The Australian Government's new Solar Sharer Offer (SSO) can help households to cut their electricity bills by shifting even a fraction of their energy use to a free-power period.
Under the SSO, energy retailers will offer households with smart meters at least 3 hours of free electricity. It will be scheduled for the middle of the day when solar generation is at its peak.
The free solar power will be available to households with or without rooftop solar, whether they rent or own their home. This enables more Australians to access the abundant clean energy in the middle of the day.
The SSO will be optional with customers able to sign up to it through their energy retailer. Households that take up the offer stand to make bill savings by making the most of the free-power period. For example:
The SSO is one of the reforms being made to the Default Market Offer (DMO) framework. It will be available from 1 July 2026 to households in the DMO areas: South Australia, NSW and South East Queensland.
The SSO does not only provide an opportunity to cut household bills. It can also help to minimise peak electricity prices by reducing peak demand in the evening, while improving grid stability overall.
Public feedback helped to shape the SSO's core design principles. These include tailoring the free-power period to local conditions and enhancing system efficiency overall. They also set a reasonable-use cap to keep the SSO fair and sustainable. The cap will meet the needs of a family of 5.
Consideration is being given to making an SSO or equivalent option available in other areas.
