In NSW, South East Queensland, South Australia and now Victoria, you can charge a battery from the grid for free in the middle of the day and run the house on it all evening. No panels needed.
Up to 24 kWh a day free between 11am and 2pm (12pm to 3pm in SA) on an eligible plan. Smart meter required, and you need to switch to a qualifying plan. Standard rates apply outside the window, and some qualifying plans charge more at other times, so compare the whole bill.
Your retailer gives you a free window in the middle of the day. The battery fills up in that window, then runs the house through the expensive evening peak. Nothing on your roof is involved.
South Australia window is 12pm to 3pm. About 12 kWh a day reaches the house after losses.
Below is our own worked example: a 13 kWh battery charged free in the window, delivering about 12 kWh a day. Rates are medians across 6,370 time-of-use plans. Your proposal replaces all of it with the numbers from your own bill.
Assumes the home uses at least about 12 kWh outside the window, and general time-of-use rates. A Solar Sharer or Midday Power Saver plan may price the other hours differently. The windows are regulated, and reviewed each year.
We will tell you whether your plan has a free window and what you would save. If it does not add up, we will say so.
A 13 kWh battery is about $10,500 installed. That is the real price. The federal battery rebate needs solar at the time of install, so it does not apply here, and we will not quote you a number that assumes it.
13 kWh, fully installed. Supply, install, electrical work and certificate.
$10,500 over 10 years is about $88 a month, against about $119 a month saved on the NSW numbers above.
The NSW Home Energy Saver offers an interest-free loan up to $15,000 over 10 years for households earning up to $210,000, plus up to $4,000 of subsidy for concession card holders or households under $80,000. Batteries are eligible, solar is not required, and renters can apply with the landlord’s approval. It stacks with the federal program and runs through Brighte, which we are registered with.
Up to 24 kWh a day free, 11am to 2pm
Up to 24 kWh a day free, 11am to 2pm
Up to 24 kWh a day free, 12pm to 3pm
Up to 24 kWh a day free, 11am to 2pm
A battery still shifts off-peak power to peak, at a smaller margin
Since 1 October, up to 24 kWh a day free between 11am and 2pm on a Midday Power Saver plan. You need to switch to a participating plan. Standard rates apply outside the window.
Using about 10 kWh or more outside the free window
Planning solar within a year. Time the battery to go in with your solar: the battery rebate needs solar at install, worth about $3,400 on 13.5 kWh.
Not any more. Solar Sharer and Midday Power Saver give you up to 24 kWh a day free in the middle of the day whether or not you have panels. The battery stores that free power and runs the house on it at night. You need a smart meter and a qualifying plan, not a roof full of panels.
The windows are regulated and reviewed each year, so they can change. Even without one, on any time-of-use plan a battery still shifts cheap off-peak power into the expensive evening peak. The margin is smaller, and we will show you that number too.
That depends on your whole bill, not just the free window. Some qualifying plans charge more at other times. Send us your bill and we will compare the whole thing, and tell you if it does not add up.
The 24 kWh a day cap covers the whole house, so the car competes with everything else for it. If the car is home at midday, scheduling it into the window is usually the cheaper move before you buy anything.
The battery works with solar when it arrives. You would miss the federal battery rebate, though, because it needs solar at the time of install. If solar is coming within a year, time the battery install to match it.
In Victoria you already have one. In NSW and South Australia most homes do. If yours does not, the upgrade is about $600, and we will say so before you commit.
Whether your plan has a free window, what a battery would save you, and if it does not stack up for your house, we will say so.
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