Victorian Midday Power Saver 2026: Free Electricity from 11am–2pm Explained

The Victorian Midday Power Saver is a new electricity offer for eligible Victorian residential customers.

From 1 October 2026, participating households can access a daily free electricity period between 11am and 2pm. The three-hour window applies every day of the week.

This distinction matters because the Midday Power Saver is designed around changing when you use electricity, not simply giving every household a universally lower electricity bill.

Think of your electricity day as four different periods.

The exact maximum usage rates differ by Victorian distribution zone. For the first program period, from 1 October 2026 to 30 June 2027, the Victorian Government has published maximum tariffs for areas including:

This is where the Midday Power Saver becomes a household energy-management question. Imagine two homes.

The Victorian Government specifically identifies households that can shift electricity use into the free window as potential beneficiaries.

That includes people who can run appliances such as:

Timers and smart controls can make this easier if you are not at home.

For example, a Melbourne homeowner who leaves for work at 8am does not necessarily have to miss the free electricity window:

• A washing machine or dishwasher with a suitable delay-start function could be scheduled for later in the morning.
• A heat pump hot water system can potentially be programmed around the household's solar generation and electricity tariff.
• An EV charger can potentially be scheduled to charge during the free period.

The Victorian Government estimates that households could save between approximately $149 and $428 per year, depending on household circumstances and how much electricity they shift into the free period.

For households with an EV, the government estimates the potential saving could be higher when charging is shifted into the free period.

Your actual result will depend on:

• Your annual electricity consumption
• Your existing electricity plan
• How much electricity you can move into 11am–2pm
• Your electricity usage outside the free period
• Whether you have solar
• Whether you have a battery
• Whether you have an EV
• Your hot water system
• Your heating and cooling requirements
• Your retailer's applicable offer
• Your distribution zone
• Your household routine

So don't use someone else's annual saving as your expected saving. Use your own electricity data.

Melbourne is not one single electricity tariff area. Depending on where your property is located, you may fall within a different distribution zone. The published Midday Power Saver maximum tariffs for the first program period vary between:

For example, the published maximum peak usage rates for the first period are different between these distribution zones. That means two Melbourne-area households can have different electricity costs outside the free window.

Not necessarily — and the Midday Power Saver does not replace solar.

This is one of the most important questions Melbourne homeowners are likely to ask. If the government gives you three hours of free electricity every day, why buy solar panels?

Because the two solutions solve different problems.

So the two can potentially work together. For example:

can be combined with:

depending on your system, energy retailer and household usage. For a home without solar, the free electricity window may provide an opportunity to shift some daytime electricity use. For a home with solar, the bigger question is how much of your daytime consumption is already being supplied by your solar system.

This is where things get more interesting. A home with rooftop solar is already positioned to use more electricity during daylight hours. Solar Victoria encourages households to maximise the use of solar energy generated during the day, rather than exporting energy and later buying electricity from the grid.

The Midday Power Saver adds another variable. Suppose your solar system is producing strongly between 11am and 2pm. You could use that electricity for:

But on a cloudy Melbourne day, your solar generation may be lower. The Midday Power Saver can potentially provide another source of low-cost daytime electricity during the free window.

A battery adds another layer. A battery can store electricity for later use, but the most financially sensible charging strategy depends on your solar generation, electricity tariff, battery settings, export limits and household consumption.

Under the Midday Power Saver, some households may consider charging their battery during the free window. However, this should not automatically be treated as the best strategy.

Before changing your battery settings, look at:

1. How much solar your home generates between 11am and 2pm
2. How much electricity your home uses during that period
3. Your battery's usable capacity
4. Your evening electricity consumption
5. Your inverter and battery charging limits
6. Your export limit
7. Your electricity tariff
8. Your battery's existing operating mode

This is exactly why a battery should be designed around the home, not simply added because a battery rebate or free electricity period exists.

Potentially, yes. For households with an EV, the Midday Power Saver creates a very practical use case. Instead of charging your vehicle during an evening peak period, you could schedule charging during the free window where your circumstances and charger support it.

For a homeowner who works from home, this can be straightforward. For someone who drives to work every day, a smart charger or scheduled charging may be more useful.

If you are also:

your home's electrical system needs to be capable of handling the combined demand. Victorian Government guidance recommends staggering high-energy loads rather than running multiple major loads simultaneously.

