A dishwasher loaded after dinner does not necessarily need to start after dinner. For households on an eligible daytime electricity offer, shifting that same cycle into a free-power window can change what it costs to run. Making use of free electricity hours in Australia starts with understanding your plan, then deciding which everyday tasks can move without making your day harder.
The technology involved may already be sitting in the laundry or kitchen. A built-in delay timer can schedule a wash, an appliance app can manage a cycle, and a home battery can store daytime energy for later. The useful question is how those tools fit around the household, including people who are at work when solar generation is strongest.
In written answers to TechDrivePlay, Kieran Chute, CEO of Zelora, explains why the timing of electricity use deserves more attention. His advice begins with the electricity bill and equipment people already own, before moving to the longer-term possibilities of solar, battery storage and automated energy management.
Why daytime solar is changing electricity offers
Chute explains that strong solar generation increases the amount of electricity available to the grid during sunny daytime periods. That abundance is behind growing encouragement to move some household consumption into the middle of the day. For the household, the opportunity is to match flexible tasks with the periods when their own electricity plan offers cheaper or no-cost usage.
You do not necessarily need rooftop panels to participate. Chute points to the Australian Government’s Solar Sharer Offer as a way for eligible households to benefit from abundant daytime energy regardless of whether they generate solar themselves. Renters and homeowners can both be eligible, subject to the offer’s meter, location and retailer requirements.
That distinction makes this a smart-home story as much as a solar-installation story. Choosing when an appliance runs can be a first step on its own. Adding storage later creates another option: moving the use of that daytime energy into the evening, rather than moving every household task.
Free electricity hours in Australia: which offers apply?
There is no single free-electricity arrangement covering every Australian household. The main offers discussed here have different geographic coverage and enrolment requirements. The following summary reflects official information checked on 9 November 2026; confirm the current plan and conditions with your retailer before changing schedules or switching.
| Offer | Where and when | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Solar Sharer Offer | Eligible NSW and South East Queensland households: 11am–2pm. South Australia: noon–3pm, daily. | Opt-in offer with a smart meter, participating retailer and up to 24kWh of free usage in the daily window. Embedded-network households are excluded. |
| Victorian Midday Power Saver | Victoria: 11am–2pm daily, available from 1 October 2026. | Smart meter and enrolment required; up to 24kWh of no-cost usage in the daily window. Confirm eligibility and charges with the retailer. |
| Aurora Power Hours | Tasmania: eligible events and time slots selected in aurora+. | For residential aurora+ customers. Select an eligible event; it is not a guaranteed daily three-hour window. |
The Australian Government’s Solar Sharer Offer information explains the relevant Default Market Offer areas, smart-meter requirement and opt-in process. Households still pay the daily supply charge and for electricity outside the free window; excess usage within the window can also attract a charge. Ask about installation and any fees if a smart meter is needed.
For Victoria, the Midday Power Saver guidance sets out eligibility and regulated rates. Some embedded-network customers may qualify depending on their metering and retail arrangements, so an apartment or retirement-village address needs an individual check. For Tasmania, Aurora’s Power Hours page explains how event slots are selected and usage costs credited to a future bill.
Compare the whole plan before switching
Chute recommends comparing the rates outside the free period, the daily supply charge, fair-use limits and the amount of electricity a household can realistically shift. A midday window is one part of the bill. It needs to be considered alongside the morning and evening use that remains.
“The word ‘free’ is attractive, but consumers need to look at the whole electricity bill, not just those three hours,” he says.
That gives the comparison a practical starting point. Identify the appliances you can move and how often you use them, then assess the rest of the household’s consumption under the proposed tariff. Chute notes that another plan may cost less where very little usage can move. The aim is a lower total cost for a routine that works, rather than simply collecting a free-power period.
Controlled-load circuits also need attention. Energy Made Easy’s Solar Sharer guidance says appliances on a controlled-load circuit are billed at their separate controlled-load rates and do not benefit from that free window. Check how equipment such as an electric water heater is actually metered before counting it in a savings estimate.
How to schedule a dishwasher or washing machine
Chute’s example begins with an eligible 11am–2pm offer. Instead of starting the dishwasher at 7pm, load it after dinner and use its built-in delay function to move the cycle into the following day’s window. A connected dishwasher may offer a similar scheduling option through the manufacturer’s app.
The same principle applies to a washing machine, but the controls matter. Some appliances let you choose when a programme starts; others ask when it should finish. Read the manual, check the selected cycle’s duration and leave room for the whole cycle inside the window where practical. Starting just before 2pm does not make the electricity used after 2pm free.
It helps to test the timer while you are at home before relying on a recurring routine. Check that the chosen programme runs as expected and that any remote-start setting has been enabled correctly. Choose a washing schedule that also suits unloading, so the energy routine fits around the laundry rather than creating another task to chase.
