Rewiring Australia has commended the federal government for its new Solar Sharer energy reform, saying it’s a smart reform that will lower bills and emissions.

“Today’s announcement is a big win for consumers across the energy system, especially for renters and apartments who often miss out on savings from having their own solar panels,” Rewiring Australia CEO Francis Vierboom said.

Under the Solar Sharer scheme announced overnight, energy retailers will be required to offer a competitively priced energy plan that includes at least three free hours around the middle of each day, when solar energy is in abundance.

“In the middle of the day, our grid is humming with cheap solar. The underlying price of that electricity is often zero or negative. This Solar Sharer reform means energy retailers will have to pass on those ultra-low prices to consumers for at least three hours.

“That’s enough time to heat up a hot water tank, blast the air conditioner to cool a home on a hot day, run a pool pump, or charge an EV, and each one of those could mean hundreds of dollars of savings per year," Mr Vierboom said.

Incentives to use more energy around midday will also make the grid cheaper to maintain, helping reduce the evening peak energy demands that drive costly grid upgrades.

Australians in New South Wales, South-East Queensland and South Australia will be able to take advantage of the scheme which is set to come into effect next July, with plans to expand to other states in 2027. The plan will require smart meters, which are expected to roll out to 100% of homes by 2030.

“With this free midday energy now available across all homes, we’re calling on the government to keep stepping up to help Australians lower bills by supporting them to switch to all-electric appliances and cars. Over 100,000 people have already used the Cheaper Home Batteries subsidy, and we should expand it to cover standalone batteries and smart EV chargers that can use Solar Sharer plans. We should also keep expanding flexible finance options to help people make the switch to all-electric homes, and deliver minimum standards for rental homes to require the switch to electric appliances when gas ones break down.

“Australia first started using off-peak systems back in the 1950s, when we ran hot water tanks to balance the grid for coal power stations that couldn’t turn off overnight. But the new off-peak is midday, when we’re making free energy on our own rooftops. This update will save Australians money and keep our electricity system strong."

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