We’re excited to announce that our Energy Shapers Plan has officially launched.
The Energy Shapers plan rewards you for shifting your energy use to the middle of the day. By making the most of the “solar soak” hours, you can save on your bills and help your community make better use of abundant daytime solar energy.
Why the Energy Shapers Plan?
Our energy-sharing software shows that almost all community energy hubs have a surplus of solar energy throughout the year—even in winter. So much solar is being exported into the grid on sunny days that wholesale prices often go negative. In those moments, Indigo Power pays the market operator to export any excess customer solar.
So, our solution was to launch a plan that offers a rebate on any energy used during high-solar production periods, increasing energy sharing across our community energy hubs. It’s as straightforward as signing up to the new plan, then shifting as much electricity consumption as you can into the 10am–3pm rebate window.
A smart meter is essential for tracking real-time usage and enabling these daytime rebates. All Victorian customers already have a smart meter, but if you’re in New South Wales and still have a spinning-disk meter, we’ll upgrade it for free so you can participate.
How it works
- Residential Customers: Get a daytime rebate year-round, crediting you for each kilowatt-hour used between 10am and 3pm*.
- Business Customers: The rebate applies between 10am and 3pm* from 1 October to 31 March. The 2024–2025 period has just wrapped up, but it opens again in October.
Shifting usage to the middle of the day helps “soak up” the surplus solar in your community energy hub. The rebate is compatible with all network tariff types. Certain tariffs—like those offered by CitiPower, Powercor, and United Energy—can be especially cheap for households that don’t have solar. We’ll help you check which option fits you best.
*(Except in the Endeavour distribution area, which has a rebate period between 10am-2pm).
What rebates can you expect?
Below is a table showing rebate amounts and the geographic areas each distributor covers. The rebate is credited to your bill, effectively lowering your electricity rate during these “solar soak” hours.
| Geographical Area | Distributor | Customer Type | Rebate Amount | Rebate Period |
| All Victoria | AusNet Services, Powercor, United Energy, CitiPower, Jemena | Residential | 12.80 c/kWh | 10am–3pm (every day) |
| All Victoria | AusNet Services, Powercor, United Energy, CitiPower, Jemena | Business | 9.19 c/kWh | 10am–3pm (every day) |
| Sydney, Central Coast, and Hunter Region | Ausgrid | Residential | 12.88 c/kWh | 10am–3pm (every day) |
| Sydney, Central Coast, and Hunter Region | Ausgrid | Business | 5.98 c/kWh | 10am–3pm (1 Oct–31 Mar) |
| Southern & Southwestern Sydney, Illawarra, and Blue Mountains Regions | Endeavour | Residential | 12.52 c/kWh | 10am–2pm (every day) |
| Southern & Southwestern Sydney, Illawarra, and Blue Mountains regions | Endeavour | Business | 7.84 c/kWh | 10am–2pm (1 Oct–31 Mar) |
| Rural and Regional New South Wales | Essential Energy | Residential | 12.88 c/kWh | 10am–3pm (every day) |
| Rural and Regional New South Wales | Essential Energy | Business | 6.41 c/kWh | 10am–3pm (1 Oct–31 Mar) |
Examples of effective solar soak rates:
Your exact effective rate depends on your network tariff. You can type your address into our website to see the specific Energy Shapers rates for your site or reach out to our team to discuss different tariff options. Here are some examples of the effective electricity rates across different network tariff types.
- CitiPower Daytime Saver (non-solar): ~5.9 c/kWh (10am–3pm)
- AusNet Time of Use: ~11.62 c/kWh (10am–3pm)
- AusNet Anytime Rate: ~21.3 c/kWh (10am–3pm)
Ready to get started?
If you have questions about upgrading your meter, comparing tariffs, or understanding your eligibility, reach out to our friendly Beechworth-based support team. We’ll help you find the best fit for your home or business so you can save money and join us in sharing more renewable energy.
If you’d like to sign up to the new plan, whether you’re an existing customer or a new customer, click here and add your address, then select the Energy Shapers plan and fill out the sign-up form.
From all of us at Indigo Power—thank you for being part of a community-driven movement to power our communities with 100% renewable energy.
Ben is Indigo Power’s Managing Director. He has a passion for collaborative initiatives that positively impact our communities. Ben leads our skilled and committed projects team, driving the uptake of community-scale clean energy technologies in communities around Australia.