Free power from 12 to 3pm: running a pool heat pump on SA's Solar Sharer offer
Quick answer: If you have a smart meter, the Solar Sharer offer gives South Australian households three hours of free electricity every day, from 12pm to 3pm, up to 24kWh. A family-sized pool heat pump uses around 7 to 8kWh in those three hours, so it can do a real share of its heating for nothing. It suits covered pools on mild days best. It's opt-in, and the rest of the day is priced differently, so compare before you switch.
Most of what it costs to run a heat pump is electricity. So when power is free for three hours a day, it's worth planning your pool heating around it. Here's how the offer works, what it's actually worth for a pool, and who should and shouldn't bother.
What the Solar Sharer offer is
Solar Sharer is a federal government offer that started in July 2026 in South Australia, New South Wales and south-east Queensland. It sits alongside the default market offer set by the Australian Energy Regulator. The short version, from the AER's Solar Sharer fact sheet:
In South Australia the free window is 12pm to 3pm, every day of the year. The clock time stays the same through daylight saving.
Up to 24kWh a day is free. Use above that in the window is charged.
You need a smart meter, and you have to opt in with your retailer. It isn't switched on automatically.
It's for households. You don't need solar panels to get it.
Why a pool heat pump suits a free midday window
Plenty of appliances can use free power. A pool heat pump is one of the better ones, for three reasons.
Heat pumps work best in warm air. Guardian's published figures for the Eco Pro GE-16 show 16kW of heat at 27 degree air, dropping to 12.6kW at 15 degrees. Midday is when Adelaide air is warmest, so every free kilowatt-hour goes further.
A pool holds heat. Heat you put in at lunchtime is still there at 6pm, especially under a cover.
The pool pump runs in the same window. Filtration has to run anyway, and if you have solar pool heating it already runs through the middle of the day.
What three free hours are actually worth
Here's a Guardian Eco Pro GE-16 running flat out for the full three hours, worked from the specifications on our store page. The dollar value uses South Australia's flat default electricity price for 2026-27, 41.9 cents per kWh, from the AER's final determination.
Conditions | Heat into the pool | Electricity used | Lift on a 50,000 litre pool | Value at 41.9c/kWh |
Warm afternoon, 27 degree air | About 48kWh | About 7.6kWh | About 0.8 degrees | About $3.20 |
Cool day, 15 degree air | About 38kWh | About 8.2kWh | About 0.65 degrees | About $3.45 |
Across a week that's roughly $20 to $25 of electricity you don't pay for. Our usual guide for running a correctly sized heat pump on a covered pool in season is $30 to $80 a week, so on mild weeks the free window can carry a big share of it.
What it won't do is warm a cold pool from scratch. Lifting a 50,000 litre pool by 10 degrees takes around 580kWh of heat, so the first warm-up of the season still needs the heat pump running well outside the window. We worked through those numbers in how long it takes to heat a pool in Adelaide.
How to set it up
Check you have a smart meter. Your retailer or your bill will tell you.
Compare before you switch. Ask your retailer for their Solar Sharer plan and check it against what you pay now on Energy Made Easy, the government's comparison site.
Move the heat pump's main run into the window. Both Guardian ranges we sell, the Eco Pro and the Lux V, have WiFi control. If you're not sure how to set your unit's run times, ring us and we'll talk you through it.
Run filtration in the same three hours. It's free power, and a heat pump needs water flowing through it to heat.
Cover the pool. Free heat is only worth having if it stays in the water. Here's why a pool blanket matters with any heater.
Who should think twice
Homes with rooftop solar. You may already be running the heat pump for free at midday. Some Solar Sharer plans also pay no feed-in tariff for the power you export (AGL's plan says so), so check what you'd give up.
Night and early-morning swimmers. If the pool needs to be warm at 6am in winter, most of the heating happens outside the window anyway.
Homes already using the 24kWh. An EV charger, hot water or a home battery can use up the free allowance before the pool gets a look in.
Everyone, on the rest of the day. Retailers recover the free hours elsewhere, through peak and shoulder rates or the supply charge. Whether you come out ahead depends on how much use you can move into the window.
We heat pools, we don't sell electricity, so check the plan details with your retailer before you switch.
What to do next
No heat pump yet? Our heat pump sizing calculator tells you what size suits your pool in about a minute.
Comparing units? See the full pool heat pump range with prices, including the Lux V GLV-17, which suits most covered family pools up to 55,000 litres.
Still deciding whether a heat pump makes sense at all? Read are heat pumps worth it for pool heating in Adelaide.
Ready to put the free hours to work?
Whether you're choosing a heat pump or want yours set up to run through the middle of the day, we'll look at your pool, your power and your roof and give you a straight answer. Free onsite quotes across metro Adelaide. Call (08) 8262 9617.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Solar Sharer offer available in South Australia?
Yes. Since July 2026, South Australian households with a smart meter can opt in with their retailer for free electricity from 12pm to 3pm every day, up to 24kWh.
Can I run my pool heat pump on free power?
Yes, if you're on a Solar Sharer plan and set the heat pump to run between 12pm and 3pm. A family-sized unit uses around 7 to 8kWh in that window, well under the 24kWh daily cap.
How much can it save on pool heating?
Around $3 a day at South Australia's flat default price of 41.9 cents per kWh, based on a Guardian Eco Pro GE-16 running at full output for three hours. That's roughly $20 to $25 a week.
Do I need solar panels to get the Solar Sharer offer?
No. It's open to households without solar. If you do have panels, compare plans first, because some Solar Sharer plans pay no feed-in tariff for exported power.
Will three free hours keep my pool warm?
It can hold a covered pool on mild days. On cool days, or for the first warm-up of the season, the heat pump will still need to run outside the window.
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