Solar Sharer Offer Explained: Store 3 Hours of Free Electricity and Cut Costs
- Key Takeaways
- What Is the Solar Sharer Offer and How Does It Work?
- Will the Solar Sharer Offer Actually Save You Money?
- Why Can the 3-Hour Free Electricity Window Be Difficult to Use?
- How to Store Free Electricity With an EcoFlow Portable Power Station
- How Much Free Electricity Can You Store and Use Later?
- Conclusion
- FAQs
Eligible households in New South Wales, South Australia and South East Queensland can access 3 hours of free electricity each day through the Australian Government’s Solar Sharer Offer, with up to 24 kWh of free primary-load usage during the midday window. The plan can lower bills when you shift enough consumption into those hours, but it is not automatically the cheapest option. This guide explains the rules, plan comparison, storage strategy and EcoFlow options for using free power later.
Key Takeaways
The Solar Sharer Offer is an optional regulated standing offer for eligible smart-meter households in New South Wales, South Australia and South East Queensland. Rooftop solar is not required.
The offer provides three free hours of primary-load electricity each day, up to a 24 kWh daily cap. Daily supply charges, controlled-load charges and other applicable charges can still remain payable.
Free midday electricity does not automatically make the Solar Sharer Offer the cheapest plan. Compare annual cost, rates outside the free window, supply charges, controlled loads and solar feed-in terms before switching.
An EcoFlow portable power station can charge during the free window and store electricity for later use, so you do not have to run every flexible appliance between late morning and early afternoon.
On supported EcoFlow configurations, scheduled charging or Time-of-Use settings can help capture the daily free-power window automatically. Available app controls vary by model, firmware and region.
Choose storage capacity around the appliances and evening energy you actually want to cover. The 24 kWh cap is a household free-usage ceiling, not a target battery size.
What Is the Solar Sharer Offer and How Does It Work?
The Solar Sharer Offer (SSO) is the Australian Government’s “3 hours free electricity” offer, available from 1 July 2026, giving eligible households a free midday electricity period each day.
It is an electricity plan available under the Default Market Offer (DMO) framework, which provides a regulated reference point for electricity pricing in eligible regions.
Solar Sharer Offer Rules at a Glance
The table below separates the federal Solar Sharer Offer rules from other Australian free-power arrangements. The federal SSO applies only to DMO jurisdictions; Victoria has a separate regulated Midday Power Saver that begins later in 2026.
Area | Free Period | Daily Free Cap | Core Eligibility / Charges |
New South Wales | 11 am–2 pm | Up to 24 kWh | Smart meter; eligible retailer; not embedded network; supply and controlled-load charges may still apply |
South East Queensland | 11 am–2 pm | Up to 24 kWh | Same federal SSO framework and opt-in rules |
South Australia | 12 pm–3 pm | Up to 24 kWh | Same federal SSO framework and opt-in rules |
Victoria is not included in the federal Solar Sharer Offer. Victorian households will instead follow the separate Victorian Midday Power Saver, scheduled to start from 1 October 2026 with an optional 11 am–2 pm free period. The federal SSO rules and 24 kWh cap do not apply.
Who Is Eligible for the Solar Sharer Offer?
Households in New South Wales, South Australia and South East Queensland can participate if they have a smart meter, are not supplied through an embedded network and use a retailer required to offer the Solar Sharer Offer. Both renters and homeowners can opt in, and rooftop solar panels are not required.
Why Was the Solar Sharer Offer Introduced?
The SSO encourages households to use more electricity during the middle of the day, when solar generation is typically higher. Like other time-based electricity strategies, such as off-peak electricity times, it helps households shift flexible loads, including appliances, EV charging or battery charging, into periods when electricity is more available.
How Is the Solar Sharer Offer Connected to the DMO?
The Default Market Offer (DMO) is a regulated electricity reference price used in NSW, South Australia and South East Queensland. The Solar Sharer Offer operates within this framework as an opt-in offer that introduces a three-hour free midday electricity period.
However, being linked to the DMO does not mean the SSO will always be the cheapest option. Households should still compare the full plan cost, including usage rates, supply charges and other conditions, based on their electricity habits.
How Do You Sign Up for the Solar Sharer Offer?
Check your eligibility, including smart meter and retailer requirements, then review your electricity usage to see how much you can shift into the free period.
Compare plans through your retailer or Energy Made Easy before opting in, and monitor your bills after switching.
Will the Solar Sharer Offer Actually Save You Money?
Why Free Electricity Does Not Always Mean a Lower Bill
Three free hours can reduce your electricity costs, but the overall value still depends on the rest of the plan. If your household uses most of its power in the evening, higher rates outside the free window or ongoing supply charges may reduce the savings. It is worth comparing the full tariff, not just the free period, before deciding whether the offer suits your household.
Treat the offer as a full-day tariff, not simply as three free hours.