For a straightforward estimate, multiply the electricity genuinely moved into the free period, in kWh, by the rate it would otherwise have cost. That is a usage-charge comparison, not a whole-bill saving. A proper plan comparison also includes changed rates for other consumption, supply charges and any applicable limits. Use measured consumption or your appliance’s programme information instead of assuming every cycle uses the same amount.
Using timers and apps when you work during the day
Being away at midday does not remove every scheduling option. Chute points to built-in timers and app-controlled washing machines, dishwashers, air conditioners, EV chargers and other connected equipment. The simplest approach is to begin with one suitable device and establish a routine that does not require remembering to open an app at lunchtime.
Use scheduling methods approved by the equipment manufacturer and follow its operating instructions, including any restrictions on unattended use. A smart plug is not a universal substitute for an appliance’s own controls. It must suit both the electrical load and the way the appliance starts and operates. Where the instructions require supervision, keep that requirement in the plan.
Daylight saving is another reason to check the setup. The AER specifies that Solar Sharer hours stay fixed from the customer’s local-clock perspective: an 11am start remains 11am locally when the clock changes. Check that the appliance or app uses the right timezone and updates its clock correctly. Other retailer offers and device schedules should be checked against their own terms.
The Victorian Government’s home power-load guidance recommends spreading high-demand equipment across the window. Scheduling a dishwasher, battery and EV charger to start at precisely the same moment can concentrate demand. Plan around the capacity of the home’s electrical installation and seek qualified advice where needed.
How to check whether the change is saving money
Smart-meter information is useful because it shows when electricity is consumed, rather than just the total on the bill. Chute suggests looking at the retailer’s app or portal to see whether consumption is moving into the intended period. A saved timer setting is only the beginning; the usage data helps show whether it is doing the job.
Review the same information after a tariff change, an appliance replacement or a change in routine. Compare energy used in each charging period and the resulting costs, while allowing for weather, occupancy and billing-period length. A hotter month can increase air-conditioning demand even when a schedule is working as intended.
Chute also points to Energy Made Easy, which can use a household’s National Metering Identifier, or NMI, to obtain usage data for personalised comparisons. Its comparison service covers NSW, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania and the ACT. Victorian households can use Victorian Energy Compare. Checking a longer period gives a better picture than judging a single cycle or bill.
Pre-cooling, pool pumps and EV charging
Some larger household loads have flexible timing too. Chute suggests pre-cooling before the evening peak, running a pool pump with a controller during the day and scheduling EV charging through a suitable app, such as Exploren. The opportunity depends on the equipment, the electricity plan and when the household needs the result.
A pre-cooling schedule should still suit the home and occupancy, rather than run cooling simply because a window is available. Pool schedules need to maintain the required filtration, and EV charging must provide enough energy for the next trip. These are tasks to coordinate with cheaper periods where practical, while keeping their original purpose intact.
Where solar, batteries and Zelora fit after sunset
A battery changes the timing equation because it stores energy for later. Chute explains that a household can store rooftop solar generated during the day, or use grid charging where the system and electricity offer permit it, then draw on that stored energy during higher-cost evening periods. That can help households whose busiest hours begin when everyone gets home.
It also extends the conversation beyond a particular summer promotion. Rooftop generation, storage and scheduling can work together throughout the year, with settings adjusted to the tariff and household’s needs. The amount available later depends on generation, storage capacity, charging limits, system losses and how much the home uses.
Chute says Zelora’s optimisation is designed to manage those decisions for customers, rather than requiring constant attention to prices. The Intellihub solar-and-battery service describes an offering through Zelora that combines installation, optimisation, monitoring and support. It was created through Intellihub’s partnership with Bunnings.
Zelora offers monthly subscription payments as an alternative to paying the total system cost upfront. Its published pricing information describes a 10-year term and software that considers weather, tariffs and household energy patterns when managing solar, storage and grid use. The app shows system information including solar output, battery level, grid use and estimated bill savings.
For someone considering that route, compare the ongoing subscription or purchase cost alongside the household’s electricity costs, installation quote and expected usage. Chute’s aim is to reduce the upfront-cost and complexity barriers to solar and storage. The result for an individual home still depends on its system, tariff, consumption and agreement, so a tailored assessment is more useful than a universal savings figure.
Start with one change you can measure
Chute’s first step is to understand the bill, identify when electricity is cheapest and look at what can already be shifted. That might mean one dishwasher cycle, a revised pool schedule or a charging window that better matches the plan. There is no need to begin by replacing every appliance.
Once that routine is established, meter data can show what changed and help guide the next decision. Solar and battery storage offer further ways to control when energy is generated, stored and used, including after sunset. A useful smart home is one that makes those decisions easier to manage while the washing, charging and everyday life still get done.
Zachary Skinner is the editor of TechDrivePlay.com, where tech, cars and adventure share the fast lane.
A former snowboarding pro and programmer, he brings both creative flair and technical know-how to his reviews. From high-performance cars to clever gadgets, he explores how innovation shapes the way we move, connect and live.
