The Australian Government has introduced the Solar Sharer Offer. It is a regulated energy program that provides three hours of free electricity to eligible households in the middle of the day.
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How the Solar Sharer Offer works
The Australian Energy Regulator has mandated that electricity retailers in eligible zones must offer an energy plan that includes 3 hours of free power every day between 11:00am - 2:00pm (SE QLD).
It is opt-in, so make sure you change your plan if you want to take advantage of this. The Australian Energy Regulator will set the exact three-hour window and the daily rates, giving you a dedicated block of time every day where your usage is free.
Keep in mind that this doesn’t mean your entire electricity bill will drop to zero. You still have to pay your daily supply charge plus normal usage rates for any power you use outside of that three-hour window.
Why has the Solar Sharer Offer been introduced
There is an abundance of cheap, renewable energy flooding the grid during the middle of the day as households around the country send their excess solar power back to the grid.
Instead of letting all that clean solar go to waste, the Solar Sharer Offer means that it can be shared around to everyone for 3 hours of free power, regardless of whether or not you have a solar system installed on your roof.
Who is eligible
The eligibility rules are straightforward.
- Live in an eligible area (SE QLD, NSW, or SA)
- Must have a household smart meter installed
- Be a renter or a homeowner on a standard network. Meaning, not supplied through an embedded network like a gated community or a high-rise complex with a shared grid.
How can Sigenergy owners maximise battery charging
Solar Sharer energy plans give you free electricity every day between 11:00am and 2:00pm. To get the best ROI out of your Sigenergy system, we can set your battery to charge itself from the grid during this free window.
By doing this, you'll fill your battery for $0, saving your stored energy for the expensive evening peak.
Here is how you set it up in the mySigen app:
Step 1: Open Energy Management
Open your mySigen app and navigate to the main dashboard.
- Tap on Energy Management (or go via Settings > Station Parameters depending on your app version).
Step 2: Change Your Mode
By default, your system is likely set to Self-consumption Mode or Sigen AI Mode. We need to change this so we can set manual rules.
- Select Time-based Control Mode.
Step 3: Set the Morning to Self-Consumption
Because we are using Time-based Control, we need to tell the battery what to do before the free charge window.
- Tap Add a Period.
- Action: Select Self-consumption.
- Start Time: 00:00am
- End Time: 11:00am.
- Repeat: Select all days (Monday - Sunday).
Step 4: Create Your Free Charge Window
Now, we tell the battery to charge during the free electricity window.
- Tap Add a Period.
- Action: Select Charge.
- Start Time: 11:00
- End Time: 14:00
- Repeat: Select all days (Monday - Sunday).
- Charge from Grid: Ensure this toggle is turned ON. This is crucial - it allows the battery to pull free power from the grid if it's cloudy and your solar panels aren't producing enough to fill the battery on their own.
Step 5: Cap Your Imports
You can limit the amount of power your system draws from the grid during specific charging periods to help manage your energy usage and avoid overusing the capped amount of free kWh provided by your retailer (it depends on your plan, but at minimum, retailers have to offer 24kWh of free power within the 11am-2pm charging window).
- Stay or tap into your free charge window period.
- Tap Advanced Settings at the bottom of the screen.
- You can update either "1. Maximum charging power for BAT" or "3. Maximum power for importing from grid".
1. Maximum charging power for BAT: This will control the kW into the battery only (per hour). If you'd like to cap this at 24kW, input 8.0kW here.
3. Maximum power for importing from grid: This setting limits the combined power used for battery charging and household loads by automatically adjusting the battery charging rate. The controller will increase or decrease the charging power as household demand changes in an attempt to keep the total grid import below the configured limit. If household demand alone exceeds the configured limit, the controller cannot reduce the load and grid import may exceed the set value. This setting only controls the battery charging power - it does not impose a hard cap on the total power that can be imported from the grid.
Step 6: Set the Rest of the Day to Self-consumption
Because we are using Time-based Control, we need to tell the battery what to do for the rest of the day so it doesn't just sit idle.
- Tap Add a Period again.
- Action: Select Self-consumption.
- Start Time: 14:00
- End Time: 11:59pm.
- Repeat: Select all days (Monday - Sunday).
Step 7: Save & Maximise
Make sure you save your settings. Your battery will now automatically top itself up for free every day at 11am.
Pro-tip: The battery isn't the only thing you should run during this time. Because grid power is completely free from 11am to 2pm, put your heavy appliances on delay timers. Run your pool pump, dishwasher, washing machine, and hot water system directly off the free grid power during this 3-hour window so your battery power is saved purely for the evening.
Springers Solar | Queensland's Most Experienced Solar Installer
Springers Solar provides quality components with proven performance, backed by industry-leading warranties, and dedicated after-sales support. Thousands of satisfied customers over more than 24 years of operation make Springers Solar one of the most established and experienced solar companies in Australia.
Springers Solar has received multiple awards for design and installation and is a certified/preferred installer for a large range of solar panel, inverter, and solar battery manufacturers, including Sungrow, Tesla, and Sigenergy.
Our dedicated in-house team of electrical engineers, project managers, solar PV designers, solar installers, and electricians work closely with you before, during, and long after your project is completed. Springers Solar offers an industry-leading 10-year workmanship warranty which is a testament to our qualified staff and offers you outstanding value and peace of mind.
How To Optimise Sigenergy Battery for 3 Hours Free Solar Sharer Power