Free Power Hours in Australia: 8 Claims Fact-Checked

“Free electricity” plans are everywhere right now. OVO, GloBird, AGL, Powershop — plus the federal Solar Sharer Offer landing 1 July 2026. There’s a lot of noise, and some of the claims floating around social media and forums don’t hold up.

We went to primary sources — retailer websites, AEMO reports, government legislation, and SolarQuotes analysis — and fact-checked eight specific claims. Six held up. Two didn’t.

Here’s the full breakdown.

1. OVO Energy “The Free 3 Plan” — Verified ✅

Sources: OVO Energy pricing page and dedicated Free 3 Plan landing page

The Free 3 Plan is real and available in QLD on the Energex network. All key details check out:

• Free hours: 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM daily, 7 days a week. Listed as a “Super Off-Peak rate: 0c per kWh” on the pricing page. Excludes controlled load. Daily supply charges still apply.
• Daily supply charge: 103.40c to 108.90c/day (without controlled load), varying by tariff type. All rates GST-inclusive.
• Usage rate outside free hours: Varies by tariff. The TOU variant is 65.56c/kWh peak, 36.30c/kWh off-peak. The demand variant is 36.74c/kWh flat plus a 42.34c per kW/day demand charge.
• Feed-in tariff: 2.8c/kWh (excl. GST) across all QLD variants.
• Contract: No lock-in, no exit fees. Requires a communicating smart meter and monthly advance payment via Bill Smoothing (direct debit). 14-day cooling-off period. OVO was acquired by AGL in April 2024 but still operates as a separate brand.

2. GloBird Energy “FOUR4FREE” — Verified ✅

Sources: GloBird FOUR4FREE marketing page and terms & conditions

The FOUR4FREE plan is real and available in QLD on the Energex network.

• Free hours: 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM daily. The T&Cs state: “Free period: Energy usage between 10:00 am and 2:00 pm local time everyday on all standard circuits charged $0/kWh.”
• Controlled load excluded: Confirmed explicitly in the T&Cs.
• Rates: Not publicly displayed. GloBird directs customers to call 133 456 or use their online quote tool. Third-party commentary describes the daily supply charge as “on the higher side” and peak rates as “quite high.”
• Feed-in tariff: Not listed on the FOUR4FREE pages. Third-party data suggests GloBird QLD feed-in tariffs range from 3c to 10c/kWh.
• Contract: No lock-in, no exit fees. Variable rates (may change once per year). 3% pay-on-time direct debit discount. Smart meter required.

3. AGL “Three for Free” — SA Only, Not QLD ⚠️

Sources: AGL plan page, AGL press release (23 July 2025), SolarQuotes review

The plan exists — but it hasn’t come to Queensland.

• Free hours: 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM daily. Confirmed across AGL’s press release and Energy Made Easy.
• Available in QLD? No. AGL’s own press release says “initially available to customers in South Australia.” The plan page shows “This offer isn’t available in your state” when accessed from QLD. SolarQuotes commenters were still asking about NSW expansion as late as January 2026. If you’ve seen claims it’s available here, they’re wrong.
• VPP battery restriction: Confirmed. If you have a home battery, it must be supplied by AGL and connected to their Virtual Power Plant. Batteries are limited to Tesla and SigEnergy units supplied by AGL. You don’t need a battery to join — but if you have one, this restriction applies.
• SA rates: Daily supply charge 127.69c/day (vs. 108.03c for AGL Smart Saver), usage rate 47.73c/kWh outside the free window, feed-in tariff 2c/kWh. No exit fees.

4. Powershop & Red Energy EV Plans — One Daily, One Weekends Only ⚠️

Sources: Powershop EV Day plan page, Red Energy media release and website

Both plans exist, but the Red Energy plan is more limited than many people think.

Powershop “EV Day” — Verified ✅

Free hours are 12pm to 2pm every day, all 7 days. Available in QLD on the Energex network. Requires a smart meter and time-of-use tariff. Daily supply and controlled load charges still apply. Subject to a Fair Use Policy. Powershop also offers an “EV Night” plan with super off-peak overnight rates.

Red Energy “Red EV Saver” — Weekends Only ⚠️

Free hours are 12pm to 2pm on Saturdays and Sundays only. That’s 4 free hours per week versus Powershop’s 14 — significantly less generous. Available in QLD on Energex. Feed-in tariff of 8c/kWh. Ongoing contract, $0 exit fees. Red Energy is owned by Snowy Hydro.

If you’re choosing between them for daily midday EV charging, Powershop is the clear winner.

5. Solar Sharer Offer — 1 July 2026, Confirmed ✅

Sources: energy.gov.au, Minister Bowen media releases (Nov 2025, Jan 2026, Mar 2026), AER draft DMO 8 determination (Mar 2026)

This is the big one. All major details are confirmed with government and regulatory sources.

