PPC Energie’s Free Daytime Electricity Pilot In Romania

Romanian power supplier PPC Energie has launched a pilot program that will allow eligible customers to receive electricity supply at no cost during certain daytime hours, when solar energy production is highest. 

The program is available to customers whose consumption points are equipped with smart meters integrated into the smart metering system, according to the company that is part of Greece’s state-backed Public Power Corp (PPC). 

Eligible customers will learn about the free electricity time slots through email and notifications in the myPPC application at least 12 hours in advance. This will give them enough time to schedule household appliance use, such as washing machines, clothes dryers, electric water heaters, or charging electric vehicles (EVs) during the free electricity periods. This will help lower their electricity bills. 

“The Zero Active Electric Energy pilot program aims to convey to PPC Energie customers the benefits of photovoltaic energy production and the digitalization of energy infrastructure,” said PPC Energie General Manager Ionuț Dună. “Thus, the savings made by customers will be greater, as they will be able to use more electricity during zero-cost hours.” 

PPC Energie supplies electricity and natural gas to around 3 million residential, business, and institutional customers across Romania. 

The ‘Zero Active Electricity’ pilot program will be open to the first 5,000 eligible customers who enroll between May 7 and May 20, 2026. Benefits will be available from June through September 2026, with customers able to access around 70 hours of free active electricity each month.

Customers will be informed regarding the invitation to participate through email and the myPPC app. 

The company added that the electricity supply contract, contractual price, and supply conditions will remain unchanged through the duration of the pilot program. 

The savings will appear as a commercial bonus on monthly bills and will be calculated automatically based on meter readings provided by distribution operators in respective areas. PPC adds that the commercial bonus applies exactly to the active energy consumed during the free intervals, not for the entire day. 

PPC Energie’s pilot is an effort toward ensuring optimum use of solar energy. Globally, as the number of prosumers grows, solar energy generation increases, especially during peak hours of the day. With a lack of grid availability to absorb this surplus, utilities are encouraging consumers to increase solar self-consumption and reduce pressure on the grid. 

Australia, one of the world’s largest rooftop solar markets, is one example of this shift. Under its Solar Sharer initiative, households in some Australian states will get at least 3 hours of free solar electricity daily from July 2026 onward. By 2027, it will be later extended nationwide (see Australia To Offer Free Solar Power To All Households Starting July 2026). 

In Germany, the Greens Party has proposed 600 hours of free summer solar power using surplus generation under a Solar Bonus scheme (see Germany: Greens Propose 600 Hours Of Free Solar Power For All). 

Earlier, PPC Energie launched a new electricity and EV charging package in Romania that bundles home electricity and EV charging into a single contract. It combines 100% renewable electricity for homes with monthly free EV charging credits.