Every free electricity offer in Australia

The window

Two windows depending on where you live. NSW and South East Queensland get 11am to 2pm. South Australia gets 12pm to 3pm. Either way it is three hours, every day of the week including weekends. The times are fixed in local time year round and do not move for daylight saving.

Retailers offering it

The terms are set by the regulator, so these are the same product wherever you take it. What does differ is the solar feed in tariff and the rates you pay outside the window, so compare those. Every link below goes to that retailer's plan or rates page, not its home page.

• AGL
• Origin Energy
• EnergyAustralia
• Red Energy
• ENGIE
• Alinta Energy
• Sumo
• Flipped Energy
• Momentum Energy
• Powershop
• Amber Electric
• Energy Locals
• Tango Energy
• Diamond Energy

Flipped Energy sells it as Freedom Switched On 2.2! Solar Sharer, on Ausgrid, Endeavour, Essential and Energex and in South Australia. It is one of the few small retailers to publish the offer as a named plan with a price on it rather than burying it in a help article.

The cap

The first 24 kWh you use inside the window is free, which the regulator describes as roughly a five person household's entire daily use. Going over the cap does not push you onto peak rates: the excess is billed at the off peak or solar soak rate for your network. The cap applies to general usage only, so controlled load does not count towards it.

You still pay for

• The daily supply charge, in full, every day including during the free window
• Controlled load, which is excluded from the free window and billed separately
• Everything you use outside the three hour window, at time of use rates
• Anything above 24 kWh inside the window, at the off peak or solar soak rate
• Gas, which is unaffected

Eligibility

• Residential customers only, not businesses
• You must have a smart meter
• You must be in NSW, South Australia or South East Queensland. Victoria, ACT, Tasmania, WA, NT and regional Queensland are outside the scheme
• You do not need rooftop solar. This is worth repeating because the name suggests otherwise
• Renters and owners are both eligible
• Not available on embedded networks
• Retailers with more than 1,000 customers across the covered regions must offer it. Smaller retailers do not have to
• Opt in only. Your retailer will not move you onto it automatically, you have to ask

Other things to check

• It is a time of use plan, so if you are currently on a flat rate you take on peak pricing you did not have before
• A household that opts in but does not actually shift its usage will generally pay more, not less
• It replaces your existing plan rather than adding to it, so you may lose market offer discounts you are on now
• The solar feed in tariff is not regulated by the scheme and varies sharply. AGL states it pays no feed in tariff at all on its Solar Sharer Offer, so solar households must check this retailer by retailer

Distribution zones

Ausgrid (NSW), Endeavour Energy (NSW), Essential Energy (NSW), Energex (South East QLD), SA Power Networks (SA)

Risk flags counted in the score

• higher peak rates: The cost of the free window is recovered through higher rates at other times of day.

We could not verify

per network excess usage rates. Confirm these with the retailer.

Sources

• The Solar Sharer Offer: what you need to know, Energy Made Easy (AER), checked 2026-07-26
• Solar Sharer Offer, energy.gov.au (DCCEEW), checked 2026-07-26
• AER retailer fact sheet, Solar Sharer Offer, DMO 2026-27, checked 2026-07-26
• Flipped Energy residential plans, listing Freedom Switched On 2.2! Solar Sharer, checked 2026-08-02

The window

Four hours every day, 11am to 3pm local time. Available in Victoria as well as NSW, SA and South East Queensland.

The cap

32 kWh a day, which is more generous than the 24 kWh cap on both government schemes.

You still pay for

• Daily supply charge
• All usage outside 11am to 3pm
• Controlled load

Eligibility

• Residential customers
• Available in Victoria
• Solar not required

Other things to check

• As a market offer there is no regulated ceiling on your out of window rates

Risk flags counted in the score

• higher peak rates: The cost of the free window is recovered through higher rates at other times of day.
• no rate cap: A market offer, so no regulated ceiling on what you pay outside the free window.
• credit not tariff: Delivered as a bill credit after the fact rather than a zero cent rate.

We could not verify

distribution zones, daily supply charge, out of window rates, exit fees. Confirm these with the retailer.

Sources

• Flow Power 4Free, checked 2026-07-26
• Flow Power energy fact sheets, checked 2026-08-02

The window

Three hours free daily, 11am to 2pm in NSW and South East Queensland and 12pm to 3pm in South Australia, fixed in local time. Matches the regulated scheme's structure.

