Gridly
Cheapest Time to Use Electricity
When should you run the dishwasher, charge your EV, or heat water? Select your state and see off-peak windows, typical rates, and the best appliances to shift.
Best appliances to shift to off-peak
Important: check your own plan
Off-peak windows and rates vary between retailers and tariff structures within each state. The times shown are indicative of typical distribution network tariffs (Ausgrid, Citipower, Energex, etc.) - your specific plan may differ. Some flat-rate plans have no off-peak windows at all. Check your retailer's tariff schedule or call them to confirm your plan type and off-peak times before making changes.
How time-of-use electricity pricing works in Australia
Australia's electricity grid has variable demand throughout the day. When lots of people use electricity at the same time - typically weekday afternoons and evenings when people come home from work - the grid is under stress and generation costs are higher. When demand is low - late at night and early morning - electricity is cheaper to produce.
Time-of-use (TOU) tariffs pass this price variation to consumers. If you're on a TOU plan, you pay a peak rate during high-demand periods and a cheaper rate during off-peak hours. Some plans also have a "shoulder" rate for in-between periods.
Flat-rate plans don't have this variation - you pay the same rate all day. If you're on a flat plan, shifting appliances won't save money on rate alone, but moving to a TOU plan might save $200–500 per year if you can shift significant loads.
Which appliances are worth shifting?
The biggest wins come from high-wattage appliances that run for extended periods. A clothes dryer, dishwasher, washing machine, and EV charger collectively represent a large portion of a household's variable electricity use. Shifting all four to run overnight can save $300–600 per year for a typical family on a TOU plan.
Fixed loads - refrigerators, routers, standby devices - can't easily be shifted and typically represent a smaller fraction of controllable cost.
Solar changes the equation
If you have solar, the cheapest electricity is often midday - when your panels are generating most and your feed-in tariff (what you get paid for exports) is lower than your import rate. Running the dishwasher and washing machine during the day can save more than shifting them to overnight if your solar is generating enough to cover them.
This is the opposite of what non-solar TOU advice suggests. With solar, the priority is: (1) use high-wattage appliances during solar generation hours (10am–3pm roughly), (2) use a smart charger or timer for your EV to charge overnight off-peak when solar is insufficient.