Households shift power use to take advantage of free electricity
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Households in South Australia, New South Wales, Queensland, and Victoria, Australia are changing when they use electricity to take advantage of offers for three hours of free power.
Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) chief Daniel Westerman noted a consistent jump in electricity demand around 11am daily, currently around 360 megawatts across the National Electricity Market. This increase began with the launch of the Solar Sharer program in July and Victoria’s Midday Power Saver offer in recent weeks.
Westerman connected the success of these programs to the federal Cheaper Home Batteries scheme, which has led to over 500,000 discounted home battery installations. AEMO estimates that 15 to 25 percent of home batteries are responding to these market signals by storing and using free power.
Hamish McKenzie, deputy director of the Grattan Institute, observed a particularly large spike in Victoria on August 28, with demand jumping over 700 megawatts in 30 minutes at 11am, before the official launch of Victoria’s offer. While Westerman believes this is due to automated battery charging, McKenzie suggests other appliances may also be responsible, but agrees the response demonstrates a well-functioning energy market.
