To access Solar Sharer Offer, you firstly need a smart meter for your home which tracks your electricity usage every 30 minutes. A smart meter shouldn’t change your electricity plan, although as the readings are more accurate, the cost of your quarterly bill may slightly change due to when and how much electricity you use.

By 2030, every household will have a smart meter as part of the national rollout. Your energy provider will contact you four business days before they come and make the switch. This service should be free, unless there are any extra electrical or infrastructure changes they need to make. 

To access a smart meter earlier than the planned national rollout, you need to contact your electricity provider and request one. 

When we called Energy Australia and Red Energy in July they confirmed that the swap to a smart meter is free, unless there are any issues with the wiring or meter box which will need to be fixed, and they reconfirmed there are no issues doing this for someone that lives in an apartment or in a strata complex. 

If you are a renter or public housing resident, you can request a smart meter if the electricity account is in your name. Energy Australia advised it is best for you to make the property owners aware, although Minister Bowen's Office confirmed you don’t need their permission to request a swap to a smart meter. 

To opt in to the Solar Sharer Offer, contact your energy retailer online or by phone. Joining this offer is the same as switching to any other energy plan. Your retailer will explain how the plan works, including any costs, conditions and eligibility requirements, so you can decide whether it's the right option for your household. If you feel it is, they can switch you over.

The Solar Sharer Offer is now available on Energymadeeasy.gov.au.

The Solar Sharer Offer may also appear through the Better Bills initiative, which requires energy retailers to let customers know at least every 100 days if there's a better energy plan based on their recent electricity use. However, because the Solar Sharer Offer relies on households shifting more of their energy use into the middle of the day, it may not always be recommended. 

If your current electricity use isn't already concentrated during the free three-hour window, Energymadeeasy.gov.au and the Better Bills comparison may not identify the Solar Sharer Offer as your best option. 

If you're interested in the Solar Sharer Offer, think carefully about how much of your energy usage you can shift to the free three hours, and contact your energy retailer if you have any questions. 

Electricity prices are regulated by the Australian Energy Regulator (AER), an independent government agency who set what’s called the Default Market Offer (DMO). The DMO acts as a regulated safety net that limits price increases from energy retailers and gives you a price to compare to when choosing an energy plan. Think of the DMO price as the absolute maximum you can be charged for electricity. The Solar Sharer Offer has been added to the DMO to protect us from potential energy price hikes. 

In reality, as energy retailers compete to attract customers, many energy plans are set below this price, you may recognise it as a percentage “less than comparison price set by AER”.

All energy retailers are required to provide an Solar Sharer Offer plan but it seems they have all tried to get as close to the maximum price set by the AER as possible. AGL, Red Energy and Origin all offer  similar prices, only 0-2% lower than the comparison price set by the AER.

Source - Australian Energy Regulator Solar Sharer Offer Factsheet

The Solar Sharer Offer is only available in the Default Market Operator regions of NSW, SA and SE QLD. Although, there are other opportunities for residents in other areas of Australia.

Victoria

From the 1st of October, all households in Victoria will have access to the Midday Power Saver (MPS), providing free power between 11am-2pm every day. The MPS is regulated and reviewed by the Essential Services Commission, Victoria's independent energy regulator. Any household with a smart meter will be eligible and will need to opt-in through their energy retailer. Similar to the Solar Sharer Offer, this may not suit all households. Homes that can shift their highest electricity use into the three free hours are likely to see the greatest savings. 

Households in other states and territories don't currently have access to three free hours of electricity each day. However, using more electricity during the middle of the day can still help lower your bills, as many energy plans have cheaper off-peak rates during these hours.