Midday Power Saver Victoria: what it means for your home
Midday Power Saver in Victoria gives eligible households three hours of free electricity usage between 11am and 2pm every day, from 1 October 2026. You need to opt in through your electricity retailer, and daily supply charges and other conditions still apply.
The plan could suit households that can move some electricity use into those hours, but it will not necessarily be the cheapest option for every home. Here is how the free window works, who can sign up and what it means if you have solar panels or a home battery.
Our advice is to look beyond the free window. Compare the cost of your whole day before deciding whether to switch.
How does Midday Power Saver work in Victoria?
The free window runs from 11am to 2pm every day, including weekends, and the offer has a daily fair-use cap of 24 kWh within that window. Daily supply charges and applicable controlled-load charges still apply, and electricity used above the cap can be charged.
The regulated tariff also has paid off-peak, solar-soak and peak periods, with peak hours running from 4pm to 9pm. Rates outside the free window may be higher than your current plan, so limited midday use and substantial evening use can make this a poor fit.
Your electricity day, at a glance
*For eligible households that opt in. Daily supply and applicable controlled-load charges still apply. Usage above the cap can be charged. Check your retailer’s rates.
Who is eligible for Midday Power Saver?
The offer is for eligible Victorian residential customers with a smart meter who choose to opt in through their electricity retailer. Licensed retailers with 1,000 customers or more must offer it.
You do not need rooftop solar to join, and renting does not itself prevent you from taking up the offer. You are not switched onto the plan automatically.
It is a household offer, not a small-business tariff. If you live in an apartment, retirement village or another property with an embedded electricity network, check eligibility directly with your electricity provider rather than assuming the offer applies.
How can you use the free electricity window?
The opportunity is to move electricity use you already need into the free period, such as washing, drying, hot water heating and EV charging. Timers can help households that are not home at midday take advantage of the window.
Start by identifying what can realistically move without disrupting your routine. Avoid adding unnecessary energy use simply because part of the day is free, and spread high-demand appliances across the window rather than switching everything on at once.
Everyday appliances
Schedule washing and dishwashing for the midday window.
Your EV
If your car is home, plan charging around 11am to 2pm.
Home battery
Ask your installer about compatible scheduled grid charging.
Is Midday Power Saver worth it with solar or a battery?
If you already have rooftop solar, you may already meet much of your daytime electricity demand with your own generation, so a free grid-electricity window may offer less additional value. A home battery or EV may provide more flexibility, including charging during the free period when solar generation is lower.
Before changing battery settings, ask your installer whether your system supports scheduled grid charging and how that fits your existing setup. Request a comparison that accounts for battery losses, charging limits, evening usage and the new plan’s solar feed-in terms.
Feed-in arrangements deserve particular attention, so do not assume your existing export credits will continue unchanged. Ask your retailer to confirm its terms in writing.
What solar and battery rebates are available in Victoria?
If you are considering an installation, it is worth checking the upfront incentives as well as your electricity plan. Solar and battery incentives are separate from Midday Power Saver: one helps with installation costs, while the other changes when you pay for grid electricity.
Check what could come off your quote
Solar panels: up to $1,400 rebate. Solar Victoria covers 50% of the eligible purchase cost, up to $1,400, after other discounts such as small-scale technology certificates (STCs). Eligible households can also apply for a matching interest-free loan of up to $1,400, repayable over four years. The loan is not an additional rebate.
Home batteries: a federal upfront discount. The Cheaper Home Batteries program uses STCs to reduce the cost of eligible battery installations. It is designed to provide around a 30% upfront discount, but the amount depends on usable capacity, installation date, certificate value and the eligible installation. It is not a guaranteed flat 30% off every quote.
Ask for an itemised quote showing the system price, each eligible incentive and your remaining upfront cost. Do not add headline discounts together without checking how they apply to your installation.
Who can receive the Victorian solar panel rebate?
For an owner-occupier application, key criteria include combined taxable income of all owners below $150,000 a year, a property valued below $3 million, and no previous solar PV or battery rebate for that property under the Solar Homes Program. You must own an existing home or a home under construction. Rental-property applications have separate requirements.
The property generally cannot have had a solar PV system installed in the past 10 years. Older systems may qualify for replacement, subject to the full criteria. Use an authorised retailer and eligible products, and obtain Solar Victoria approval before installation. If you want the optional loan, select it when applying.
Can you get a battery discount if you already have solar?
Yes, an eligible new battery can be installed with an existing or new solar system. Eligible batteries must meet approved-product, installer and safety requirements. Systems must have a nominal capacity of 5 to 100 kWh, with STCs available only on the first 50 kWh of usable capacity.
For installations from 1 May to 31 December 2026, support is tapered: the first 14 kWh of usable capacity receives the full STC factor, the next 14 kWh receives 60% of that factor, and capacity above 28 kWh up to 50 kWh receives 15%. These percentages refer to certificate support, not a discount percentage on your total quote.
A grid-connected battery must be technically capable of participating in a virtual power plant (VPP), but you do not have to join one to receive the federal discount. Only one battery-system STC claim is available per premises. Later additions cannot receive another discount after that first claim.
Already installed with Energis? We can check your existing setup, rebate history and whether a new installation or upgrade is eligible. Do not assume a previous customer automatically qualifies again. Solar Victoria’s former battery loan program is closed, so it should not be included in a new quote.
What should you check before switching?
Use your recent electricity bills and smart-meter usage history to compare the full cost of the offer. Ask your retailer:
- Usage: How much of our current electricity use falls between 11am and 2pm, and how much could reasonably move?
- Total cost: Is this offer cheaper than our current plan and your other available plans, based on our actual usage?
- Other charges: What are the daily supply, evening peak, controlled-load and above-cap charges?
- Solar and storage: What happens to our feed-in tariff, battery settings and any existing virtual power plant agreement?
How do you sign up for Midday Power Saver?
Contact your electricity retailer to ask about its Midday Power Saver offer and confirm your eligibility. Request the full rates and conditions, then compare the total cost against your current plan using your smart-meter usage history.
Use Victorian Energy Compare to assess available offers before deciding whether to opt in. A comparison based on your household’s usage is more useful than a headline savings figure.
Energis does not administer the government offer or switch your electricity plan. If you are considering solar panels or a home battery, request a free solar and battery quote to explore a setup suited to your home.
Get your FREE QUOTE for solar and battery storage
Thinking about installing solar or adding a battery to your existing system? Get a tailored quote from Energis showing the setup that fits your home, the incentives you may qualify for and your cost after eligible discounts.
Take the next step with a free, no-obligation quote.
