Time-of-Use Electricity Plans Ranked for Miners: WA to SA

If you're running an ASIC miner at home, your electricity plan is one of the most important decisions you'll make — and flat-rate plans are rarely the best option. Time-of-use (TOU) tariffs charge different rates depending on when power is drawn, which sounds ideal for mining: just run your hardware during the cheap window and pocket the difference. The catch is that miners run constantly, peak rates can be punishing, and the "cheap" window varies significantly between states. Some TOU plans will genuinely reduce your electricity bill. Others will cost you more than sticking with a flat rate. This guide breaks down what each state actually offers, what the off-peak windows look like, and whether switching is worth it for a miner running around the clock.

Before diving in, it's worth reading our broader piece on electricity prices across Australia and what they mean for crypto mining. The state rankings below assume residential or small-business electricity accounts — not commercial contracts, which sit outside this scope.

How Time-of-Use Tariffs Work for a Miner

A standard household on a flat-rate plan pays the same usage rate around the clock — typically somewhere between 28c and 35c/kWh depending on state and retailer. A TOU plan splits the day into two or three bands: peak (expensive), shoulder (mid-range, in states that use three bands), and off-peak (cheap). The idea is that the cheap window compensates for the expensive peak window, making TOU broadly cost-neutral for an average household whose usage naturally concentrates in the evening.

For a miner, the calculation is different in a critical way: you can't shift load. A Bitmain Antminer S21 doesn't stop hashing at 4pm because electricity prices just tripled. It draws its full 2,643W regardless of the tariff band. That means any hours spent in the peak window become more expensive than they would have been on a flat rate — and you need the off-peak savings to more than compensate.

The miner-friendly TOU scenario looks like this: a long off-peak window (ideally overnight and into the morning), a genuinely cheap off-peak rate, and a short or avoidable peak window. The worst-case scenario is a long peak window, high peak rate, and a cheap window that only covers a few midday hours when you have little control anyway.

With that framework in mind, here's how each state stacks up.

Western Australia — Synergy Midday Saver

WA is the most unusual electricity market in Australia. The state runs its own electricity system — the South West Interconnected System (SWIS) — separate from the eastern states' National Electricity Market (NEM). All residential customers are served by Synergy, a government-owned retailer, at regulated prices. There is no competitive retail market and no ability to shop around. From 1 July 2026, the standard flat rate (Home Plan A1) rises to approximately 33.26c/kWh.

Synergy's TOU offering for homes is the Midday Saver, which has three bands:

Super Off-Peak: 9am–3pm — approximately 8.62c/kWh
Off-Peak: 9pm–9am — approximately 19–20c/kWh
Peak: 3pm–9pm — approximately 53–54c/kWh

The super off-peak rate (8.62c) is extraordinary — the cheapest daytime electricity available to residential customers anywhere in Australia. The overnight off-peak rate is also well below the flat rate. The problem for miners is the peak window: 3pm to 9pm at over 53c/kWh is more than 60% higher than the flat A1 rate. Six hours of peak pricing every day at 2.6kW for an S21 adds up fast.

For a miner on the Midday Saver running a mid-sized ASIC at, say, 2,000W continuously:

Super off-peak (9am–3pm, 6 hours): 12 kWh × 8.62c = $1.03/day
Off-peak (9pm–3am, 6 hours split across overnight): 12 kWh × 19.5c = $2.34/day
Peak (3pm–9pm, 6 hours): 12 kWh × 53.84c = $6.46/day
Remaining off-peak (3am–9am, 6 hours): 12 kWh × 19.5c = $2.34/day

Compare that to flat-rate A1 for the same miner: 48 kWh × 33.26c = approximately $15.96/day. The Midday Saver works out to roughly $12.17/day — a saving of around $3.79/day or over $1,380/year on a single 2kW miner. That's a meaningful difference.

The caveat is that this doesn't account for supply charges, which are also rising. And for Perth miners who are already on solar or have a home battery, the Midday Saver becomes even more complex — discussed further below.

Miner verdict: WA is one of the better states for TOU miners, purely because the off-peak and super off-peak rates are so low they more than offset the punishing peak window — assuming the miner runs through all three bands equally. If you can slightly reduce load during peak (even powering down a secondary miner), savings improve further. For low-power miners like the IceRiver KS0 Ultra at 100W or the Lucky Miner LV06 at 13W, the Midday Saver is strongly worth exploring.

Victoria — Competitive Market, Smart Meter Advantage

Victoria is the best state in Australia for TOU retail electricity. Nearly every home already has a smart meter installed, which means switching to a TOU plan requires no meter upgrade and no upfront cost. The competitive retail market gives miners real choice between retailers and plan structures.

