for you, consider your daily routine and whether you can shift your energy use to the middle of the day. The more electricity use you can shift to the 3-hour window, the more you could save on your energy bills.
Talk to your retailer about whether the SSO is right for you and your circumstances.
Steps to get onto the Solar Sharer Offer
- Step 1. Check whether you live in an eligible area and your home has a smart meter.
- Step 2. Review your energy bill and think about when your household uses the most electricity.
- Step 3. Talk to your retailer about whether the SSO is right for you and your circumstances before you decide to opt in.
- Step 4. Compare the SSO rates during and outside the free-power period with your current plan.
- Step 5. Sign up through your retailer if the offer suits your household.
- Step 6. Set a plan for ways to shift your energy use to the middle of the day.
- Step 7. Monitor your bills after switching to the SSO and check whether it is working for you.
How to make the most of the Solar Sharer Offer
Once you have decided to opt-in, you can make the most of the SSO by shifting some electricity use to the free-power period.
You could:
- plan and run larger appliances during the free-power period, where it is safe and practical to do so. This may include:
- heating and cooling
- clothes dryers
- washing machines
- dishwashers
- EV chargers
- use timers or smart appliance settings so appliances run during the 3-hour window
- heat or cool your home during the free-power period so you use less electricity later in the day
- charge your electric vehicle or home battery during the free-power period, if you have one
- plan regular household tasks, such as laundry or dishwashing, around the free-power period.
When shifting energy use to the free-power period, consider which appliances use the most energy to maximise your savings.
Hot water systems and pool pumps may not be able to be shifted if they are on a controlled load.
The SSO may not suit every household. Households are more likely to save if they can shift more electricity use to the free-power period.
Contact your retailer for more information on the appliances you can shift to make the most of the SSO.
Help and contact support
Contact your energy retailer for questions about:
- eligibility for the SSO and how to sign up
- your energy bill
- your smart meter
You can use Energy Made Easy to compare electricity plans to see which one suits your needs.
For questions about the Solar Sharer Offer policy, you can contact the department.
The department cannot:
- provide personal energy advice
- assess whether a retailer’s offer is right for you
- resolve billing and contract disputes.
If you cannot resolve a billing or contract issue with your retailer, contact your state energy and water ombudsman. You can also read more about your rights as an energy customer.
Read more
Switch to save – Find out how to compare energy offers and save on your energy costs.
Appliances guide – Learn more about how to run your household appliances more efficiently.
Smart homes guide – Learn more about automating your appliances.
Electrification guide – Learn more about how to make your home all-electric.
Solar Consumer Guide – Information to help you choose, use and maintain rooftop solar and batteries.
ev.gov.au – Factual information about electric vehicles for all Australians.
Household Energy Upgrades Fund
