If you are weighing up whether to switch to a Solar Sharer plan for the free midday power, the short answer is: check the whole rate card first, not just the free window. A pricing review published this week by energy analyst Gavin Gilchrist found that on the Ausgrid network, Solar Sharer is the dearest plan AGL and EnergyAustralia offer once you account for the higher supply charge and higher rates outside the free hours, even for households that use a lot of electricity.
What the numbers show
Using Energy Made Easy's typical "high consumption" figure of 21.6 kWh a day on the Ausgrid network, AGL's Solar Sharer plan works out to about $3,270 a year. AGL's own Residential Smart Saver plan, with a lower supply charge and a flat usage rate, comes to about $2,900 a year for the same household, a $370 difference. EnergyAustralia's Solar Sharer plan prices out at the same $3,270 on Ausgrid, against about $2,800 a year on its Flexi Plan. Origin's cheapest Ausgrid offer, the Affinity Variable ePlus Ongoing, comes in at about $2,870, and Red Energy's Living Energy Saver plan at about $2,910, both well under the Solar Sharer figure.
Outside the free three hours, the AER-approved Solar Sharer rate on Ausgrid runs at 63.69 cents/kWh in peak periods and 27.56 cents/kWh in shoulder and off-peak, seven days a week, with a daily supply charge of 176.41 cents. That supply charge is higher than most retailers' standard plans, and the seven-day peak rate is wider than plans that only charge peak rates on weekdays.
Our take
The Solar Sharer Offer is a good deal for a specific household: one that can genuinely shift several kilowatt-hours of real usage, running the dishwasher, the washing machine, hot water or an EV charger, into the 11am to 2pm (or 12pm to 3pm in SA) window every single day. If most of your usage happens in the evening, as it does for most working households, the higher supply charge and wider peak rate can leave you paying more overall than a straightforward flat-rate or time-of-use plan. Ty Christopher, Energy Futures Director at the University of Wollongong, put it plainly: as implemented by retailers, it "has now become a more expensive option for consumers, it's not a bill saver." Do the dollar comparison before you switch, not after.
What to do
Before switching to Solar Sharer, pull up your retailer's full rate card on Energy Made Easy and compare the total annual cost, supply charge plus usage, against your current plan or their standard offer, using your own daily usage rather than the "typical" figure. If you cannot genuinely move usage into the free window, most households are likely to do better on a standard flat-rate or time-of-use plan.
For the detail in your state, see our guides to free electricity hours in NSW, Queensland and South Australia, or compare every free power scheme.
Sources: Gavin Gilchrist, "Why Solar Sharer has become the solar shocker, with the costliest of retail offers," RenewEconomy, 23 August 2026; Australian Energy Regulator Solar Sharer Offer fact sheet; Energy Made Easy pricing comparisons.
Work out the real cost before you switch
Compare Solar Sharer and standard electricity plans side by side, using your own usage, not the averages.
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