Controlled Load explained: What CL1 and CL2 mean on your electricity bill

If your electricity bill has a line labelled "Controlled Load 1", "CL1", "Tariff 31" or "Off-peak", part of your home is wired to a separate circuit that only receives power when your electricity network turns it on.

That circuit is almost always your hot water system, and the electricity it uses is charged at a much lower rate than the rest of your home.

This guide explains how controlled load works, the difference between Controlled Load 1 and Controlled Load 2, how to check whether you have it, what the regulated 2026–27 rates are in each state, and when it is worth keeping.

Quick facts

• Controlled load is electricity supplied to a separately wired appliance, usually a hot water system, during hours set by your local distribution network rather than whenever you want it.
• It is billed at its own usage rate, which in NSW, South East Queensland and South Australia is capped by the Australian Energy Regulator for standing offer customers in 2026–27.
• Controlled Load 1 (CL1) has fewer hours of supply and is suited to large hot water tanks; Controlled Load 2 (CL2) has longer hours, including daytime, and suits smaller tanks, heat pumps and pool pumps.
• In Queensland, CL1 is commonly called Tariff 31 and CL2 is called Tariff 33.
• Networks are moving controlled load switching into the middle of the day to soak up rooftop solar, so your hot water may now heat during the day rather than overnight.
• You can check whether you have controlled load by looking for a separate controlled load line on your bill or by asking your retailer.

What is controlled load?

Controlled load is a tariff for electricity supplied through separate wiring from the rest of your home. It's a way to supply energy-hungry appliances at a low cost during the hours when demand on its network is lowest. The appliance on that circuit does not get power around the clock. Instead, the network switches it on and off within set windows, which are known as switching times.

Hot water systems are the most common controlled load because a well-insulated tank can heat up during the supply window and hold that heat for the rest of the day.

Under-floor or slab heating and pool pumps are other common examples. Energex and Ausgrid both also allow electric vehicle chargers to be connected to a controlled load circuit.

The trade-off is control. You get a lower rate per kWh, and the network gets to move a large, flexible load away from the times when its poles and wires are under the most pressure.

What does controlled load mean on your electricity bill?

On your bill, controlled load appears as a separate usage line with its own kWh reading and its own rate. Depending on your retailer and network, it may be labelled:

• Controlled Load 1, CL1 or Controlled Load 1 Usage
• Controlled Load 2, CL2 or Controlled Load 2 Usage
• Tariff 31 (Super Economy) or Tariff 33 (Economy) in Queensland
• Off-peak, Off-peak hot water or Night Rate
• Dedicated circuit usage

In some networks there is also a small controlled load daily supply charge listed separately from your main daily supply charge. Your controlled load usage is not included in your general usage figure, so if you are comparing your total consumption against a benchmark, add the two together. Our guide to understanding your electricity bill explains the other line items.

Controlled Load 1 vs Controlled Load 2

Every network sets its own rules, but the pattern is consistent across the country: CL1 gives fewer hours of supply at a slightly lower price, and CL2 gives more hours, including some daytime supply, at a slightly higher price.

Each network sets its own switching rules. This is how the six networks in NSW, Queensland and South Australia define their controlled load tariffs.

Ausgrid (Sydney, Central Coast, Hunter). Ausgrid’s EA030 Controlled Load 1 is supplied for at least six hours in any 24-hour period and suits large hot water systems of 250 to 630 litres. EA040 Controlled Load 2 is supplied for at least 16 hours a day, including at least four hours between 7am and 5pm, and suits smaller systems of 100 to 250 litres. Ausgrid changed CL1 switching times for smart meter customers in July 2024 so that more heating happens during daylight hours when solar output is high.

Endeavour Energy (Greater Western Sydney, Blue Mountains, Illawarra). According to Endeavour Energy’s retailer and market guide, Controlled Load 1 (tariff N50) switches on at 10pm and off at 7am on weekdays. On weekends it runs from 10pm until 5pm in winter (1 April to 31 October) and until 3pm in summer (1 November to 31 March). Controlled Load 2 (tariff N54) adds daytime supply: on winter weekdays it runs from 10pm to 7am and again from 9am to 5pm, and on summer weekdays it runs from 10pm through to 1pm the next day. Weekend times are the same as CL1.

Endeavour applies a randomisation of up to 180 minutes to these times so that every hot water system on the network doesn’t switch on at once, which means your supply can start later than the times listed. Endeavour also requires a smart meter that uses its built-in controlled load function for both new and existing controlled load installations.

