What is the Australian Government New Solar Sharer Offer?

From 1 July 2026, eligible households in New South Wales, South Australia and South East Queensland will be able to access the new Solar Sharer Offer (SSO) — an opt-in electricity offer providing 3 hours of free daytime electricity.

The offer is designed to help households make better use of abundant midday solar energy, even if they do not have rooftop solar panels installed. To participate, households will need an active smart meter and must opt in through an eligible electricity retailer.

Under the scheme, households can access up to 24 kWh of free electricity per day during set time windows:

Victoria is expected to introduce a separate Midday Power Saver offer from 1 October 2026.

While “free electricity” is the headline, the bigger story is smarter energy use. Households may benefit most by shifting energy-intensive activities into the free-power window, such as running appliances, charging EVs or charging home batteries.

At Master Instruments, we see this as another sign of Australia’s changing energy landscape, where smart meters, battery storage, EV charging and energy management technology will continue to play an important role.

To learn more, view the full Solar Sharer Offer fact sheet here:

View the Smart Energy Council's fact sheet.