Households are being urged to shop around to secure the biggest savings in the new government-mandated Solar Sharer tariffs, because the difference between the default tariff and some market offers is “extraordinary,” a new report has found.
In a briefing note published on Wednesday, IEEFA Australia says that tariffs that provide free electricity in the middle of the day can save consumers hundreds or thousands of dollars a year, given the right technologies, regulations and behavioural changes.
But the researchers also found that electricity retailers are already voluntarily offering plans with periods of free electricity that are often more competitive than the default designed by the Australian Energy Regulator.
The Solar Sharer Offer (SSO), which became available for customers to opt into through the AER’s Default Market Offer (DMO) at the start of July, offers three hours of free power between 11am and 2pm in Queensland and New South Wales and 12-3pm in South Australia. A Victorian version will launch in October.
Its introduction means all retailers are required to offer a default SSO as an “opt-in energy plan” for any customers with smart meters, not just those on the DMO.