Standard Vic TOU hours vary slightly between distributors, but the broad framework across CitiPower, Powercor, and AusNet is:

Peak: Weekday afternoons and evenings, generally 3pm–9pm (summer) or 7am–11pm in broader distributor windows
Off-Peak: Overnight, weekends, and public holidays — generally 11pm–7am on weekdays plus all weekend
Shoulder: Transitional periods, typically 7am–3pm and 9pm–11pm on weekdays (in three-rate plans)

The Victorian Default Offer (VDO) for 2026–27 is actually dropping slightly due to lower wholesale, network, and environmental costs — a contrast to every other major state. Competitive market offers from retailers like AGL, Alinta, and Origin can be meaningfully below the VDO for customers willing to shop around.

Typical TOU rates in Victoria on competitive offers:

Peak: 45–55c/kWh
Shoulder: 22–28c/kWh
Off-Peak: 15–22c/kWh

For a miner, the key advantage in Victoria is the shoulder rate. Unlike NSW or WA, the long shoulder windows (roughly 7am–3pm on weekdays) sit at a rate that's 20–30% below the flat rate. Combined with cheap overnight off-peak, a Victorian miner on a well-chosen TOU plan can meaningfully reduce their effective rate.

The calculation depends heavily on your distributor and which retailer you're with. Use the Victorian Energy Compare tool at compare.energy.vic.gov.au to model your actual bill. When comparing, enter your miner's wattage as a flat 24-hour load and see which plan produces the lowest annual estimate.

WATTever.com.au also allows you to filter by TOU plans and see rate breakdowns by period — worthwhile if you want to check a dozen options quickly.

Miner verdict: Victoria is one of the top two states for TOU miners. The combination of smart meter saturation (no barriers to switching), competitive retail market (many plan options), and a VDO that's actually falling makes it the best environment outside of WA for reducing running costs. The main risk is that three-band plans require careful analysis — shoulder rates vary enough between retailers to change the outcome.

New South Wales — Good Options, Variable Execution

NSW has a competitive retail market through the NEM, but TOU uptake has been slower than Victoria because smart meter rollout is still in progress. However, as of 2024, Ausgrid simplified its TOU tariff to just two periods — peak and off-peak — which reduces complexity and makes the miner calculation more straightforward for customers in the Sydney, Central Coast, Hunter, and Newcastle regions.

Ausgrid TOU periods (EA025 tariff, now the default two-band structure):

Peak: 2pm–9pm on weekdays (seasonal — applies from around October to May)
Off-Peak: All other times including weekends and public holidays

Note that Ausgrid's peak only applies during roughly eight months of the year. In winter months, some retailers still apply peak rates — check your specific plan's fact sheet, not just the distributor's published periods, as retailers have latitude here.

Typical NSW TOU rates on competitive offers via Ausgrid:

Peak: 45–65c/kWh depending on retailer
Off-Peak: 20–30c/kWh

For Endeavour Energy customers (western Sydney, Blue Mountains, Illawarra), peak is typically 2pm–8pm weekdays, with all other times off-peak. Essential Energy covers regional NSW and has different periods — often more generous off-peak windows in practice.

For miners, the NSW two-band structure is among the most transparent in the country. Seven hours of peak per weekday (2pm–9pm) is manageable if you're willing to reduce secondary loads during that window. The rest of the day — including all weekend — is off-peak at 20–30c. On a typical week with 5 peak days, that's 35 peak hours out of 168 total: just under 21% of the week at the expensive rate.

A 2,000W miner running 168 hours on a NSW TOU plan (35 hours peak at 50c, 133 hours off-peak at 25c):

Peak: 70 kWh × 50c = $35.00
Off-Peak: 266 kWh × 25c = $66.50
Weekly total: $101.50 vs flat rate (33c × 336 kWh = $110.88)

That's a meaningful saving — roughly 8.5% per week — just from the plan structure, without any load shifting. Use energymadeeasy.gov.au to run a proper comparison with your actual consumption data before switching.

Miner verdict: NSW is miner-friendly for TOU if you're on the Ausgrid two-band tariff. The seasonal peak structure reduces peak exposure, and the competitive retail market gives enough plan choice to find a low off-peak rate. The main work is confirming your distributor's actual periods and finding a retailer whose plan doesn't charge peak year-round when the distributor only charges it seasonally. Our full breakdown of WA vs QLD vs NSW electricity rates for miners covers these state comparisons in more detail.

