Most Perth households are on Synergy’s standard Home Plan (A1) without ever really choosing it – it is just the plan everyone starts on. But it is not the only option. Synergy also offers Midday Saver and EV Add-On, two time-of-use plans that charge different rates depending on when you use power.
For a home without solar, the right plan mostly comes down to your daily routine. But once you add solar – and especially a battery – the choice can make a real difference to your savings, because it changes how much you pay for every kWh your system cannot cover itself. This guide walks through how each plan works, what it costs, and which one tends to suit different types of homes.
Synergy Home Plan (A1): The Default Flat Rate
Home Plan A1 is Synergy’s standard residential tariff, and the one most homes are on unless they have actively switched. It is about as simple as electricity pricing gets:
- Supply charge: 119.24 cents per day, no matter how much power you use
- Electricity charge: 33.2621 cents per kWh, a single flat rate that applies 24 hours a day, every day
There is nothing to think about with A1 – every kWh costs the same whether you use it at 7am or 7pm. That simplicity suits households whose routines do not really allow for shifting power use around, or who just prefer one predictable rate.
For solar and battery owners, A1 still works perfectly well – your system reduces how much you buy from Synergy regardless of the tariff. But because every kWh you avoid buying is worth the same flat 33.2621c, A1 does not reward you for using your system in any particular way. The time-of-use plans below can change that.
Synergy Midday Saver: Time-of-Use Pricing for Solar Homes
Midday Saver swaps A1’s single flat rate for three rates that change through the day, designed around the fact that solar floods the grid with low-cost power in the middle of the day and electricity is more expensive in the early evening.
- Supply charge: approximately 132.78 cents per day (slightly higher than A1)
- Super Off Peak (9am–3pm): 8.85 cents per kWh – the lowest-cost rate of the day
- Peak (3pm–9pm): 55.33 cents per kWh – the most expensive rate of the day
- Off Peak (9pm–9am): 24.34 cents per kWh
Midday Saver requires a smart (AMI) meter, which Synergy or Western Power will install or reprogram if you do not already have one.
This is where solar and battery owners can get real value. If your system is generating during the Super Off Peak window, you are already covering most of your daytime usage with your own solar. The bigger win is at the other end of the day: a battery that is charged up by the time Peak begins at 3pm can carry your home through to 9pm without buying any power at 55.33c per kWh. Compared to A1’s flat 33.26c, that is a meaningful gap to avoid.
On Midday Saver, the 3pm–9pm Peak period is where a correctly sized battery pays for itself. With proper load management, a well-sized battery can cover your household’s on-peak loads entirely – meaning you pay nothing at 55.33c during that window. Talk to your energy consultant about what size system achieves this for your home.
Synergy EV Add-On: Built Around Charging an Electric Vehicle
EV Add-On is Synergy’s plan for households with a registered electric or plug-in hybrid vehicle. It works like Midday Saver but adds a dedicated low overnight rate for EV charging.
- Supply charge: 132.78 cents per day
- Super Off Peak (9am–3pm): 8.85 cents per kWh – the lowest-cost daytime rate
- Overnight (11pm–6am): 19.92 cents per kWh – a dedicated low rate for EV charging while you sleep
- Off Peak (6am–9am and 9pm–11pm): 24.34 cents per kWh
- Peak (3pm–9pm): 55.33 cents per kWh
To go on EV Add-On, you will need a plug-in vehicle registered at your address with the WA Department of Transport (in your name, matching your Synergy account), plus a smart meter – Synergy may charge a meter reconfiguration fee if your meter needs upgrading.
EV Add-On and Midday Saver are separate plans – Synergy residential customers choose one or the other, not both.
The Smart Way to Charge Your EV for Maximum Savings
On EV Add-On, three charging opportunities stack up through the day. Use them in this order:
- Step 1 – Charge from excess solar during the day. If your panels are generating more than your home is using, that surplus power is at almost no cost. Plug in during daylight hours and your EV draws directly from what would otherwise be exported to the grid.
- Step 2 – Top up during Super Off Peak (9am–3pm) if needed. At 8.85c/kWh, grid top-ups during this window cost very little. This is also useful on cloudy days when solar generation is lower than usual. Important: stop charging before 3pm to avoid the 55.33c Peak rate.
- Step 3 – Charge overnight on the EV Add-On rate (11pm–6am). At 19.92c/kWh, this is the plan’s dedicated overnight window – well suited to filling up before the next day if you did not get a full charge during daylight hours.
Avoid the 3pm–9pm Peak period for EV charging – at 55.33c/kWh it is the most expensive time of day. During this window, your household battery (sized correctly) should be covering your home’s loads. Your EV should wait for the overnight window instead.
