[category]
[title]
The cost of living crisis in Sydney is seriously real, but a new scheme has recently launched offering three free hours of electricity every day to eligible NSW households. Keen to cash in? Here’s the lowdown from the Australian Government Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water.
The new Solar Sharer Offer gives eligible households free electricity from 11am to 2pm every day, allowing you to use up to 24kWh during that window without paying for the electricity consumed. Better yet, you don't need rooftop solar to take advantage of it.
The optional offer is available to eligible households in NSW with a smart meter that are supplied by participating energy retailers. Both renters and homeowners can sign up, provided they're not connected to an embedded network.
The catch? You'll still pay your daily supply charge and for any electricity you use outside the free three-hour period, so the biggest savings will go to households that can shift energy-hungry jobs to the middle of the day.
The Solar Sharer Offer is part of wider reforms to the Default Market Offer, with the aim of helping households lower their power bills while making better use of Australia's abundant midday solar energy.
If you're interested, check that your home has a smart meter, compare the Solar Sharer Offer with your current electricity plan and contact your energy retailer to see if it's the right fit for your household.
You can learn more over here.
Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out Sydney newsletter for more news, travel inspo and activity ideas, straight to your inbox.
RECOMMENDED:
Sydney has ranked in the top 5 most liveable cities for 2026 in this globally renowned index
Plans to introduce paid parking at these Sydney beaches have officially been scrapped
Sydney is officially Australia's most forgetful city (according to Uber's latest Lost and Found Index)