Published
This is the ACCC's fifth report as part of its inquiry into the prices, profits and margins in the supply of electricity in the National Electricity Market.
This report extends our analysis of our customer billing dataset that encompasses over 13 million electricity bills from 11 retailers. These retailers together supplied the majority of customers across Victoria, New South Wales, South Australia and south-east Queensland between 1 July 2019 and 31 December 2020.
We have used this updated dataset to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on customers’ usage patterns and bills in 2020, as well as the ongoing effects of reforms to retailer pricing and advertising that came into effect on 1 July 2019. We have examined outcomes for different residential customer groups, such as those on hardship programs or payment plans due to experiencing financial difficulties, and small businesses. We have also assessed benefits for customers with solar panels including rebates, lower effective prices and bills.
We will update the dataset and build on this analysis using results for 2021 in our next billing data report due in May 2022.
See: Electricity market monitoring 2018-2025
Appendices
Appendix E - Supplementary spreadsheet with billing data and figures - Inquiry into the National Electricity Market - May 2021 report ( XLSX 3.84 MB )
Appendix D - Excel template used to collect billing data - Inquiry into the National Electricity Market - May 2021 report ( XLSX 11.48 KB )