Peak and Off-Peak Electricity Times in Australia: The State-by-State Guide

A "time-of-use" electricity plan can be a good way to save on your electricity bill if you can shift your usage away from the more expensive time windows.

These plans bill your usage differently depending on when you switch things on, with peak times costing more and off-peak times costing less.

But the hours peak and off-peak rates apply are not the same everywhere. They're set by your local network distributor, not by your retailer, and they vary by state and sometimes by suburb.

This guide is designed to break down peak, off-peak and shoulder windows for every state and territory.

It also covers how time-of-use billing works, how it differs from a single rate plan, and how to find the times that apply to your own address.

Quick facts

• Peak, off-peak and shoulder times are set by your electricity network distributor (the company that owns the poles and wires), not your retailer.
• Retailers can choose to apply the network's times exactly, or set their own peak windows within their plan terms. Always check your bill or contract to confirm which times apply to you.
• Evening peak is common nationally, generally somewhere between 3pm and 9pm, because that's when household demand is highest.
• Several networks (South Australia, Western Australia, ACT) now also have a cheap "solar sponge" or "super off-peak" window in the middle of the day, reflecting the amount of rooftop solar feeding into the grid.
• Time-of-use pricing only affects you if you're on a time-of-use tariff. If you're on a single (flat) rate plan, none of this changes what you pay.

What peak, off-peak and shoulder times actually mean

A time-of-use (TOU) tariff splits the day into two or three pricing bands:

• Peak: This is the highest rate. It applies when demand on the network is at its heaviest, usually late afternoon and evening on weekdays.
• Off-peak: This is the lowest rate. It applies when demand is lightest, usually overnight, and increasingly during the middle of the day in states with high rooftop solar uptake.
• Shoulder (not every network uses this band): This is a middle rate for the hours that sit between peak and off-peak, such as mid-morning or early evening.

These bands exist to help shift demand away from the busiest times. Electricity networks have to be able to handle the busiest loads, even if that means capacity sits unused most of the time.

By charging a higher rate for electricity at peak times, households are encouraged to shift usage, like running the dishwasher or charging an EV, into the cheaper windows. 

A time-of-use tariff only applies if you have a compatible meter (an interval or smart meter) and your retailer has placed you on a TOU plan.

If you're on a single rate or "anytime" plan, you pay the same rate no matter what time you use electricity, and the information below won't affect your bill.

Let's break down the off peak times around the country.

New South Wales

NSW has three electricity distributors, and each sets its own network peak/off-peak windows. Your retailer can choose to mirror these times or apply its own, so always confirm against your bill.

Ausgrid covers Sydney, the Central Coast, and the Hunter region and publishes its residential time-of-use periods directly:

Ausgrid removed the separate "shoulder" pricing band from its network tariffs in 2024, folding it into off-peak to simplify the structure. There's also no peak period at all during the four shoulder-season months, because demand is lower and the network is under less strain.

Essential Energy covers regional and rural NSW, and it publishes exact time-of-use hours in its residential and small business factsheet (pdf). The hours depend on your meter type.

Endeavour Energy covers Greater Western Sydney, the Blue Mountains and the Illawarra. It doesn't publish a single factsheet with a fixed clock-time table for every tariff in the way Ausgrid and Essential Energy do, but its own customer fact sheet does define one specific window: the demand charge under its time-of-use demand pricing plans is based on a household's highest consumption during the peak period, which it sets at 4pm to 8pm.

Individual retailers on the Endeavour Energy network set their own standard time-of-use peak window within this general afternoon-and-evening period, and it isn't always identical to the demand-charge window above. 

Eligible NSW, Queensland and South Australian households can also access the government's Solar Sharer Offer, which gives three hours of free electricity a day. See how the Solar Sharer Offer works and whether you qualify.

Queensland

Queensland has two distributors, Energex, which covers South East Queensland, and Ergon Energy, which covers regional Queensland. Both define peak demand around a similar daily window.

Energex states that the network's "rush hour" typically falls between 4pm and 8pm, driven by air conditioners, pool pumps and everyday appliances switching on at once as people get home from work.

Demand peaks hardest during summer, when air conditioning load is highest across the network.

Retail time-of-use plans in Queensland generally set their peak window within or close to this 4pm to 8pm band, though the specific start and end times, and whether a shoulder band applies, depend on your retailer's plan terms.

Most residential customers in Queensland are still on a flat, single-rate tariff. Time-of-use is opt-in and requires a compatible meter.

Victoria

Victoria has five separate distribution networks: CitiPower, Powercor, Jemena, United Energy and AusNet Services.

For the 2026–31 regulatory period, most of these networks coordinated their tariff design through joint engagement forums and moved to a common structure for the default residential time-of-use tariff: a peak window of 4pm to 9pm daily, a discounted midday "solar soak" period from 11am to 4pm, and off-peak at all other times.

Jemena's tariff filing states that its "proposed approach remains consistent with all other Victorian distributors and these windows will apply to all customers in Victoria on a daytime saver tariff."

Even with this alignment across most networks, you shouldn't assume it applies automatically to you. 