Essential Energy (regional NSW). According to Essential Energy’s controlled load factsheet, CL1 is usually supplied between 10pm and 7am, for 5 to 9 hours on weekdays with extra hours on weekends. CL2 is usually available seven days a week except between 7am and 9am and between 5pm and 8pm on weekdays, giving 10 to 19 hours of supply on weekdays. CL2 is aimed at hot water systems that need a daytime boost, solar hot water, heat pumps, pool pumps and slab heating.

Energex (South East Queensland). Energex’s Tariff 31 provides at least 8 hours of supply a day, typically around 10pm to 7am. Tariff 33 provides at least 16 hours a day and is usually off between 4pm and 9pm. Energex notes that economy tariff timing has shifted towards soaking up rooftop solar, so supply is often interrupted during the morning peak and resumes in the middle of the day.

Ergon Energy (regional Queensland). Ergon’s Tariff 31 and Tariff 33 provide at least 8 and at least 16 hours of supply a day respectively. Ergon recommends Tariff 31 for hot water systems of 250 litres or more and Tariff 33 for systems of 125 litres or more, heat pumps of 270 litres or more and solar hot water systems of 160 litres or more. Ergon also notes that supply times can change daily.

SA Power Networks (South Australia). South Australia doesn’t split controlled load into CL1 and CL2 by hours of supply. Instead, SA Power Networks applies a tariff based on your meter type. Homes with an older accumulation meter are on a single rate controlled load tariff, and the hours are set by a manual clock that does not change. Homes with a smart meter are on a controlled load time of use tariff, and the retailer decides when the circuit runs. In both cases, supply typically falls within SA Power Networks’ off-peak window (11:30pm to 6:30am) or its solar sponge window (9:30am to 4:30pm), which have applied since 1 July 2025. SA Power Networks charges retailers the least for controlled load used in the solar sponge window, to encourage hot water heating in the middle of the day.

Victoria (CitiPower, Powercor, United Energy, AusNet Services, Jemena). Victoria doesn’t use the CL1 and CL2 labels. Controlled load is a single “dedicated circuit” tariff, and Victorian bills usually show it as dedicated circuit or off-peak usage. CitiPower’s 2026–27 pricing statement and United Energy’s both say the tariff is available to homes with a dedicated circuit connected to a time switch, and that it covers single-phase electric hot water systems drawing less than 30 amps.

Both networks say hot water switching times vary with local demand management. For slab heating, switching is typically between 12am and 7am, with a possible afternoon boost between 1pm and 4pm in winter. Powercor says more than 140,000 of its customers have their hot water on a controlled load circuit, and that the window has traditionally run from 10pm to 7am. Since mid-2025, Powercor has been using smart meters to move part of that water heating into the middle of the day. AusNet Services and Jemena customers also have regulated dedicated circuit rates under the Victorian Default Offer, which are listed in the rates section below.

Controlled load times in NSW and Queensland, South Australia and Victoria

Most networks avoid fixed published hours for controlled load hours. Ausgrid states that it may vary CL1 switching times at its discretion, Essential Energy says its times can change with network requirements, and Ergon says its supply times can change daily. What the networks commit to is a minimum number of hours.

The direction of change is the same everywhere. Controlled load was designed decades ago to use cheap electricity overnight, but rooftop solar has made the middle of the day the cheapest time to supply power. Networks are shifting switching windows into daylight hours, particularly for customers with smart meters. For the time windows that apply to the rest of your home, see our guide to off-peak electricity times.

How do I know if I have a controlled load?

There are four ways to check:

1. Look at your bill. A separate usage line labelled with any of the names listed above, with its own kWh figure, means you have controlled load.
2. Ask your retailer. Contact your retailer, who can confirm whether you are on a controlled load tariff and help you add one.
3. Check your meter box. Older homes with controlled load often have a second meter, or a meter with two registers, and a relay or time switch that turns the hot water circuit on and off. Newer smart meters can manage the controlled load circuit inside the meter itself.
4. Watch your hot water. If your hot water runs out late in the day and recovers overnight or around midday, your system is likely on a controlled load circuit.

Controlled load usage charges for 2026–27

For the first time, the Australian Energy Regulator has set separate maximum controlled load rates as part of the 2026–27 Default Market Offer. These caps apply to standing offer customers in NSW, South East Queensland and South Australia, and can be added to a flat rate, time of use or Solar Sharer standing offer. The figures below are taken from Figure 2.6 of the AER's final 2026–27 DMO determination and include GST.

