Overview
- Retailers must offer the free window first in Default Market Offer regions — New South Wales, south‑east Queensland and South Australia — with consultations under way to extend it nationally by 2027.
- Households need a smart meter and must opt in to access the offer, which will run in the middle of the day, with exact timing to be set during design work.
- The Australian Energy Regulator will oversee implementation and says moving load to midday can reduce system costs, with government analysis indicating potential savings of up to about $800 a year for households that shift significant use.
- Industry groups warn the announcement came with limited consultation and could prompt higher charges at other times or stress smaller retailers, even as the government says pricing outside the free period will be monitored under DMO settings.
- Key details remain unresolved, including responsibility for smart meter installation costs for non‑solar homes — estimated at roughly $100 to $200 — and the precise parameters of the free period.