Queensland — Competitive Market, But Demand Tariffs Are the Trap

South East Queensland (SEQ) sits in the NEM and has a competitive retail market. Regional Queensland is served by Ergon Energy at regulated rates — different rules apply there, and TOU options are more limited. This section focuses on SEQ.

The Energex network (SEQ's distributor) has been shifting toward time-of-use and demand tariffs as the default for customers with smart meters. The standard TOU energy periods under Energex's 2025–26 tariff are:

Peak: 4pm–9pm
Daytime Off-Peak: 11am–4pm
Shoulder/Overnight: 9pm–11am (includes overnight)

The peak window (4pm–9pm) is only five hours per day, and unlike NSW it applies seven days a week in most plans. That's 35 peak hours per week — similar to NSW in total exposure, but spread more evenly through the week.

The bigger risk in QLD for miners is the demand tariff. Some retailers in SEQ default smart meter customers onto demand tariffs rather than standard TOU plans. A demand tariff charges based not just on how much electricity you used, but on your single highest demand reading — often the peak kW draw in a 30-minute window during the 4pm–9pm period. For a miner that pulls full power constantly, a demand tariff can be catastrophic: the demand charge alone can exceed the consumption charge.

If you're in SEQ and a retailer is recommending a demand tariff, check whether there is a standard TOU energy-only option available instead. You should be able to request this — Energex's TOU energy tariff (code 6900) is the default for residential smart meter customers.

Typical SEQ TOU rates:

Peak: 40–55c/kWh
Off-Peak / Shoulder: 22–32c/kWh

Queensland also has economy tariffs (Tariff 31 and 33) traditionally used for hot water and pool pumps — these provide controlled-load pricing, typically available overnight at rates 40–60% cheaper than the standard domestic rate. Miners can't run on a controlled load circuit (the supply is interrupted at the distributor's discretion), but it's worth knowing this exists as a reference point for just how cheap overnight power can get in QLD when structured correctly.

Miner verdict: Queensland is workable but requires careful plan selection. The five-hour peak window is shorter than some states, but demand tariffs are the risk — a single 2.6kW miner can trigger a significant demand charge every single billing period. Stick to standard TOU energy plans, use energymadeeasy.gov.au to compare, and confirm your plan code before signing. The state electricity comparison post covers average rates across QLD networks in more detail.

South Australia — Expensive by Default, But TOU Helps

South Australia has some of the highest electricity prices in Australia — and the world — driven by heavy gas-fired peaking generation, high network costs, and the volatility that comes with high renewable penetration. Flat residential rates typically sit in the 35–45c/kWh range, sometimes higher on default standing offers.

SA operates in the competitive NEM retail market. SA Power Networks is the distributor, and its TOU periods for residential customers are broadly:

Peak: 7am–9pm on weekdays (summer) or similar broad daytime windows
Off-Peak: 9pm–7am weekdays and all weekend

SA's peak window is notably wide compared to other states — up to 14 hours on weekdays. That's bad for miners. The off-peak window (10 hours overnight on weekdays, plus all weekend) gives more room than NSW or QLD, but the rates themselves are elevated because wholesale electricity in SA is expensive across all periods.

Typical SA TOU rates:

Peak: 50–65c/kWh
Off-Peak: 25–35c/kWh

At a flat rate of 40c/kWh compared to a TOU off-peak of 28c/kWh with a peak of 58c/kWh, a 24/7 miner in SA faces an uncomfortable spread. The off-peak window is cheaper than the flat rate, but the long peak window at high rates pulls the effective average rate upward. For a 2,000W miner on a standard weekday (14 peak hours at 58c, 10 off-peak at 28c):

Peak: 28 kWh × 58c = $16.24
Off-Peak: 20 kWh × 28c = $5.60
Daily TOU cost: $21.84 vs flat rate (48 kWh × 40c = $19.20)

On a standard TOU plan, a SA miner may pay more than the flat rate — not less. The only way TOU benefits SA miners is if off-peak rates are particularly low (some competitive plans offer 20–25c/kWh overnight) or if there is significant weekend usage relative to weekday peak exposure.

South Australia is also one of the states where solar-export-aware plans and battery-paired TOU structures are being developed rapidly, given the state's high solar penetration. If you're running solar with a battery, a solar soak or time-shifting TOU plan could reduce costs significantly — but that's a separate calculation from a standalone miner.

