Welcome to Power Hours - the Aurora promotion that saves users ... 75 cents

According to the state-owned company's annual report, Tasmanians on average saved just $0.75 per Power Hours event.

The Power Hours promotion began in January this year, allowing users of the Aurora phone app to choose a three-hour time slot in which all of their electricity use is free.

It is billed as a good time to get a few loads of washing or drying done, with the savings adding up "through the year", according to the Aurora website.

The events do not seem to take place on a regular monthly schedule, with some users not being offered the promotion in heating season months of July and August.

On Aurora Energy's January Facebook post announcing the promotion, many users expressed disappointment at the promotion, suggesting it was less than generous.

One user - Jason Lee - described the initiative as "an absolute joke".

"No benefit to our household at all saving a grand total of $3-4 if that, pointless!," he wrote.

"The money that people pay for there (sic) electricity and this is the best Aurora Energy can do! It's a slap in the face to households that are already struggling!"

Another user, Meredith Evans, posted: "Saved 40 cents from our (three) hours, mnmm what will I spend it on?"

Some saw the advantage, however.

"Thanks. Have set my hours and will be charging the [electric vehicle] during them," one user, Rick Kin, responded.

The company acknowledged that the savings gained via Power Hours would have little impact on households.

"While we know that a couple of hours of free electricity each month won't make a huge difference to individual bills," the spokesperson said.

"We hope that by engaging with the Power Hours feature, our customers will be encouraged and empowered to make better decisions when it comes to their energy usage."

These "better decisions" could include shifting more of their power usage to off-peak times and "being more aware of their energy consumption and costs".

Customers can use the energy data available in the app to help find efficiencies, the spokesperson said.

"Since its launch in January 2024, Power Hours has proven to be a highly engaging feature with over 1.1M hours of free electricity accessed by Tasmanians."

Tasmanian Council of Social Services (TasCOSS) chief executive Adrienne Picone said Tasmanian households were still experiencing "energy stress" as a result of rising electricity prices.

"Government energy rebates are delivering some welcome relief to customers, however they are one-off supports that will leave customers with high prices and an unaffordable energy supply," she said.

But she said Aurora had taken some positive actions, including providing debt waivers and incentive payments for some needy customers, and providing funding for the state government's No Interest Loan Scheme to assist low income households with energy efficiency investments.

She also said the company had abolished its $40 fee for the Aurora app.

"We have long advocated for the removal of the upfront fee that was a barrier to tens of thousands of Aurora customers accessing the benefits of better managing their energy use and taking advantage of promotions, such as the free Power Hours initiative," she said.