Yes, this is one of the most practical combinations to consider. Hot water is a predictable household load. Unlike turning on an appliance randomly, hot water can often be heated according to a schedule.

A heat pump hot water system can therefore be part of a broader daytime energy strategy. For example:

This becomes even more interesting for homes that already have solar. Instead of thinking about solar panels, batteries and hot water as separate products, you can design them as one energy system.

Melbourne weather can make heating and cooling one of the largest variable electricity loads in a home. The Midday Power Saver could make daytime cooling more attractive during the free period, particularly when the home is occupied.

Instead, think about:

• Pre-cooling the home where appropriate
• Using efficient reverse-cycle air conditioning
• Improving insulation
• Closing blinds during hot periods
• Using smart scheduling
• Coordinating cooling with solar generation

The objective should be lower overall energy cost, not simply higher electricity consumption during a free period.

Instead of asking: "How much free electricity do I get?" ask these five questions:

Not automatically. The Victorian Government itself advises households to check whether the offer suits their circumstances. You should look carefully at the electricity rates outside the free period and consider how much of your electricity consumption you can realistically shift.

At Samsun Energy, we don't believe every homeowner needs the same combination of solar panels, batteries and energy products. A 6.6kW solar system may make sense for one household. Another home may need a larger system because it has:

• Higher electricity consumption
• An EV
• Heat pump hot water
• Air conditioning
• A home battery
• A larger family
• Greater daytime or evening energy demand

Samsun Energy's approach is to look at the household first and the equipment second.

This approach becomes particularly important as Victoria moves toward more flexible electricity use.

Consider a household in Melbourne with:

• Rooftop solar
• Heat pump hot water
• Electric vehicle
• Home battery
• Reverse-cycle air conditioning

At first glance, this household might appear to need a large battery. But the better question is: How much electricity can the household use directly?

This is a much more useful way of designing an energy system than simply choosing the largest available battery.

There are a few things the headline doesn't explain.

The Midday Power Saver is separate from the Solar Homes Program.

Eligible Victorian households can still access the Solar Victoria solar PV rebate of up to $1,400, subject to the program's eligibility requirements. The current combined household taxable income cap for the solar PV rebate is $150,000.

Solar Victoria also provides support for eligible energy-efficient hot water upgrades.

A household can potentially have:

But whether combining these solutions makes financial sense depends on the individual home.

The bigger change happening in Victoria is not simply the introduction of a three-hour free electricity period. It is the gradual shift from:

to:

That is an important distinction. A modern home may:

• Generate electricity with solar
• Store electricity in a battery
• Consume electricity through a heat pump
• Charge an EV
• Use smart air conditioning
• Respond to electricity prices automatically

The Midday Power Saver adds another signal into that system. For homeowners planning a solar or energy upgrade in Melbourne, this is worth considering before selecting equipment.

Before changing your electricity plan, collect:

• Your latest electricity bill
• Your annual electricity consumption
• Your current electricity rates
• Your solar system size, if you have one
• Your battery size, if applicable
• Your EV charging pattern
• Your hot water system type
• Your typical weekday routine
• Your weekend electricity usage

Then identify which appliances can realistically operate between 11am and 2pm. Finally, compare your current electricity plan with the Midday Power Saver offer.

If you are already considering solar, a battery, EV charger or heat pump, this is a good time to look at the whole system rather than buying one product at a time.

Samsun Energy can assess the relationship between:

The objective is straightforward:

• Generate more of your own energy.
• Use energy when it makes sense.
• Store what you cannot use immediately.
• Reduce unnecessary grid consumption.
• Build a system that can adapt as your household changes.

The Victorian Midday Power Saver is a significant change for households because it puts a clear value on when you use electricity. From 11am to 2pm every day, eligible households can access the new free electricity window.

But the smartest way to use it is not to simply move everything into those three hours. Look at the whole home.

• If you have solar, use your solar intelligently.
• If you have a battery, understand when it should charge and discharge.
• If you have an EV, schedule charging around your energy needs.
• If you have a heat pump, consider daytime hot-water heating.
• If you use air conditioning, look at efficiency and scheduling.

• Victorian Government — Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action
• Victorian Energy Compare
• Solar Victoria — Solar Homes Program
• Solar Victoria — Hot Water Rebate
• Energy Safe Victoria — Electrical Safety Requirements