The cap

24 kWh a day, matching the regulated scheme.

You still pay for

• Daily supply charge
• All usage outside the window
• Controlled load

Eligibility

• Residential customers
• Smart meter required
• Solar not required

Distribution zones

Ausgrid, Endeavour Energy, Essential Energy, Energex, SA Power Networks

Risk flags counted in the score

• higher peak rates: The cost of the free window is recovered through higher rates at other times of day.
• no rate cap: A market offer, so no regulated ceiling on what you pay outside the free window.

We could not verify

daily supply charge, exit fees. Confirm these with the retailer.

Sources

• Diamond Energy energy price fact sheet, Ausgrid residential market offer, checked 2026-07-26
• Diamond Energy rates by postcode, checked 2026-08-02

The window

Three hours free daily. The window depends on when you joined: 12pm to 3pm for customers who joined on or after 1 July 2026, and 11am to 2pm for those who joined before that. We show the current window for new customers.

The cap

50 kWh a day, the most generous published cap we found anywhere, and GloBird measures it across a standard 28 day billing cycle rather than day by day. In practice that is a 1,400 kWh block for the month, so one big charging day does not cost you as long as another day is light.

You still pay for

• Daily supply charge
• All usage outside the window
• Controlled load

Eligibility

• You need a home battery already installed, between 3 and 100 kWh, with a 3 to 30 kW inverter. That range covers essentially every residential battery sold in Australia, so the size is rarely the problem: owning one is
• You must own and occupy the property, or otherwise have the right to use the system
• A smart meter
• A reliable internet connection at the property, which GloBird specifies as 5G or fibre
• You cannot be enrolled in any other virtual power plant or demand response program
• Residential customers
• Available in Victoria

Other things to check

• You have to leave any other virtual power plant or demand response program to join, so if you are earning from a VPP now, weigh that income against what the free window is worth to you
• It needs a reliable 5G or fibre connection at the property, because GloBird has to talk to the battery. Patchy internet is a real disqualifier here, not fine print
• As a market offer there is no regulated ceiling on your out of window rates

Risk flags counted in the score

• higher peak rates: The cost of the free window is recovered through higher rates at other times of day.
• no rate cap: A market offer, so no regulated ceiling on what you pay outside the free window.
• needs hardware: You must already own solar or a battery to qualify.

We could not verify

launch date, daily supply charge, out of window rates, feed in tariff rates. Confirm these with the retailer.

Sources

• ZEROHERO, GloBird Energy, checked 2026-08-02

The window

Four hours a day, 11am to 3pm local time. GloBird publishes two different windows and we have gone with this one because three sources agree on it: GloBird's plan page, its residential tariff table, and the plan data GloBird itself lodged with the regulator. A fourth page, the FOUR4FREE terms and conditions, still says 10am to 2pm. Until GloBird fixes that page, 11am to 2pm is the only stretch that is free under either version, so plan the big loads for then and confirm the rest in writing.

The cap

50 kWh a day free, then 22c per kWh for the rest of the window. The useful part is how GloBird measures it: the allowance is multiplied by the number of days in your billing period, so a 30 day bill gives you 1,500 kWh to use across the month rather than a hard 50 kWh ceiling each day. A heavy day does not cost you anything as long as a light day balances it. That is a materially better deal than the government schemes' strict daily 24 kWh line.

You still pay for

• Daily supply charge
• All usage outside the free window
• Anything above the 50 kWh a day allowance, at 22c per kWh
• Controlled load

Eligibility

• Residential customers
• Smart meter required
• Available in Victoria
• Solar not required

Other things to check

• Your peak and off peak bands are forcibly restructured. GloBird states the plan applies fixed peak and off peak periods regardless of your existing tariff type, so this changes how all of your other usage is billed
• Rates outside the window are steep. On the United Energy plan GloBird lodged with the regulator, general usage runs 37.40c per kWh for the first 15 kWh a day and 38.50c after that, at every hour outside the free window
• Also sold bundled with gas as Combo FOUR4FREE, which makes like for like comparison harder

Distribution zones

AusNet Services, CitiPower, Jemena, Powercor, United Energy, Ausgrid, Endeavour Energy, Essential Energy

Risk flags counted in the score

• higher peak rates: The cost of the free window is recovered through higher rates at other times of day.
• no rate cap: A market offer, so no regulated ceiling on what you pay outside the free window.
• restructures tariff: Signing up forcibly changes your peak and off peak bands.
• conflicting terms: The retailer's own documents state different terms in different places.