Retailers still have some flexibility to set their own peak windows within regulatory limits, and older plans may not have moved to the new structure yet.

The only reliable way to confirm your own times is to check your electricity bill for your distributor's name, and then check your retailer's plan terms for that network.

South Australia

South Australia has the most detailed public breakdown of time-of-use pricing in the country, because SA Power Networks publishes exact windows and rates for each tariff type. These windows took effect on 1 July 2025 and remain the current structure for the 2026–27 network year, confirmed in SA Power Networks' own current tariff price list.

SA Power Networks also offers an Electrify tariff aimed at households with EVs, heat pumps or battery storage.

This tariff uses a narrower 5pm to 9pm peak window paired with the same 10am to 4pm solar sponge period. Controlled load circuits, which typically supply electric hot water, run on a separate and slightly wider schedule.

Your retailer decides which of these network tariffs applies to your plan, so you should check your bill for the tariff code before assuming which times apply to you.

Western Australia

Western Australia's main network is the South West Interconnected System, known as the SWIS, which is served by the retailer Synergy under WA Government-regulated tariffs. Synergy's Midday Saver plan is its main time-of-use option, and it sets three daily bands.

These bands apply every day of the week, including weekends and public holidays.

WA's super off-peak window sits in the middle of the day for the same reason as South Australia's solar sponge period: rooftop solar generation is highest then, and the network wants to encourage households to shift usage into it.

Households outside the SWIS, which covers much of regional WA, are served by Horizon Power under different arrangements.

Tasmania

Tasmania's network, TasNetworks, and its main retailer, Aurora Energy, run one of the more distinctive time-of-use structures in the country.

Instead of one long peak window, it uses two short ones. Under Tariff 93, the standard residential time-of-use tariff, the Tasmanian Economic Regulator publishes the following times in Australian Eastern Standard Time.

Because the two peak windows are short and the entire weekend is off-peak, Tasmania has one of the more favourable time-of-use structures in the country for households that can shift usage away from weekday mornings and early evenings.

Australian Capital Territory

The ACT's sole distributor, Evoenergy, sets its residential time-of-use network tariff with a solar-aligned midday band alongside a single evening peak.

Evoenergy's tariff structure statement (pdf), which is filed with the Australian Energy Regulator, sets the following standard hours in Australian Eastern Standard Time.

Evoenergy has proposed extending the evening peak to 5pm to 9pm in future regulatory periods, so it's worth checking your bill for the exact window your plan currently uses.

As with other states, your retailer, commonly ActewAGL or another market retailer operating on the Evoenergy network, may apply these network times directly or set a similar but not identical peak window under its own plan terms.

Time-of-use vs single rate: which is better for you?

A single rate plan, also called an anytime or flat-rate plan, charges the same cents-per-kWh no matter when you use electricity. A time-of-use plan charges different rates depending on the time of day, using the bands set out above.

Time-of-use is best if you can shift your usage into off-peak or solar-sponge hours, such as running major appliances overnight or in the middle of the day.

It also helps if you have solar panels and are often out of the house during the expensive peak window. If you're charging an EV and can set it to charge overnight or midday rather than when you get home, time-of-use is also likely to suit you.

Single rate tends to work in your favour if your household is home and using appliances during the evening peak window. This could apply to families with young children or shift workers, for example.

It's also easier if you don't want to think about timing your usage.

Neither time-of-use nor flat rates are universally cheaper. The right choice depends on when your household actually uses electricity.

If you're not sure which structure you're on now, the next section shows you how to check.

How to find the exact times on your own plan

The tables above show each network's default time-of-use windows, but the plan you pay your retailer for can differ within regulatory limits. To confirm the times that apply to you, follow these steps.

First, check your electricity bill. Look for a line that names your distributor, such as Ausgrid, Energex or SA Power Networks, along with your tariff type or tariff code.

Second, check your plan's terms and conditions. These are usually available in your online account or in the document you received when you signed up, and this is where your retailer's actual peak, off-peak and shoulder hours are set out.

Third, call your retailer if the bill and plan documents don't make it clear. Distributors including Ausgrid note that retailers, not networks, are the first point of contact for confirming which times and charges apply to an individual account.

How to use off-peak times to cut your bill

Once you know your actual peak and off-peak windows, a few minor changes to usage habits make the most difference.

Run high-draw appliances outside peak hours where you can. Dishwashers, washing machines and clothes dryers are the easiest to shift, since most let you delay the start of the cycle.

Time your hot water and pool pump to run off-peak. If you're on a controlled load tariff, these often already run on a timer set to off-peak hours. If not, ask your retailer whether a controlled load tariff is available to you.

Charge an EV overnight or midday rather than plugging in as soon as you arrive home during peak times.

If you have solar panels, use them during the solar-sponge or super off-peak window, since this is when it saves the most compared with drawing peak-rate grid electricity. Check your plan's solar feed-in tariff rates to see what you're also earning for anything you export instead of self-consume.

And finally, don't forget to reassess your plan after a tariff or network price change. Networks revise these windows periodically. Utility Club can help you find the right deal for your household's needs.