Check Your Current Bill and Smart Meter Data
Before switching, note your supply charge, usage rates, controlled-load rate, average daily kWh and any solar feed-in credit. Smart-meter interval data is especially useful because it shows how much demand already falls inside the free period and how much could realistically be shifted.
Use several months of data rather than one unusual week. If you have rooftop solar, also check how much grid electricity you currently import at midday because your own generation may already cover much of that period.
Compare the Total Annual Cost and Plan Conditions
When you compare electricity offers, use the estimated annual cost rather than the zero-cent midday rate alone. A sound electricity comparison includes the supply charge, rates outside the free period, the 24 kWh cap, controlled loads, solar feed-in terms and expiring discounts.
If one retailer supplies both fuels, compare electricity and gas plans as well as any bundle. For a useful energy comparison, keep electricity and gas costs separate so a discount on one service does not hide a weak price on the other.
An electricity plan comparison is more reliable when it uses your postcode, NMI and interval data. If you want to compare electricity plans in NSW, the distribution zone matters because Ausgrid, Endeavour Energy and Essential Energy have different regulated benchmarks and tariff structures.
Who Is Most Likely to Save With the Solar Sharer Offer?
The offer is most promising for households that can regularly shift paid evening or shoulder use into the free period. That can include EV charging, battery charging, daytime cooling, home-office loads and programmable appliances such as dryers or dishwashers.
It may be less attractive for very low-use households, heavy controlled-load users, or homes that cannot move consumption away from the evening. Rooftop-solar households should also compare the free import window with existing self-consumption and feed-in value.
If you are comparing electricity plans, use the AER comparison price as a benchmark rather than a forecast of your bill. If you are unsure how to compare electricity plans, start with the estimated annual cost, then compare electric tariffs outside the free window and test the result against your own interval-data pattern.
Why Can the 3-Hour Free Electricity Window Be Difficult to Use?
You May Not Need Much Electricity at Midday
Many households use more discretionary electricity before work and in the evening than at midday. A dishwasher or washing machine can be scheduled, but those loads alone may use only a small part of the 24 kWh allowance.
Treat the cap as a maximum opportunity, not a consumption target. The useful strategy is to move energy you would otherwise buy later, not to use extra electricity simply because it is free.
Manually Shifting Appliance Use Is Easy to Miss
A three-hour window is easy to miss when work, errands and family routines change. Appliance delay timers, EV schedules and battery automation are more dependable than manually switching several loads every day.
Automation also helps prevent charging from drifting into a paid interval at the start or end of the free window.
Evening Electricity Use Still Happens After the Free Window
Even after laundry and dishwashing move to midday, evening lighting, cooking, entertainment and heating or cooling still create demand. Storage can move part of the free midday energy into those later hours.
The value depends on the paid rate avoided, conversion losses, cycling frequency and whether the stored electricity replaces energy you would otherwise buy. Size storage around a real later load rather than the full 24 kWh cap.
How to Store Free Electricity With an EcoFlow Portable Power Station
The Solar Sharer Offer provides free electricity during the day, but many households use more power in the evening. An EcoFlow portable power station can store some of this energy for later use, helping reduce reliance on paid electricity.
Savings depend on your electricity plan, usage patterns and how much energy you can shift.
Step 1: Connect the Power Station Before the Free Window
Connect your EcoFlow portable power station to a household outlet before the free period and leave enough available capacity for charging. The free window is 11 am–2 pm in NSW and South East Queensland and 12 pm–3 pm in South Australia. Charging the power station and running appliances both count towards the 24 kWh daily free usage cap.
A portable power station should only power appliances through its designed outlets and should not be connected back into household wiring unless approved transfer equipment is installed.
Step 2: Schedule Charging Through the EcoFlow App
On supported EcoFlow models, use app scheduling features to charge during the free electricity period. This can help capture available free power without manually managing charging every day.
For example, an EcoFlow DELTA series portable power station can store midday electricity and later support loads such as refrigeration, Wi-Fi, lighting or home-office equipment.
Step 3: Use the Stored Electricity Later
After the free period, use stored energy for the loads you planned to shift, such as refrigeration, a home office, television, Wi-Fi or selected kitchen appliances, while staying within the power station's output limits.
For whole-home setups, decide which circuits need stored energy and how much reserve to keep for outages. For portable use, check continuous output and appliance start-up demand.
Direct Use vs Store-and-Use-Later
Approach | What You Do During Free Window | Benefit | Main Limitation |
Direct appliance use | Run dishwasher, dryer, HVAC, hot-water or EV charging | Avoids battery conversion losses and uses free energy immediately | Requires the load to be available and scheduled at midday |
Store and use later | Charge a power station, then discharge after the window | Moves free energy into evening and adds backup flexibility | Battery capacity, charging rate and conversion losses limit the shifted kWh |
Combined approach | Run flexible appliances while charging storage with remaining allowance | Uses the 24 kWh cap more efficiently when you have several flexible loads | Requires load planning so the household does not exceed the free-period cap |
How Much Free Electricity Can You Store and Use Later?