In every DMO region, controlled load is priced well below the general usage rate. In Ausgrid's area, for example, the CL1 cap is around 14 cents per kWh lower than the flat rate cap. These are maximums for standing offers; market offers are often cheaper, so check the controlled load rate on any plan you compare.

Rates in the other states are set differently:

• Regional Queensland: Ergon Energy Retail's rates from 1 July 2026 are 16.663 c/kWh for Tariff 31 and 16.764 c/kWh for Tariff 33, including GST.
• Victoria: Under the Essential Services Commission's 2026–27 Victorian Default Offer, the controlled load usage charge for domestic customers is $0.2211/kWh in the AusNet Services area, $0.1659/kWh for CitiPower, $0.2141/kWh for Jemena, and $0.1726/kWh for both Powercor and United Energy, including GST. The ESC notes these apply only where a controlled load or dedicated circuit is available.
• Tasmania: Aurora Energy's 2026–27 residential tariffs include Tariff 61 (Off-Peak with Afternoon Boost) at 14.7348 c/kWh plus 24.4450 c/day, and Tariff 41 (Heating and Hot Water) at 21.1193 c/kWh plus 18.3156 c/day. Both are closed to new connections: Tariff 61 since 1 July 2019 and Tariff 41 since 1 July 2024.
• ACT: The ACT's 2026–27 representative consumption determination assumes a household with controlled load uses 2,500 kWh a year on its controlled load circuits, on top of 6,300 kWh of general usage.

To see how these rates compare with general usage rates in every network, read our guide to electricity cost per kWh.

Is controlled load worth it?

For most households with an electric storage hot water system, yes. The saving comes from the gap between the controlled load rate and your general usage rate.

As an illustration, take an Ausgrid household using 2,000 kWh a year to heat water. At the 2026–27 DMO caps, that usage costs $386.19 on CL1 (at 19.3094 c/kWh) compared with $662.74 at the flat rate (at 33.1372 c/kWh). After subtracting the CL1 supply charge of $17.27 a year (4.7312 c/day), the household is about $259 a year better off on controlled load. Your own figures will depend on your plan's rates and how much hot water you use.

Controlled load works best if:

• You have an electric storage hot water system large enough to last a full day.
• You can run a pool pump, slab heating or EV charger within the network's supply window.
• You are on a market plan with a controlled load rate well below your general usage rate.

It is less useful if:

• Your hot water tank is too small and regularly runs out before the next supply window. Moving from CL1 to CL2, or upgrading the tank, usually solves this.
• You have rooftop solar and would rather heat water with your own free daytime generation. A hot water diverter or timer on your general circuit can do this, though you lose the controlled load rate.
• Your network applies a controlled load supply charge and your controlled load usage is very low, so the supply charge eats most of the saving.

Controlled load, smart meters and solar

Smart meters are changing how controlled load works. The AER's 2026–27 determination notes that more than half of controlled load customers already have a smart meter, that this share will rise towards 100% by 2030, and that smart-metered controlled load uses more electricity in the middle of the day than older meters did.

A smart meter lets your network move your controlled load switching times without anyone visiting your home, which is how Ausgrid and Energex have been able to shift heating into daylight hours. If you have a timer on your controlled load circuit, Energex advises you may need to update its settings so it does not try to run during peak periods.

If you are on a time of use plan or the Solar Sharer Offer, your controlled load circuit is still billed at its own rate, separate from your peak, off-peak and free periods.

How to add or remove a controlled load

Adding controlled load. Contact your retailer first. The appliance must be permanently wired to a dedicated circuit by a licensed electrician, and you may need a meter change or reconfiguration. You pay the electrician's costs, and some networks charge a fee: Ergon, for example, charges a one-off $208.71 including GST for a standard residential property, added to your bill.

Removing controlled load. If you replace an electric storage hot water system with gas, or with an appliance that needs continuous power, ask your retailer to remove the controlled load tariff. An electrician will need to reconnect the appliance to your general circuit.

Switching retailers. Your controlled load stays with your home when you change retailer, because it is a network tariff. When you compare plans, check that the plan includes a controlled load rate and compare that rate alongside the general usage and supply charges. Plans with no controlled load rate listed may not suit a home that has one.