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Cheapest power hours
Could changing when you use electricity lower your power bill?
For many Australians, the rising cost of energy can feel overwhelming and often out of their control. However, by simply changing when they use electricity, households can reduce their bills. Many energy retailers offer pricing that changes by time of day, on time-of-use (TOU) or controlled-load tariffs, where electricity can be cheaper in certain “off‑peak” or “shoulder” periods. Whether you can access these cheaper rates depends on your meter type and the tariff you’re on, so households in the same state may have different pricing structures.
Energy comparison service, iSelect, analysed electricity rates, appliance usage data, and typical household habits to uncover how much Australians could save by running appliances during off-peak hours.
How much Australians could save by shifting to off-peak power hours
Note: Peak and cheapest hours shown are based on distributor network tariff windows and may differ slightly by retailer. ‘Varies by retailer’ in NSW & ACT indicates there are three major distributors, each with a different definition of the cheapest period (e.g., overnight for one, daytime shoulder for another). In this instance, the cheapest energy distributor’s period is stated. Rates are based on energy fact sheets and BPIDs for a range of retailer Standing Offer TOU plans. Eligibility for off‑peak/cheapest rates varies by household depending on meter type and tariff (e.g., single‑rate customers may not have an off‑peak rate). All rates GST-inclusive, collected March–April 2026.
Western Australian households have the greatest opportunity to take control of their energy bills, with the highest savings potential of any state at 84%. With a generous low-cost window running from 9 am to 3 pm, there’s plenty of time to get a load of washing on or run the dishwasher without it hitting your pocket hard. In fact, costs can drop by $0.45/kWh just by shifting appliance use to the daytime, so if you’re working from home or work irregular shifts, you’re already perfectly placed to take advantage.
New South Wales offers the second-highest savings at 61%, but timing is everything. Households incur the steepest costs when using appliances between 3 pm and 9 pm, exactly when most people are home, reaching for the kettle or firing up the oven. With the highest peak rate across all states at $0.67/kWh, it pays to plan. Night owls and shift workers take note: running appliances between 10 pm and 7 am could save you $0.41/kWh, making those late-night laundry cycles well worth it.
South Australia rounds out the top three with a 58.6% savings potential, though households here face the tightest window to work with. The peak period can stretch up to 12 hours a day, leaving just six hours of cheaper electricity between 10 am and 4 pm. If you’re home during the day, whether you’re working from the kitchen table or coming off a night shift, that mid-morning window is your sweet spot, with rates as low as $0.25/kWh.
The Northern Territory and Victoria deliver the lowest savings percentages at 22.2% and 39.3%, respectively. While there’s still some benefit to shifting your appliance use, households here have less to gain from rearranging their routines.
The annual savings Aussies could make by being on a Time of Use tariff and running each appliance in off-peak hours
Western Australians see the highest annual savings of $4,406 when appliance usage shifts from peak to super off-peak periods. Meanwhile, New South Wales residents could save $3,973.53, and South Australians $3,385.47. In comparison, the Northern Territory and Victoria see the lowest total savings at $683.39 and $1,390.10, respectively.
Looking at appliances, using an EV charger offers the largest savings opportunity, with annual savings ranging from $1,411.16 in Western Australia to $218.88 in the Northern Territory. This is because EV chargers are the most expensive appliances to run ($3.41 per hour nationally), but the cost drops by almost $2 during cheaper times. EV chargers have a high energy demand per use (7.20kWh), meaning even small differences in electricity rates can lead to greater savings.
But even small appliances add up. Shifting kettle usage alone saves $46.10 in Western Australia and $41.57 in New South Wales. Even running a television for five hours a day during off-peak hours, rather than peak hours, saves over $100 in Western Australia and New South Wales.
“If you’re on a time‑of‑use plan, knowing your off‑peak and shoulder windows can be a simple way to cut electricity costs without reducing how much energy you use. Not every household has off-peak pricing, as it depends on your meter and tariff, but where it’s available, shifting your use to a few appliances can make a meaningful difference over time.
“What’s interesting about our research is that even though TOU plans across states include cheaper hours, there are large savings gaps between certain states, particularly between Western Australia and the Northern Territory. Yet despite these differences, Aussies in every state should adopt more energy-conscious behaviour and recognise that even small changes can add up over time.”
Off‑peak/cheapest periods and eligibility vary by retailer, meter type and tariff. Customers on single‑rate tariffs may not have off‑peak pricing.
Julia Paszka
General Manager – Utilities at iSelect
Written by:
Sean Hardeman
Digital PR Advisor
0424 107 600
Sean, a Digital PR Advisor with a career spanning more than seven years, is an experienced writer with a strong understanding of insurance and utilities.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in Journalism and a master’s in Marketing and Digital Communications, and has a knack for turning complex topics into interesting, easy to understand articles and explainers.
About the data
We collected peak, off-peak, and shoulder electricity rates (c/kWh, GST-inclusive) from the energy price fact sheets and BPIDs of major retailers for time-of-use tariffs in each Australian state and territory. For competitive markets (NSW, VIC, QLD, SA, ACT), Standing Offer time-of-use rates were sourced from three major retailers and averaged across them. For regulated or single-retailer markets (WA, TAS, NT), the sole retailer’s time-of-use rates for the distribution zone were used.
TOU time windows were sourced from each state’s primary distribution network operator. Where retailer time windows differed from the distributor’s, the retailer’s windows were used, as these reflect what consumers actually pay.
Typical appliance energy consumption figures (kWh per use) were sourced from the Australian Government’s Energy Rating Calculator (energyrating.gov.au/calculator), Sustainability Victoria appliance guides, energy.gov.au (Australian Government Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water), and Synergy (WA). All figures represent typical new appliances with an average (3-star) energy rating.
We then calculated the cost of running each appliance during peak versus the cheapest available period for every state, and expressed the potential savings per use and per year. The estimated household usage assumed weekly usage frequencies.
This analysis is based on Standing Offer time-of-use tariffs and does not account for market offer discounts, controlled load tariffs, demand tariffs, or solar feed-in tariffs. TOU plans are opt-in in some jurisdictions. Actual savings will vary depending on individual household appliances, usage patterns, and energy plan. All rates reflect current pricing as of March–April 2026.
Sources:
Appliance Energy Consumption Data:
- Energy Australia – How much electricity use can you get for $1?
- Energy Rating – Clothes washers
- Sustainability Victoria – Reduce clothes dryer costs at home
- Energy.gov.au – Appliances
- AGL – Household appliances that use the most energy
- Synergy – Synergy Midday Saver
- Sustainability Victoria – Reduce dishwasher costs at home
- Energy Rating – Understand the Energy Rating Label
Standing Offer time-of-use tariffs
About 
At iSelect, we’re passionate about making Aussies’ lives easier by saving them time, effort and money. We are Australia’s go-to destination for comparison across insurance, utilities and personal finance products made available from our range of providers. Our service is provided at no cost to the customer.
iSelect does not compare all energy providers or plans in the market. The availability of plans may change from time to time, depending on who iSelect’s providers are and what plans they make available to iSelect. Not all plans made available from iSelect providers may be compared by iSelect either due to commercial arrangements, area or availability, so not all plans or providers compared by iSelect will be available to all customers. Some plans and special offers are available only from iSelect’s contact centre or website. Energy plans are available only for properties located in eligible areas of Victoria, New South Wales, South East Queensland, South Australia and ACT. Click here to view iSelect’s range of providers.