Australian energy retailers must offer three hours of free daytime electricity

澳大利亚能源零售商必须提供每日三小时的免费日间用电

Free Daytime Electricity Is Coming. Here’s How It Actually Works 免费日间用电时代即将来临，其实际运作方式如下

From 1 July 2026, energy retailers in NSW, South Australia, and South-East Queensland must give households at least three hours of free electricity every day. No solar panels required. No need to own your home. You just need a smart meter and to opt in through your retailer to have access to free daytime electricity. 自2026年7月1日起，新南威尔士州、南澳大利亚州和昆士兰州东南部的能源零售商必须每天为家庭提供至少三小时的免费电力。无需安装太阳能电池板，也无需拥有房产。您只需拥有智能电表，并通过您的零售商选择加入，即可享受免费的日间用电。

The scheme is called the Solar Sharer Offer. It works by passing on the benefit of cheap midday solar power, which has always existed on the wholesale market but never made it to your bill, directly to households. Since it was first announced in November 2025, one significant change has been made to the design. This article covers what that change is, how the scheme works in practice, and how to get the most out of it. 该计划被称为“太阳能共享优惠”（Solar Sharer Offer）。其运作原理是将批发市场上一直存在、但从未体现在用户账单上的廉价午间太阳能电力红利，直接传递给家庭用户。自2025年11月首次宣布以来，该计划的设计发生了一项重大变化。本文将介绍这一变化、计划的实际运作方式以及如何充分利用该优惠。

What Is the Solar Sharer Offer? 什么是“太阳能共享优惠”？

Australia has more than 4.3 million rooftop solar installations. On a clear midday, those systems push so much electricity into the grid that the market cannot absorb it at normal prices. Wholesale electricity rates go negative. However, households on standard tariffs never see any of that benefit. The Solar Sharer Offer changes that. 澳大利亚拥有超过430万套屋顶太阳能装置。在晴朗的午间，这些系统向电网输送的电力过多，导致市场无法以正常价格消化，批发电力价格甚至会跌至负值。然而，采用标准电价的家庭从未享受到这一红利。“太阳能共享优惠”改变了这一现状。

From 1 July 2026, energy retailers must provide at least three hours of free daytime electricity per day, timed to coincide with peak solar output. The free window will sit around midday, with the exact hours tailored to local conditions. As a rough guide, expect something like 11am to 2pm or noon to 3pm. 自2026年7月1日起，能源零售商必须每天提供至少三小时的免费日间用电，时间安排与太阳能峰值输出相吻合。免费时段将集中在午间，具体时间根据当地情况调整。大致参考时间段为上午11点至下午2点，或中午12点至下午3点。

To access it: 如何获取：

• You need a smart meter (most Australian homes already have one)
• 您需要一个智能电表（大多数澳大利亚家庭已经配备）
• If you do not have one, most retailers will install it at no charge
• 如果您没有，大多数零售商将免费为您安装
• You opt in through your energy retailer when the scheme launches
• 在计划启动时，通过您的能源零售商选择加入

Which States Are Included in the Solar Sharer Offer from July 2026? 2026年7月起，哪些州参与“太阳能共享优惠”？

The July 2026 launch covers three states: New South Wales, South-East Queensland, and South Australia. These are the states governed by the federal Default Market Offer framework. Victoria is under consultation, with some reports pointing to a possible expansion from October 2026. Other states are expected to follow by 2027. 2026年7月的启动涵盖三个州：新南威尔士州、昆士兰州东南部和南澳大利亚州。这些州受联邦“默认市场报价”（Default Market Offer）框架管辖。维多利亚州目前正在进行磋商，有报道称该计划可能从2026年10月起扩展至该州。预计其他州将在2027年前跟进。

If you are in Victoria, the ACT, or another state not yet covered, check with your retailer. Several retailers including AGL, Red Energy, GloBird Energy, and OVO Energy have already been offering similar free daytime electricity plans voluntarily, so an equivalent option may already exist on the market for you. 如果您身处维多利亚州、首都领地（ACT）或其他尚未覆盖的地区，请咨询您的零售商。包括AGL、Red Energy、GloBird Energy和OVO Energy在内的多家零售商已经自愿提供类似的免费日间用电计划，因此市场上可能已经有适合您的同类选择。

What Changed After the Public Consultation? 公众咨询后发生了什么变化？

When the Solar Sharer Offer was first announced, the headline was simple: three hours of free daytime electricity every day, no strings attached. Then the government ran a public consultation from November to late November 2025, receiving 76 submissions from retailers, network businesses, consumer groups, and state governments. One significant change came out of that process. 当“太阳能共享优惠”首次宣布时，核心内容很简单：每天三小时免费日间用电，无附加条件。随后，政府在2025年11月至11月下旬进行了公众咨询，收到了来自零售商、电网企业、消费者团体和州政府的76份意见书。这一过程中产生了一项重大变化。

Per the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW), a reasonable use cap of 24 kWh per day was added to the scheme. The government’s stated reason is to keep the Solar Sharer Offer financially sustainable for retailers and fair for everyone on the grid. 根据气候变化、能源、环境和水利部（DCCEEW）的规定，该计划增加了一个每日24千瓦时的合理使用上限。政府表示，此举是为了确保“太阳能共享优惠”对零售商而言在财务上可持续，并对电网上的所有用户保持公平。

To put 24 kWh in perspective: 关于24千瓦时的概念：

• It is roughly the total daily electricity use of an average five-person household, based on residential consumption benchmarks published by the Australian Energy Regulator (AER) in December 2020 and cited by DCCEEW in setting the cap level.
• 根据澳大利亚能源监管机构（AER）2020年12月发布的住宅消费基准（DCCEEW在设定上限时引用了该数据），这大约是一个五口之家的每日总用电量。
• Running a washing machine, dryer, dishwasher, air conditioning, hot water, and more during the free window would get you close.
• 在免费时段内运行洗衣机、烘干机、洗碗机、空调、热水器等设备，用电量将接近这一上限。
• Most households will not reach it on a typical day.
• 大多数家庭在普通日子里不会达到这个上限。

The regulations for the scheme were finalised and published on 5 March 2026 as amendments to the Electricity Retail Code. 该计划的法规已于2026年3月5日最终确定并发布，作为《电力零售准则》（Electricity Retail Code）的修正案。

Does the 24 kWh Cap Affect Solar Households? 24千瓦时的上限会影响太阳能家庭吗？

For most homes with rooftop solar, the cap is not something you will notice. On a sunny day, your panels are already covering a big chunk of your midday electricity use, which means you are drawing less from the grid during the free window than you might expect. 对于大多数安装了屋顶太阳能的家庭来说，这个上限几乎不会被察觉。在晴天，您的太阳能板已经覆盖了您午间用电的大部分，这意味着您在免费时段从电网获取的电量比预期的要少。

The situations where you might approach the cap are: 您可能会接近上限的情况包括：

• Cloudy winter days when your panels are generating less than usual.
• 太阳能板发电量低于平时的阴冷冬季。
• Charging a large home battery and an EV from the grid at the same time.
• 同时从电网为大型家用电池和电动汽车充电。
• Households with very small solar systems running high loads during the window.
• 太阳能系统规模很小，但在免费时段内运行高负荷电器。

Even if you do exceed the cap, you just revert to standard daytime rates for the remainder of that period. You are not penalised, and daytime rates are… 即使您确实超过了上限，在该时段的剩余时间内，您只需按标准日间费率计费。您不会受到惩罚，且日间费率是……