We could not verify

daily supply charge, exit fees. Confirm these with the retailer.

Sources

• FOUR4FREE, GloBird Energy plan page (states 11am to 3pm), checked 2026-08-02
• GloBird residential tariffs (states 11am to 3pm), checked 2026-08-02
• FOUR4FREE plan terms and conditions, GloBird Energy (states 10am to 2pm), checked 2026-08-02
• GloBird FOUR4FREE Residential (Two Rate) United Energy, from the plan data GloBird lodged with the regulator, checked 2026-08-02

The window

Free grid import from 11am to 2pm daily at zero cents per kWh.

The cap

50 kWh a day, well above the government schemes' 24 kWh.

You still pay for

• Daily supply charge
• All usage outside the window
• Controlled load

Eligibility

• You must have an approved, exporting solar system
• Residential customers

Other things to check

• Days of the week and daylight saving treatment are not stated on CovaU's page

Risk flags counted in the score

• higher peak rates: The cost of the free window is recovered through higher rates at other times of day.
• no rate cap: A market offer, so no regulated ceiling on what you pay outside the free window.
• needs hardware: You must already own solar or a battery to qualify.

We could not verify

daily supply charge, out of window rates, exit fees, days of week, daylight saving treatment. Confirm these with the retailer.

Sources

• SolarMax, CovaU Energy, checked 2026-07-26
• CovaU basic plan documents, checked 2026-08-02

The window

Four hours every day, 11am to 3pm, confirmed on OVO's own plan page and its legal terms. One hour longer than either government scheme. Replaces the closed Free 3 Plan, which ran 11am to 2pm.

The cap

No published kWh cap. Instead OVO applies a Fair Use Policy, which is a softer but vaguer limit than the government schemes' hard 24 kWh line.

You still pay for

• Daily supply charge
• All usage outside 11am to 3pm
• Controlled load

Eligibility

• Residential customers
• Available in Victoria, unlike the federal Solar Sharer Offer
• Solar not required

Other things to check

• As a market offer it carries no regulated ceiling on the rates you pay outside the window

Risk flags counted in the score

• higher peak rates: The cost of the free window is recovered through higher rates at other times of day.
• no rate cap: A market offer, so no regulated ceiling on what you pay outside the free window.
• discretionary cap: A fair use policy with no published number, instead of a fixed kWh cap you can check.

We could not verify

distribution zones, out of window rates, daily supply charge. Confirm these with the retailer.

Sources

• The Free 4 Plan, OVO Energy Australia, checked 2026-07-26
• OVO Energy basic plan information, checked 2026-08-02

The window

Three hours free every day, 11am to 2pm. Notable because it covers regional Queensland, which sits outside the South East Queensland area where the federal scheme applies.

The cap

24 kWh a day, matching the federal scheme.

You still pay for

• Daily service fee
• All usage outside the window
• Controlled load

Eligibility

• Residential customers in regional Queensland
• Smart meter required

Other things to check

• Moving to it may change your solar feed in tariff arrangements

Distribution zones

Ergon Energy (regional Queensland)

Risk flags counted in the score

• higher peak rates: The cost of the free window is recovered through higher rates at other times of day.

We could not verify

daily service fee, out of window rates, feed in tariff change, exit fees. Confirm these with the retailer.

Sources

• Solar Sharer, Ergon Energy Retail, checked 2026-08-02

The window

Six hours, 9am to 3pm, the longest free window we found in Australia. Western Australia sits outside the national market, so neither government scheme reaches it and this is the only free window product we could confirm there.

The cap

10 kWh a day, well below the 24 kWh on the east coast schemes, which limits how much that long window is actually worth. Synergy describes it as around three quarters of an average household's daily use.

