Solar Sharer Offer - Regulatory Explainer
On 1 July 2026, a new type of electricity plan called the Solar Sharer Offer became available for residential customers with a smart meter in New South Wales, South Australia and South East Queensland.
This regulatory explainer provides an overview of what the Solar Sharer Offer is, how it works, and why it matters for innovators. The Solar Sharer Offer is a new retail product and further updates will be made to this article as developments occur.
What is the Solar Sharer Offer?
The Solar Sharer Offer is a new regulated standing offer introduced as part of the Australian Government's reforms to the Default Market Offer (DMO). It commenced on 1 July 2026 and is available in the DMO jurisdictions of New South Wales, South Australia and South-East Queensland. It provides eligible residential customers with a smart meter with three hours of free electricity in the middle of the day, when solar generation is typically abundant.
What is the aim of the Solar Sharer Offer?
The Solar Sharer Offer is intended to enable households without rooftop solar panels to benefit from Australia’s plentiful daytime solar generation. It aims to reduce demand during evening peaks and thus support lower long-term system costs by using existing infrastructure more efficiently.
Who needs to provide a Solar Sharer Offer?
All retailers with more than 1,000 customers across New South Wales, South Australia and South East Queensland are required to provide a Solar Sharer Offer to residential customers.
How the Solar Sharer Offer works
The Solar Sharer Offer is an opt-in standing offer available to residential customers with smart meters in DMO jurisdictions. It is best suited for customers who can move some of their electricity usage into the free period.
At a high level, the Solar Sharer Offer:
- includes a free usage period in the middle of the day, during which customers can access up to 24kWh total of free electricity;
- charges for electricity used above 24kWh during the free period at a rate equal to an ‘off-peak’ or ‘solar soak’ rate;
- charges any electricity used outside the free period at the relevant time-of-use rates (e.g. peak, off-peak, shoulder);
- reallocates costs incurred during the free usage period to the non-free usage periods on a volume-weighted basis, increasing non-free usage charges by 1 to 4 cents per kWh, depending on the region; and
- maintains existing consumer protections for standing offers.
The Solar Sharer Offer is a new flexible tariff category under the DMO framework. It is a ‘regulated tariff’ and will have its own annual ‘comparison price’ that will serve as a benchmark for similar market offers.
Why it matters for innovators
The Solar Sharer Offer is a standing offer that encourages households to move their electricity usage to free periods in the middle of the day. For innovators, the Solar Sharer Offer may create opportunities to help customers use electricity when renewable generation is plentiful. This could include products and services that automate or optimise energy use during the free period.
Examples include:
- home energy management systems that schedule appliances automatically;
- smart electric vehicle charging;
- battery optimisation services;
- hot water control technologies;
- demand response and flexibility platforms; and
- retail products that complement or build on regulated offers.
When is the free electricity period?
The free usage periods for the SSO tariffs (fixed in local time, year-round) vary as follows:
- 11 am to 2 pm (AEST/AEDT) in New South Wales
- 11am to 2 pm (AEST) South East Queensland
- 12 pm to 3 pm (ACST/ACDT) in South Australia.
Setting the free usage periods at local time year-round ensures that the Solar Sharer Offer is easier for customers to understand and decide if it is right for them.
Is the Solar Sharer Offer available in Victoria?
The Solar Sharer Offer is currently available in New South Wales, South Australia and South East Queensland. In Victoria, a similar opt-in retail offer – the Midday Power Saver - will be available to households from 1 October 2026, offering a free power window between 11am and 2pm every day.