Miner verdict: SA is the most difficult state for TOU mining. The wide peak window combined with high base rates means TOU can end up costing more than a flat-rate plan. If you're in SA, model your actual bill carefully before switching — flat rate may genuinely be cheaper. Also read our broader post on electricity prices and crypto mining which covers strategies for SA miners specifically. For miners looking to keep running costs down, low-power hardware like the IceRiver KS0 Ultra (100W) or the Avalon Nano 3S (140W) make more sense in SA than high-draw industrial machines.

Does Solar Change the Equation?

If you've got rooftop solar, TOU plans interact with your setup in a way that requires separate modelling. In WA on the Midday Saver, self-consumed solar during the super off-peak window (9am–3pm) only avoids paying 8.62c/kWh — the cheapest rate of the day. Meanwhile, anything drawn from the grid during the 3pm–9pm peak window still costs over 53c. For solar-only homes (no battery), the Midday Saver often costs more than the flat A1 plan, because you're avoiding cheap daytime electricity and still exposed to the full peak rate in the evening.

For miners in particular, solar export can offset costs but doesn't directly reduce the load of an ASIC miner drawing power overnight. Unless you have a battery to carry solar generation into peak or overnight periods, solar and mining operate in largely separate time windows.

Our post on solar power and Bitcoin mining in Australia covers the combined economics in detail, including breakeven scenarios for different state rates.

The Smart Meter Requirement

All TOU plans require an interval meter — a smart meter or AMI (Advanced Metering Infrastructure) meter. Without one, your retailer can't tell which tariff band your consumption falls into, so you'd be billed at the flat rate regardless of which plan you're on.

Victoria: smart meters are universal — no action required. New South Wales: smart meter rollout is ongoing; if you don't have one, contact your distributor. Most upgrades under the mandated rollout are free. South Australia: SA Power Networks is gradually deploying smart meters — check if one is installed at your address. Queensland (SEQ): Energex is rolling out smart meters as part of the transition to TOU as the default tariff structure; new connections generally get them automatically. Western Australia: Synergy requires a smart meter for the Midday Saver. Installations are typically free but may involve a short wait.

If you're unsure whether you have a smart meter, check your electricity bill — interval meters show usage data in 30-minute blocks, while accumulation meters only show a single total. You can also log into your retailer's online portal and check whether you have access to half-hourly data.

How to Model Your Actual Savings

The worked examples above use approximate rates and simplified load assumptions. Your real saving (or cost) depends on your specific plan's published rates, your distributor's period definitions, and whether your retailer applies peak rates seasonally or year-round. Here's the right way to model it:

Find your miner's wattage from the spec sheet. For a full list of machines, our ASIC miners collection includes power draw specs for every unit.
Calculate 24-hour kWh: watts ÷ 1,000 × 24 = daily kWh
Apply the TOU rates for each period (hours in peak × rate + hours in off-peak × rate)
Compare against your current flat rate × daily kWh
Cross-check at energymadeeasy.gov.au (NEM states) or compare.energy.vic.gov.au (VIC) using your address and actual consumption

For multiple miners, stack each machine's wattage before modelling — the per-unit calculation scales linearly. If you're building out a rig, our guide to monitoring your ASIC miner remotely also covers tracking power draw in real time, which helps you validate your modelled consumption against actuals.

State Rankings for TOU Mining in 2026

Based on the analysis above, here's a rough ranking of Australian states for miners considering a TOU plan:

Victoria — Smart meter saturation, competitive retail market, falling default offer, long off-peak windows, and three-band plans with useful shoulder rates. Best overall environment for TOU miners.
Western Australia — Super off-peak rate at 8.62c is the cheapest residential rate in the country. Savings are real and calculable. The 3pm–9pm peak window is punishing, but off-peak periods more than compensate for miners running at consistent load.
New South Wales — Simplified two-band Ausgrid tariff makes planning clear. Seasonal peak structure reduces annual exposure. Competitive retail market allows rate shopping.
Queensland (SEQ) — Viable on a standard TOU energy plan. Demand tariffs are the risk — stay off them. Economy tariffs for hot water show how cheap controlled-load overnight power can get.
South Australia — Highest base rates, widest peak window. TOU may not reduce costs vs flat rate for a 24/7 miner. Detailed modelling required before switching.

Regardless of state, the best thing you can do before changing tariffs is to pull 90 days of interval data from your retailer's app and run the comparison with real numbers. A single percentage point difference in effective rate translates to real dollars every month across even a modest home mining setup.

If you're still working out which miner to run in your state, our guides to low-power ASIC miners for high electricity rates and home Bitcoin mining in Australia in 2026 are good starting points. Browse the full range of ASIC miners at MinerHub with power specs listed on every product page.