Note that your household battery is separate from your EV charging strategy. The household battery is sized to cover your home’s loads during the Peak period – not to charge your car. Mixing the two without proper planning can leave you short of power at the most expensive time of day.
Why Self-Consumption Matters More Than Ever
For larger solar systems in Perth, Western Power’s export limits mean that any power sent back to the grid beyond 1.5kW is simply curtailed – it earns nothing and powers nothing. Some larger systems receive no feed-in tariff at all.
This makes self-consumption – using your own solar rather than exporting it – far more valuable than relying on grid export. For EV owners this is particularly relevant: charging your car directly from excess solar during the day (Step 1 above) captures energy that would otherwise be wasted, and does it at no cost.
For household batteries, the same logic applies. Charging from solar during the Super Off Peak window and discharging through the Peak period is worth far more per kWh than any feed-in payment. Our EV Charging and Solar Perth 2026 guide goes into more detail on how to structure this for your home.
Side-by-Side Comparison
Here is how the three plans compare at a glance (rates effective 1 July 2026, GST inclusive):
Why Time-of-Use Plans and a Battery Work So Well Together
The reason Midday Saver and EV Add-On matter so much for solar homes comes down to one number: the gap between the lowest-cost and most expensive rate of the day. On A1, every kWh costs 33.2621c, no matter what. On Midday Saver, that same kWh can cost as little as 8.85c in the middle of the day, or as much as 55.33c during the evening peak – a spread of around 45 cents.
A battery is what lets a home actually capture that spread. By charging from excess solar (or, if needed, low-cost grid power) during the Super Off Peak window and discharging through the Peak period, a well-sized battery can shift several kWh a day away from the 55.33c rate entirely. Do that every day, and it adds up to substantially more than the same shift would be worth on A1’s flat rate – on top of whatever your solar already saves you.
Our guide to the Best Solar Batteries for Perth Homes 2026 walks through how to size a system to make the most of this.
It is worth keeping this separate in your mind from the Synergy DEBS feed-in tariff, which is about what you are paid for power your system sends back to the grid. Switching to Midday Saver or EV Add-On does not change your DEBS export rate – it changes what you pay for the power you import. For most solar and battery homes, the savings available on the import side (a ~45c/kWh spread between Super Off Peak and Peak) are far larger than anything available on the export side under DEBS (2–10c/kWh). Our Synergy DEBS and feed-in tariff guide covers the export side in detail.
Which Plan Should You Choose?
There is no single right answer – it depends on your home, your routine, and what is in your system. As a general guide:
- No solar or battery, and your routine is fixed: A1’s simplicity means one predictable rate, with nothing to plan around.
- Solar without a battery, and you can shift some daytime tasks: Midday Saver lets you make the most of the Super Off Peak window for things like laundry, dishwashing and pool pumps, on top of whatever your panels are already covering.
- Solar with a battery: Midday Saver is usually the strongest fit – it gives your battery a wide, simple gap to work with (8.85c to charge, 55.33c to offset), and a low Super Off Peak rate as a backstop on cloudy days.
- Households with an EV: EV Add-On gives you both the low-cost daytime Super Off Peak rate (8.85c/kWh, 9am–3pm) and a dedicated overnight rate (19.92c/kWh, 11pm–6am) – so it covers all three steps of the EV charging strategy in one plan. If you also have solar and a battery, EV Add-On is worth comparing carefully against Midday Saver based on how much of your usage is EV charging versus general household load.
The SigEnergy SigenStor takes this further with built-in AI that automatically optimises charge and discharge timing against Midday Saver and EV Add-On rates – read our SigEnergy SigenStor guide for a full explanation of how this works in practice.
Whichever plan looks best on paper, the way your solar and battery system is sized and configured has just as much impact on your savings as the plan itself. That is something our team can help you work through as part of your quote.
If you are still comparing batteries, read How to Choose a Solar Battery for Your Perth Home: What to Actually Compare – it covers capacity, output, efficiency and warranty in plain English. For a full brand-by-brand comparison, read Best Solar Batteries for Perth Homes 2026.
Why Choose Positive Energy Solutions
Choosing the right Synergy plan is only half the picture – the other half is making sure your solar and battery system is actually sized and configured to take advantage of it. When you work with Positive Energy Solutions:
- We look at your real usage data: We factor in your household’s actual daily usage pattern, not just averages, when recommending a system size and discussing which Synergy plan might suit you.
- We design for time-of-use savings: if Midday Saver or EV Add-On makes sense for your home, we will help you understand how to get your battery (and EV charging, if relevant) working with the plan’s low-cost and expensive periods.
- We know the Perth (Synergy) area: Our advice reflects the actual plans, rates and meter requirements that apply to Synergy customers in Perth and surrounds.
