Energy bills have increased for many Australians. Know what you can do to avoid paying more than necessary.
Make sure you understand your energy plan, as everyone’s circumstances are different.
The best way to find this information is to start by looking at your bill. This has basic information about your energy company and your plan. You should then contact your energy company to discuss your plan in detail.
You should also carefully read any letters or emails from your energy company, as they must notify you if they raise your prices.
Electricity companies in New South Wales, south-east Queensland and South Australia must follow the Electricity Retail Code. The code provides companies with a standard way of setting out their electricity prices, such as using the ‘reference price’. This makes it easier for you to compare prices and get the best deal.
We provide information that explains how to work out the best plan for you and how to compare electricity prices and plans. Find out more about getting the best deal.
The ACCC mainly provides information for people in New South Wales, south-east Queensland and South Australia. These areas are covered by the Electricity Retail Code that the ACCC enforces.
Visit a website for your state or region to help you compare electricity costs.
| State, territory or region | Where to compare your electricity costs |
|---|---|
|
New South Wales |
|
| Australian Capital Territory | Energy Made Easy |
| Northern Territory | Utilities Commission NT |
| Regional Queensland | Energy Made Easy |
| Tasmania | Energy Made Easy |
| Victoria | Victorian Energy Compare |
| Western Australia | Economic Regulation Authority |
The Energy Made Easy website includes a list of distributors and the network regions they operate. Tariffs are used for calculating your bill. There are many different tariff types. Tariffs are explained on the Energy Made Easy website.
A great way to save money on your electricity bill is to shop around and compare plans. The following information explains how to work out the best plan for you.
Using the reference price helps you compare ‘apples with apples’ when comparing plans.
The reference price is a benchmark price for electricity set by the Australian Government. It’s based on average electricity use in your area. You can compare different plans to the reference price to find a good deal.
Electricity companies must use a percentage to show you how their advertised price compares to the reference price. This includes all types of advertisements, such as on the electricity company’s website, on the radio, print ads and telesales. This makes it easy for you to compare different electricity plans and prices.
A bigger percentage off the reference price usually means a cheaper plan.
| PLAN A | PLAN B |
|---|---|
| 8% less than reference price | 3% less than the reference price |
In this case, Plan A is cheaper than Plan B if you use the average amount of electricity in your area.
Compare this percentage across different plans to get an idea of the best deal.
Some plans take money off your bill if you pay on time or pay by direct debit. These are called conditional discounts. If there are any conditional discounts on an electricity plan, companies must compare them to the reference price.
You can also compare conditional discounts across plans.
| PLAN C | PLAN D |
|---|---|
| 10% less than reference price | 10% less than the reference price |
| plus an extra 5% off from the reference price if you always pay on time | plus an extra 1% off from the reference price if you always pay on time |
In this case, Plan C is cheaper than Plan D if you use the average amount of electricity in your area and always pay on time.
Electricity companies must estimate a cost for the year with all the discounts included. You can use this price to help compare different plans.
You may end up paying more or less for electricity than advertised. These prices are based on the average electricity use for your area. If you use more electricity, your bill will be higher. If you use less electricity, your bill will be lower.
Electricity companies may give you an estimate based on your actual usage if you give them extra information, such as your street address.
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To make sure you’re on the best deal, check your plan and talk to your electricity company once a year.
To work out the best plan for you, upload your bill or enter your usage information on the Energy Made Easy website.
You might not have to move to a different electricity company to get the best deal. Start by talking to your current electricity company to find out what deal they can offer you.
You can ask these key questions to help:
You can compare your current rates to rates in other electricity plans. One of the best ways to do this is to use your electricity bill.
The Australian Energy Regulator (AER) has information to help you understand your energy bill.
Energy Made Easy also lets you compare electricity costs.
You can save money by reducing your energy use. The Australian Energy Regulator has some useful tips for reducing your energy use.