• Start date: 1 July 2026. Confirmed across all official sources.
• Free hours for QLD: 11am to 2pm in South East Queensland (and NSW). 12pm to 3pm in SA. Regional QLD is not covered by the DMO.
• 24kWh daily cap: First appeared in the SSO Consultation Outcome Paper (January 2026), then formally enacted through amendments to the Electricity Retail Code (March 2026). Based on the AER’s Residential Energy Consumption Benchmarks — equivalent to a 5+ person household shifting total daily use into the free period. This is a government-mandated cap in the regulations, not a retailer’s choice.
• Which retailers? Any retailer with 1,000+ customers must offer the SSO. Smaller retailers are exempt.
• Will anyone be worse off? The AER says: “Customers who use electricity at roughly the same times of the day as the average customer will be no worse off on the Solar Sharer Offer than the DMO Time of Use tariff.” Key qualifier — it applies to customers with average usage patterns. Heavy evening users could pay more (rates outside the free window are 1–4c/kWh higher than standard DMO TOU).
• Victoria: Developing a separate “Midday Power Saver” from October 2026.

The SSO is opt-in, revenue-neutral by design, and subject to review within 2 years.

6. Simultaneous Battery Import + Solar Export — Not How It Works ❌

Sources: SolarQuotes Good Solar Guide (net metering), Finn Peacock CT sensor article (Mar 2026), Ronald Brakels grid charging article (Oct 2024)

This is the claim we see most often on forums: “Charge your battery from free grid power while exporting your solar and earning feed-in credits at the same time.” It doesn’t work that way.

How Australian net metering actually works: Your bidirectional meter has two registers — import and export — but at any instant, current flows in only one direction. The meter records the net flow.

The scenario: If you’re importing 5kW to charge a battery while solar generates 4kW, the meter sees 1kW net import. The solar is consumed behind the meter by the battery charging load. There’s no simultaneous export.

What does work: Time-shifted arbitrage. Charge the battery from free/cheap grid power during designated hours, then discharge it and export solar at other times when rates are better. But that’s sequential, not simultaneous. The distinction matters for anyone modelling savings.

7. SigEnergy & GoodWe EV Charging — One Has It, One Doesn’t ⚠️

Sources: SigEnergy product pages (SigenStor, DC Charger), GoodWe product pages (ESA Series, HCA Series)

SigEnergy SigenStor — Built-in EV Charger ✅

The SigenStor is a genuine 5-in-1 system: solar inverter, EV DC charger, battery PCS, battery pack, and energy management. The EV DC charging module supports up to 25kW bidirectional charging (V2H and V2G capable) with CCS1, CCS2, and NACS connectors. Scheduled charging is confirmed — off-peak windows, solar-priority windows, and dynamic tariff support are all built in.

GoodWe ESA — No Built-in EV Charger ⚠️

The GoodWe ESA is an all-in-one energy storage system (inverter + battery + UPS switching) but it does not have a built-in EV charger. EV charging requires GoodWe’s separate HCA Series AC wallbox (7/11/22kW), which does support scheduled charging via the SEMS app. Unlike SigEnergy’s bidirectional DC charger, GoodWe’s HCA is a unidirectional AC wallbox — no V2H or V2G.

If integrated EV charging matters to you, the SigEnergy system is the only one that genuinely includes it. We install both — get in touch and we’ll recommend the right fit for your setup.

8. AEMO Wholesale Price Data for QLD — Verified ✅

Sources: AEMO Q3 2025 Quarterly Energy Dynamics report, AEMO Q4 2025 QED report

Both claims match AEMO’s published reports exactly.

• 25.9% of QLD dispatch intervals had negative or zero wholesale prices in Q3 2025. QLD recorded the lowest quarterly average spot price across the NEM at $72/MWh — a 28% year-on-year reduction.
• QLD average quarterly wholesale price fell to $58/MWh in Q4 2025, with monthly averages of $52/MWh (October), $49/MWh (November), and $48/MWh (December). The NEM-wide average fell to $50/MWh, with 31% of dispatch intervals nationally at negative or zero prices — a new record.

This is why free power hours work commercially for retailers. When they’re paying nothing (or getting paid) for wholesale energy at midday, giving it away to customers costs them little. It’s also why these plans have higher rates outside the free window — that’s when wholesale prices are highest.

The Verdict

What This Means for SEQ Homeowners

Free power hours are real, they’re expanding, and from 1 July 2026 every major retailer will have to offer them. If you’ve got solar already, you’re in a strong position — your system generates during the free window, and a battery lets you store cheap or free grid power for the evening.

The key is matching your setup to how these plans actually work. A battery with scheduled charging (like the SigEnergy SigenStor or a GoodWe ESA paired with their HCA wallbox) lets you automate the arbitrage — charge from free grid power at midday, use stored power in the evening, and minimise what you pay at peak rates.

If you want help modelling what a free-hours plan would save you with your current solar and battery setup — or planning a new system around the Solar Sharer Offer — get in touch. We’ll run the numbers on your actual usage data.