Load Advisor: Friday 14 August 2026
QLD1 offers the deepest shift opportunity this morning, with predispatch prices running negative from 08:30 through 15:00 AEST (as low as -$6.54/MWh around 14:00 AEST), a window worth roughly $95-98/MWh in savings versus current evening peak pricing of $93.83/MWh. SA1 and VIC1 are also showing strong overnight troughs, with SA1 forecast to bottom out at $9.10/MWh around 12:00-13:00 AEST and VIC1 at $13-16/MWh across a similar window. NSW1's trough is shallower but still material, sitting near $27-43/MWh through the same overnight-into-morning period.
Prices across all five regions are elevated right now into this evening, with SA1 leading at $162.34/MWh, VIC1 at $113.12/MWh, NSW1 at $109.96/MWh, WA1 at $102.83/MWh, TAS1 at $102.20/MWh and QLD1 at $93.83/MWh. Predispatch shows this evening peak easing rapidly after 21:30 AEST as demand tapers, with all mainland regions falling into low-price territory by 23:00-00:00 AEST and staying there until a renewed morning peak builds from around 06:30-07:00 AEST as solar generation has not yet ramped and heating demand picks up (current heating demand readings of 7-14°C across regions support this). NSW1, VIC1 and SA1 forecasts all show a secondary price rise beginning near 07:00-08:00 AEST, climbing back into the $80-100/MWh band by mid-morning and holding through the middle of the day into a second, milder evening peak from 16:00-18:00 AEST.
TAS1 stands apart, with its lowest window arriving later, from 03:00-06:30 AEST at $15-24/MWh, before prices climb sharply to $56-70/MWh by 07:00 AEST as the region's overnight low-wind conditions (0 MW wind potential currently) limit supply flexibility. Flexible loads in TAS1 should be scheduled specifically inside that 03:00-06:30 AEST band rather than assuming alignment with mainland troughs.
The clearest NEM-wide recommendation is to shift flexible load into the 00:00-06:00 AEST window today, with QLD1 loads specifically targeted at 08:30-15:00 AEST where negative pricing persists. Avoid scheduling shiftable load in the 07:00-10:00 AEST ramp-up period and the 16:00-18:00 AEST evening peak across NSW1, VIC1, SA1 and QLD1, where forecast prices return to $70-110/MWh. SA1 carries the largest dollar-per-MWh reward for successful shifting given its wide spread between peak ($162/MWh) and trough ($9/MWh), making it the priority region for demand response and battery charging schedules today.