- We think about what is next: if an EV is on the horizon, we will factor that into your system size and talk through how EV Add-On compares to your other options.
- We are here after installation: ongoing monitoring means you can see how your system is performing against your plan’s time periods, season to season.
Our 10-year installation workmanship warranty covers every system we supply — giving you long-term confidence in both the equipment and the installation.
Positive Energy Protection, Powered by Omnidian, includes 24/7 system monitoring and dedicated after-sales support with every system.
You can view our full range in person at our Osborne Park showroom, where our team is available for consultations.
Read more about how we design solar and battery systems for Perth homes in our Best Solar Batteries for Perth Homes 2026 guide.
Get Started
If you are not sure whether Home Plan A1, Midday Saver or EV Add-On is the right fit for your household – with or without solar and a battery – we are happy to help you work it out.
Request Your Quote from Positive Energy Solutions for a tailored assessment. We will look at your usage, your goals, and recommend a system (and a plan) that gets the most out of both.
Related guides
- Does Solar Add Value to Your Home in Perth? What the Data Says in 2026
- How to Read Your Synergy Bill After Solar Perth: What Has Changed and What It All Means
- Synergy Battery Rewards Explained: How WA's Battery VPP Works and What You Actually Earn
- Synergy DEBS and Feed-in Tariffs in WA: A Simple Guide
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I switch between Synergy plans?
Yes. You can apply to switch between Home Plan A1, Midday Saver and EV Add-On, and switch back again later if a plan is not working for you. If a plan requires a smart meter and you do not have one, Synergy or Western Power will arrange installation or reprogramming, and a meter fee may apply.
Is Midday Saver worth it if I have solar but no battery?
Often, yes – especially if you can shift some of your daytime electricity use (like running the dishwasher, washing machine or pool pump) into the Super Off Peak window. You will need to be comfortable that your evening usage during the Peak period sits at the higher 55.33c rate. That means it is worth weighing both sides for your household.
Can I be on both Midday Saver and EV Add-On at the same time?
No – these are separate residential plans, and Synergy customers choose one. If you have an EV and want to compare the two, look at how much of your usage is EV charging versus general household use, and which plan’s low-cost periods line up best with your routine.
Should I use my household battery to charge my EV?
No – your household battery is sized to cover your home’s loads, particularly during the 3pm–9pm Peak period. If you draw it down charging your car as well, you may end up buying expensive Peak power for your household. Charge your EV from excess solar during the day, from low-cost grid power during Super Off Peak (8.85c/kWh), or from the EV Add-On overnight rate (19.92c/kWh).
Does switching plans change my Synergy DEBS feed-in tariff?
No. Your DEBS export rate (currently 10c/kWh between 3pm–9pm and 2c/kWh at other times) is separate from the plan you are on for the power you buy. Switching to Midday Saver or EV Add-On changes what you pay for imported power, not what you are paid for exported power. See our Synergy DEBS and feed-in tariff guide for how the export side works.
Do I need a smart meter for these plans?
Home Plan A1 does not require a smart meter. Midday Saver and EV Add-On both do, since the meter needs to record how much power you use in each time period. If your home does not already have one, Synergy can arrange an upgrade as part of switching plans – a fee may apply depending on your situation.
How do I know which plan will save me the most?
It comes down to your usage pattern – how much power you use, and when. The best way to know for sure is to look at your actual usage data alongside each plan’s rates. Our team can help with this as part of a system quote, particularly if you are also considering solar, a battery, or an EV.
About the Author
Jason Wiktorowicz
Sales Manager, Positive Energy Solutions | Perth, WA
Jason has been at the centre of Western Australia’s energy transition for over a decade. As Orchestration Lead on Project Symphony — WA’s largest virtual power plant pilot — and Stream Lead on Project Encore, he worked directly with AEMO, Western Power and Energy Policy WA to shape how distributed energy resources connect and operate on the SWIS. That work included developing and rolling out CSIP-AUS, now mandatory for all new WA grid connections. He also led Emergency Solar Management (ESM), the first program of its kind in WA, VPP for Schools (VPP4S), which provided direct market benefits through Supplementary Reserve Capacity, and REBAR, the WA Residential Battery Rebate scheme.
His earlier career spanned Synergy, Infinite Energy and Curtin University’s Sustainability Policy Institute, where he co-authored peer-reviewed research on net-zero urban precincts, solar integration and peer-to-peer energy trading, published in the journal Urban Planning in 2018.
At Positive Energy Solutions, Jason leads sales with a focus on system design accuracy and long-term performance. Positive Energy Solutions installs solar and battery systems, EV chargers and heat pumps, and holds partner accreditations with Fronius, SigEnergy, iStore and SunPower. Connect with him on LinkedIn.