Calculate How Much Energy the Power Station Can Capture
A practical limit is the smallest of four values: available battery capacity, energy the unit can charge in three hours, remaining household free-period allowance, and the safe power available from the outlet or installation. A half-full 3 kWh battery, for example, cannot absorb the full 3 kWh.
AC energy delivered later will be lower than grid energy used for charging because of inverter, battery-management and standby losses. The examples below use 85% of nameplate capacity as a simple planning assumption, not a guaranteed EcoFlow round-trip-efficiency figure.
Why Fast Charging Matters in a 3-Hour Window
Because the Solar Sharer Offer only provides a three-hour free electricity period, charging speed affects how much energy a portable power station can store before the window ends. A faster AC input allows the unit to make better use of the available period, especially when shifting electricity from midday to evening use.
A larger battery does not always mean more stored free electricity if the charging rate cannot fill enough capacity during the window. The most practical setup balances battery capacity, charging speed and the amount of electricity your household can realistically shift.
Which EcoFlow Capacity Fits Your Free-Electricity Strategy?
The right storage capacity depends on how much electricity your household can shift from the free midday period to later use. Smaller systems can cover essential evening loads, while larger setups provide more stored energy and backup support. Learn more about choosing the right solution in our guide to solar battery storage.
For households looking to shift more of their midday free electricity into evening use, the EcoFlow DELTA 3 Ultra Plus Portable Power Station offers 3 072 Wh LFP battery capacity and 3600W AC output. Its 2300W AC charging input helps recharge the unit efficiently within the three-hour Solar Sharer window.
Its portable design makes it a flexible option for covering selected household loads without moving directly to a fixed home battery system.
When a household needs to shift larger amounts of midday electricity, the EcoFlow DELTA Pro Ultra Whole-Home Backup Power provides a higher-capacity storage option with expandable battery capacity. It allows homes with greater energy demand to store more electricity from the Solar Sharer window and use it later when consumption increases.
The system can also support whole-home backup applications when paired with compatible equipment such as the EcoFlow Transfer Switch. Any fixed integration should follow Australian electrical requirements and use appropriate installation support.
EcoFlow Storage Options at a Glance
EcoFlow Model | Battery Capacity | Estimated Usable Energy Later* | Best Suited For |
DELTA 3 Ultra Plus | 3.072kWh | ~2.6kWh | Shifting more midday electricity into evening use |
DELTA Pro Ultra | 6.144kWh+ | ~5.2kWh+ | Larger energy shifts and higher household demand |
*Estimated usable energy assumes around 85% of nominal capacity after conversion and system losses. Actual results vary depending on charging conditions, household usage and electricity plans.
Conclusion
The Solar Sharer Offer can help eligible households make better use of 3 hours of free electricity when their energy habits align with the midday window. The key is choosing a strategy that fits your home, whether that means shifting flexible appliances, charging storage, or combining both approaches. EcoFlow portable power stations provide a flexible way to store part of this free electricity and use it when your household needs it later.
FAQs
How Do I Compare Electricity Plans With the Solar Sharer Offer?
When comparing the Solar Sharer Offer with other electricity plans, check the daily supply charge and rates outside the free midday window, not just the three free hours. Use your NMI on Energy Made Easy, where possible, to compare estimated annual costs based on your actual usage. The offer is likely to suit households that can shift more electricity use into the free period.
Is Australia Offering Everyone 3 Hours of Free Electricity?
No. The federal Solar Sharer Offer is available to eligible residential customers with smart meters in New South Wales, South Australia and South East Queensland, subject to retailer and network conditions. It is optional rather than automatic. Victoria has a separate Midday Power Saver scheduled from 1 October 2026. Other states and territories are not currently covered by the federal SSO, although equivalent arrangements may develop separately.
Do You Need Solar Panels to Access the Solar Sharer Offer?
No. Rooftop solar is not required. Eligible renters and homeowners can use the Solar Sharer Offer because it is designed to share the value of abundant midday grid solar even with households that do not generate their own electricity. You still need a smart meter and must meet the location, retailer and network rules. Existing solar households should compare their feed-in credits and current midday self-consumption before switching.
Can You Charge a Battery During the Free Electricity Period?
Yes. Home batteries can be charged during the free period, and the Australian Government specifically lists battery charging as one way to shift electricity use into those hours. Any grid electricity used to charge the battery forms part of the 24 kWh daily free-use allowance, alongside other household consumption. Not every battery system is set up for scheduled grid charging, so check your system settings and manufacturer or installer guidance before relying on this strategy.
*Disclaimer: Before reading this guidance, please note that rebate programs can vary based on individual circumstances, location, and eligibility criteria. EcoFlow does not provide any assurances or guarantees concerning potential rebates associated with our products. Any information in this guidance is solely for educational purposes and shall not be construed as legal or financial advice. We recommend you consult the official program guidelines or seek professional advice for accurate and personalized information.