You still pay for

• Daily supply charge
• All usage outside 9am to 3pm
• Usage above 10 kWh in the window

Eligibility

• You must be in Synergy's hardship or case management program. This is not a plan you can shop for
• You must have an advanced meter
• You must not have solar panels on the property

Other things to check

• Households with solar are excluded, which rules out most of the people a midday free window would suit
• We could not find a live product page. Both primary sources are dated 2023, so confirm with Synergy that it is still running

Distribution zones

Western Power

Risk flags counted in the score

• restricted access: Not open to the general public.
• not final: Terms are not yet settled, or we could not confirm the plan is still open.

We could not verify

current availability 2026, out of window rates, daily supply charge. Confirm these with the retailer.

Sources

• More energy savings for those doing it tough, Synergy media release, checked 2026-07-26

The window

Two hours free every day, 12pm to 2pm, which Powershop's terms call the Super Off Peak period. Aimed at EV charging but the free window applies to whatever you run.

The cap

No published kWh cap. A discretionary Fair Use Policy applies instead.

You still pay for

• Daily supply charge
• All usage outside 12pm to 2pm
• Controlled load

Eligibility

• Residential customers
• Available in Victoria

Other things to check

• Only two free hours a day, a third less than the government schemes

Risk flags counted in the score

• higher peak rates: The cost of the free window is recovered through higher rates at other times of day.
• no rate cap: A market offer, so no regulated ceiling on what you pay outside the free window.
• discretionary cap: A fair use policy with no published number, instead of a fixed kWh cap you can check.

We could not verify

daily cap kwh, out of window rates, feed in tariff rate, fair use threshold. Confirm these with the retailer.

Sources

• EV Day, Powershop, checked 2026-07-26
• Powershop energy rates and prices, checked 2026-08-02

The window

Three hours free, 11am to 2pm, every day including weekends. Fixed year round in local time. Around 2.6 million Victorian households are expected to be eligible.

The cap

24 kWh of total consumption during the free period per day. Usage above the cap is charged at up to the solar soak rate.

You still pay for

• The daily supply charge, every day. Recommended maximums run about $1.19 to $1.38 a day depending on your network
• Off peak usage from 9pm to 11am, around 24c per kWh
• Solar soak usage from 2pm to 4pm, around 19c per kWh
• Peak usage from 4pm to 9pm, around 40c to 50c per kWh
• Controlled load and dedicated circuits, which are billed separately. If your hot water is on a controlled load it keeps costing you during the free window
• Anything above 24 kWh inside the free window

Eligibility

• Residential customers only
• You must have a smart meter
• You do not need solar. The scheme is explicitly designed so households benefit whether or not they have panels or a battery
• Every Victorian retailer with more than 1,000 customers has to offer it
• Opt in and entirely optional. A cooling off period applies and you can switch it off at any time with no exit fees
• You cannot be placed on it automatically, you have to contact your retailer from 1 October 2026

Other things to check

• Rates outside the window are deliberately higher. The regulator is explicit that the cost of the free period is recovered across every other time of day, with recommended peak rates reaching about 50c per kWh in the AusNet zone
• The regulator's own assessment warns that shifting enough usage may be challenging for most households, and that customers who cannot shift enough could end up worse off
• The regulator also notes that battery owners may gain little, because a well run battery is already avoiding expensive grid periods
• Controlled load is not free during the window
• Retailers will not be required to benchmark their market offers against it, so cheaper plans will not be surfaced to you automatically

Distribution zones

AusNet Services, CitiPower, Jemena, Powercor, United Energy

Risk flags counted in the score

• higher peak rates: The cost of the free window is recovered through higher rates at other times of day.
• not final: Terms are not yet settled, or we could not confirm the plan is still open.

We could not verify

order in council not yet made, cooling off period length, controlled load tariff schedule, embedded network treatment. Confirm these with the retailer.

Sources

• Victorian Midday Power Saver, energy.vic.gov.au, checked 2026-08-02
• Essential Services Commission media release on the regulated free power period consultation, checked 2026-07-29
• Victorian Premier, three hours free power every day, 25 March 2026, checked 2026-07-29

The window

Weekends only. Two hours on Saturdays and Sundays between 12pm and 2pm, so four free hours a week rather than the 21 you get from a daily three hour scheme. Verified in Red Energy's own terms and conditions.

The cap

No published kWh cap.

