Midday Power Saver

The Midday Power Saver could help you save on your electricity bills if you can shift your electricity use to the 3-hour no-cost window between 11 am and 2 pm every day.

If you can shift your electricity use to this window - like running your washing machine, electric water heater or dishwasher in the middle of the day - you could save on your energy bills.

Using timer functions and scheduling appliances to run during the Midday Power Saver can help ensure you’re making the most of the window.

We’ve estimated that Victorian households who sign up to the Midday Power Saver could save between $149 and $428, depending on their living situation and if they shift 5% to 30% of their electricity use to the 3-hour no-cost window.

If you cannot shift your electricity use to between 11 am and 2 pm every day, you may end up paying more for electricity on the Midday Power Saver and a different electricity deal may be cheaper for you.

The Midday Power Saver may not be the best priced offer in the market for your household – it always pays to compare your current plan against all available energy offers.

Victorian Energy Compare is the Victorian Government’s free and independent energy price comparison service and can help you find your best priced energy offers.

Comparing offers is easy and takes about 10 minutes. All you need is a recent energy bill and some information about how your household uses energy.

On average, people who used the Victorian Energy Compare service this year saved $230 by switching to their best priced energy offer.

Visit Victorian Energy Compare.

It is important to check with your electricity retailer to make sure the Midday Power Saver is right for you.

While you should see savings on your electricity bill if you can shift your energy use to the 3-hour window, electricity prices outside these hours and daily supply charges may be higher on this offer.

Retailers must clearly disclose the regulated electricity rates that apply outside the no-cost window, ensuring households can easily understand the costs associated with the plan before signing up.

If you’re considering signing up to the Midday Power Saver, your electricity retailer will need to:

• inform you that the Midday Power Saver may not be suitable in all circumstances and is best suited to customers who can shift their electricity usage
• provide information about the cost impact that the new tariff structure may have, including, where practicable, an estimate of the dollar impact based on the information your retailer has on your current usage and tariffs
• inform you about any other plans your retailer reasonably believes may be more suitable for you.

Most electricity retailers will have to make the offer available to their customers.

To sign up, contact your electricity retailer from 1 October 2026.

If you plan to use multiple high-energy use appliances, including batteries and EV chargers, spread their use across the 3-hour window, rather than running them at the same time.

Spreading appliance use can reduce the chance of circuit breakers tripping or fuses blowing. This can help avoid power interruptions at home or in your street and unexpected electrical costs.

If your home has an older switchboard or wiring and you have not had an electrical safety check recently, speak with a licensed electrician before running multiple high-energy use appliances at the same time.

If you experience a power interruption, tripped circuit breaker or blown fuse, visit Energy Safe Victoria for advice on power outages and electrical safety.

Consumer protections set out in Victoria’s Energy Retail Code of Practice apply to the Midday Power Saver.

Under the Midday Power Saver, retailers are required to:

• obtain explicit informed consent before putting households on the Midday Power Saver tariff (with some limited exceptions);
• provide clear advice to customers; and
• allow customers to change their mind and withdraw from the offer without exit fees.

Retailers must clearly disclose the regulated electricity rates that apply outside the no-cost window, ensuring households can easily understand the costs associated with the plan before signing up.

If you have a complaint about your energy retailer, distributor or embedded network provider, contact them first.

If the issue is not resolved, you can contact the Energy and Water Ombudsman Victoria (EWOV). You can also contact the Essential Services Commission about potential breaches of Victoria's energy rules.

Victorian households that have a smart meter and sign up to the Midday Power Saver will be able to access up to 24 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of no-cost electricity during the 3-hour window, every day of the week.

The Midday Power Saver begins on 1 October 2026 and will be available through most electricity retailers.

It is important to check with your electricity retailer to make sure the Midday Power Saver is right for you.

To sign up, contact your electricity retailer from 1 October 2026.

The offer works best for households that can move electricity use to the middle of the day. Retailers must clearly disclose the regulated electricity rates that apply outside the no-cost window, ensuring households can easily understand the costs associated with the plan before signing up.

Talk to your electricity retailer to see if the Midday Power Saver might be right for you and use the free and independent Victorian Energy Compare service at Victorian Compare Energy to find your best priced energy offers.

Focus on high-energy use appliances such as hot water heaters, dishwashers, washing machines, clothes dryers and if you have them, charge your home battery or EV.

It is recommended to stagger appliance usage across the 3-hour window rather than running multiple high-energy use appliances, such as batteries and EV chargers, at the same time.

Victorians who regularly work from home are well placed to benefit from the Midday Power Saver.Run appliances such as washing machines, clothes dryers, electric water heating, heating, cooling or EV chargers during the 3-hour window to maximise savings.

Yes. Using timer functions and scheduling appliances to run during the Midday Power Saver can help ensure you’re making the most of the window – even when you’re not at home.

Households with rooftop solar already benefit from generating their own electricity during the middle of the day.

If you have an EV or home battery, you can benefit further with the Midday Power Saver by charging them during the no-cost 3-hour window between 11 am and 2 pm every day on days when your solar generation might be lower. This stored energy can then be used in the evening, when electricity prices are higher, helping to further reduce bills.

Using timer functions and scheduling appliances and chargers can make this easier, without needing to think about it every day.

Existing market offers that provide 3 or more hours of free electricity do not have regulated tariffs, meaning that retailers can choose how much they charge for energy consumption outside the free period.

These offers are typically tailored to specific customer cohorts - for example, those with electric vehicles. They are also generally offered by select retailers and are not always available across all distribution zones.

The Midday Power Saver is a Victorian Government initiative regulated by the Essential Services Commission that most retailers will be required to offer, helping more households access no-cost midday electricity with strong consumer protections in place.

The Midday Power Saver also has regulated tariffs outside the free period, helping to ensure households are not charged high costs for electricity consumption they cannot shift.

For the period 1 October 2026 to 30 June 2027, the no-cost window hours and maximum usage charges for general use by domestic customers (without controlled load) under the Midday Power Saver standing offer are as follows:

Charges are inclusive of GST.

The Midday Power Saver may be available to some customers in embedded networks (often found in apartment buildings, caravan parks and retirement villages), depending on their individual circumstances and available infrastructure.

Customers in embedded networks may be eligible if they have a smart meter and are billed by a licensed electricity retailer.

The Midday Power Saver may be available to more customers in embedded networks in the future.

The Victorian Government has recently announced reforms to help ensure that customers in embedded networks have access to fairer and more affordable energy prices. More information is available on the Engage Victoria website.