Electricity tariff changes explained
At the beginning of July SA Power Networks (SAPN) adjusted the state’s existing electricity tariffs and introduced a new one. These changes will probably impact your power bill.
We’ve previously explained electricity tariffs and how they determine the price you pay for power. But the time-of-use and controlled-load tariff periods have since been adjusted. Read on to see how you can save money by altering the way you use electricity.
Time-of-use tariff changes
With a time-of-use tariff, your rates vary according to the time of day. You pay more per kilowatt hour (kWh) in peak periods – when demand is highest – than you do outside these times.
Until 30 June 2025, SAPN generally applied these time periods to your electricity retailer:
| Peak | 6am–10am and 3pm–1am | Demand is highest and electricity is the most expensive |
| Off-peak | 1am–6am | Demand is lowest, and electricity is cheaper |
| Shoulder (or solar sponge) | 10am–3pm | Usually the cheapest time to use electricity, especially if you have solar |
On 1 July 2025, SAPN changed the tariff periods. However, not all retailers will adopt these changes, at least initially, so it’s best to check with your retailer how they apply to you, as the changes may save you money.
| Peak | 6am–10am and 4pm–12am | Starts one hour later in the afternoon and ends one hour earlier in the evening |
| Off-peak | 12am–6am | Starts one hour earlier |
| Shoulder | 10am–4pm | Ends one hour later |
The good news for your hip pocket is that the changes offer some money-saving opportunities, assuming your retailer applies them to your contract. That’s because on a time-of-use tariff, there are now two fewer peak hours in the afternoon/night period, when electricity is the most expensive.
You’ll save money by using energy between 10am and 4pm and between 12am and 6am.
Controlled-load tariff changes
Your electricity contract may include a controlled-load tariff, so check your latest power bill if you’re not sure. Controlled load rates apply to specific appliances, such as hot-water services, underfloor heating and pool pumps and are often cheaper than general usage rates.
Here are the pre-1 July 2025 controlled load tariff time periods:
| Peak | 6.30am–9.30am and 3.30pm–11.30pm |
| Off-peak | 11.30pm–6.30am |
| Shoulder | 9.30am–3.30pm |
On 1 July 2025, the controlled-load peak and shoulder periods changed.
| Peak | 6.30am–9.30am and 4.30pm–11.30pm | Starts one hour later in the afternoon |
| Off-peak | 11.30pm–6.30am | No change |
| Shoulder | 9.30am–4.30pm | Ends one hour later |
These changes offer potential savings because there’s now an extra hour of electricity use charged at the cheapest rate instead of the highest rate. Again, check with your retailer to see which times apply to you.
What about the new tariff?
South Australia’s electricity network was never designed to accommodate our high uptake of solar energy. Think of it as a freeway that gets clogged with traffic, represented by the high volumes of solar energy we export to the grid during the day. SAPN needs to upgrade the network to cope with greater amounts of rooftop solar now and in the future.
To help pay for these targeted upgrades, SAPN introduced a new export tariff on 1 July 2025. The export tariff (also known as two-way pricing) is a small charge for residential and small business customers with inverters of up to 30kW of alternating current (AC) connected to SAPN’s network.
Tell me more about the export tariff
Residential and small business customers only pay the new tariff if they exceed the free export threshold of 9kWh per day (between 10am and 4pm) for customers with an interval (smart) electricity meter and 11kWh per day for customers with an accumulation (clock-style) meter.
SAPN charges the retailer, not the customer. You retailer may pass this cost directly onto you, or you may be charged by way of adjusted feed-in tariff rates or some other means. Whichever the method, SAPN estimates it’ll add about $1.50 per month to the average residential customer’s bill and about $6 per month for the average small business customer.
How do I reduce or eliminate the export tariff?
Over time, feed-in tariffs have dropped, thanks to surplus solar energy being exported which has reduced its overall value. With this in mind, and with a new export tariff, it’s often most cost-effective for customers to use the solar power they generate rather than export it to the grid.