You still pay for

• Daily supply charge
• All weekday usage
• All usage outside 12pm to 2pm on weekends
• Controlled load

Eligibility

• Residential customers
• Available in Victoria and the ACT, where neither government scheme applies

Other things to check

• Rates outside the window are not published in the terms

Risk flags counted in the score

• higher peak rates: The cost of the free window is recovered through higher rates at other times of day.
• no rate cap: A market offer, so no regulated ceiling on what you pay outside the free window.
• discretionary cap: A fair use policy with no published number, instead of a fixed kWh cap you can check.
• limited days: Not available every day of the week.

We could not verify

distribution zones, out of window rates, daily supply charge, exit fees. Confirm these with the retailer.

Sources

• Red Energy EV Saver terms and conditions, checked 2026-07-26
• Red Energy Victorian energy fact sheets, checked 2026-08-02

The window

Weekends only. Two hours on Saturdays and Sundays between 12pm and 2pm, covering grid imports but excluding controlled load. Four free hours a week.

The cap

No published kWh cap.

You still pay for

• Daily supply charge
• All weekday usage
• Controlled load

Eligibility

• Residential customers in the ACT

Other things to check

• The ACT sits outside the federal scheme entirely, so this is one of only two free window options there, alongside Red Energy EV Saver

Distribution zones

Evoenergy

Risk flags counted in the score

• higher peak rates: The cost of the free window is recovered through higher rates at other times of day.
• no rate cap: A market offer, so no regulated ceiling on what you pay outside the free window.
• limited days: Not available every day of the week.

We could not verify

daily cap kwh, daily supply charge, peak rates, exit fees. Confirm these with the retailer.

Sources

• evEnergy Saver, ActewAGL, checked 2026-07-26
• ActewAGL ACT residential prices, checked 2026-08-02

The window

The only free electricity offer in Tasmania, and the only one on this page that is not a standing window. Aurora runs Power Hours as occasional events. You open the aurora+ app, pick one time slot for one property, and everything you use in that slot is credited back on a later bill. There is no daily window and no schedule you can plan a year around: you take the events as they come. Aurora had three listed when we checked, across August, September and October 2026, which is roughly one a month.

The cap

No kWh limit inside your slot. Aurora's own wording is that you can use as much electricity as you want during your time slot, which is the most generous term of any offer here. It just applies far less often.

You still pay for

• Daily supply charge
• Everything outside your booked slot, which is almost all of the year
• Controlled load

Eligibility

• Tasmanian residential customers on aurora+
• A smart meter on an eligible tariff
• One property and one time slot per aurora+ account, per event

Other things to check

• You have to remember to book. If you do not open the app and claim a slot before the event, you get nothing
• It arrives as a credit on a later bill rather than as a zero cent rate, so you pay first and get it back afterwards
• Aurora does not publish the event calendar far ahead, so you cannot plan a big load like an EV charge or a hot water cycle around it more than a few weeks out

Distribution zones

TasNetworks

Risk flags counted in the score

• limited days: Not available every day of the week.
• credit not tariff: Delivered as a bill credit after the fact rather than a zero cent rate.
• no rate cap: A market offer, so no regulated ceiling on what you pay outside the free window.

We could not verify

slot length hours, events per year, slot times 2026, eligible tariff list. Confirm these with the retailer.

Sources

• Power Hours, Aurora Energy, checked 2026-08-02
• Power Hours to provide customers with free electricity, Aurora Energy media release, checked 2026-08-02

The window

Reported as three hours daily, 10am to 1pm, in South Australia. We could not load AGL's plan page or its media release to confirm this, so treat the times as unverified.

The cap

Not published anywhere we could reach.

You still pay for

• Daily supply charge
• All usage outside the window
• Controlled load

Eligibility

• South Australian residential customers

Other things to check

• AGL's plan page is geo restricted to South Australia and blocks automated checking, so we could not verify the cap, the out of window rates or the supply charge

Distribution zones

SA Power Networks

Risk flags counted in the score

• higher peak rates: The cost of the free window is recovered through higher rates at other times of day.
• no rate cap: A market offer, so no regulated ceiling on what you pay outside the free window.
• not final: Terms are not yet settled, or we could not confirm the plan is still open.

We could not verify

free window start, free window end, daily cap kwh, out of window rates, daily supply charge, still open to new customers. Confirm these with the retailer.

Sources

• Three for Free, AGL (page returned 403 to automated checks), checked 2026-07-26