The Solar Sharer Offer is a retail electricity rule, not a solar rebate. It sits next to the STC discount in the conversation about rooftop solar because it changes how households use midday power, but it is paid for by the retail market, not by certificates.
What it is
Under the Default Market Offer framework, large retailers in the regulated regions must offer a standing plan that includes three hours of free electricity in the middle of the day, when solar generation is highest. It started on 1 July 2026 in New South Wales, South East Queensland and South Australia. Reported details:
- The free window is 11am to 2pm in NSW and SE Queensland, and 12pm to 3pm in South Australia.
- A smart meter is required.
- Free energy is capped at 24 kWh per day.
- Small retailers are exempt until 1 July 2027.
You do not need rooftop solar to take it up, which is why it matters to renters and apartment households as well as to people with panels.
The catch to check
A free window is paid for somewhere else in the plan. Retailers can lift supply charges or the rates outside the free hours, and the offer is a standing plan, which is not always the cheapest on the market. Compare the whole annual cost on the Energy Made Easy or Victorian Energy Compare tools, not the headline.
Victoria and Western Australia
Victoria runs under its own Victorian Default Offer rather than the national one. The reported Victorian equivalent is a midday power saver arrangement from 1 October 2026; confirm details on the Essential Services Commission or Victorian Energy Compare. Extension to Victoria and WA from 2027 has been the subject of government consultation, so treat it as not yet confirmed.
What it means for solar owners
If you have solar, the free window competes with your own generation: using free grid power in the middle of the day while your panels export at a low feed-in tariff is not always better. Solar owners are likelier to benefit when they have a battery, which can charge during the free hours and cover the evening, or with a flexible load such as an EV or hot water. See VPP and incentive stacking and export limits by state.
What this means for you
Installing solar still earns STCs under the normal formula: for 2026 a 6.6 kW system in zone 3 earns about 45; see the 6.6 kW answer and the STC calculator. Free-power offers do not change that. For state schemes see the rebates pillar, and for installers’ certificates, pricing and STC trading.