Cheapest Energy Providers in Australia
If you’re finding it hard to pay for your electricity bills, you’re certainly not alone. There’s a reason why ElectricityWizard has already helped over 130,000 Australians to determine their best option when paying for power. We want to do the same for you.
If you find the process of energy comparisons confusing, you’ve come to the right place. ElectricityWizard will provide you with a quick, easy, and accurate energy comparison in minutes. With us, you can make an educated decision on which is the more affordable retailer near you.
Call ElectricityWizard at 1300 763 159 or fill out the form below for more information. One of our skilled customer service representatives will walk you step-by-step through the process to help you find a better electricity deal in just 5 minutes.
Call us to make the switch today!
Understanding energy plans
When you start to compare energy plans to find one that suits you, it’s useful to know just what you should be looking at, and what each energy company is charging you for. Here’s what we recommend that you look for when comparing energy plans.
First of all, identify the type of electricity tariff your home is on. There are a few basic tariffs you’ll most likely find:
- Single rate tariffs – You get charged one set of usage rates for your electricity, no matter what time you use it. These tariffs tend to be lower than others, and worth it if you find yourself using most of your electricity during peak hours.
- Time of use tariffs – A time of use tariff is just what it says it is: you get charged different rates depending on your time of electricity use. These times generally get divided into peak time (daytime hours), off-peak time (overnight), and occasionally shoulder time (a few hours or so between peak and off-peak).
- Controlled load tariffs – Controlled load tariffs only apply to appliances that have their own electricity meter. Large appliances like electric hot water systems, pool pumps, and underfloor heating (if you’re in a colder area) are most likely to be on controlled load tariffs. While the tariff only applies to one specific appliance, you can have more than one appliance on its own controlled load tariff.
- Feed-in tariffs – Purely for houses using solar, this tariff provides the option that if your solar panels are generating electricity that you’re not using, this will get supplied back to the electricity grid so everyone else can use it, and you receive a small credit for each kilowatt hour that you supply.
Your electricity retailer will usually put this information on the back of your bill, so that’s the first place to look if you want to find out this information (and if not, give them a call).
This is where you’ll also find a fee called a “service to property charge” or “Daily supply charge”. This is similar to a line rental for your power lines, which your electricity retailer pays to their energy distributor. Your supply charge usually stays the same across each bill—that is, unless your retailer changes their pricing. Keep this rate in mind when comparing rates, as any plan with a surprisingly low supply charge will most likely be offsetting this with a higher usage fee, and vice versa.
Important questions to ask to try and find the cheapest energy provider
If you’re looking for the cheapest energy provider in your local area, it’s important to go into the comparison process with consideration. Fortunately, you can rely on the expert help of Electricity Wizard to help you find a better price and service solution for you. The best energy retailer near you may be just a phone call away.
When you take advantage of an absolutely free electricity comparison, it helps to ask the following questions to ensure that you get the right deal for your household:
- What will my electricity bill look like?
- What will the new energy charge be?
- What will the network charges be?
- Are there any other costs that will be passed down to me?
- Is there potential for cost escalation in the future?
- What contract lengths are available?
- What payment terms are available?
- Can retail contract terms and prices be renegotiated at any time?
- Are there any costs or penalties that are attached to early termination of the contract?
- Are there any special deals or discounts I can take advantage of?
Clearly, it can be complicated at best to find the cheapest energy provider in your area. The good news is that you can trust your comparison in the hands of the experts. Electricity Wizard will do the hard work for you to compare apples to apples to help you secure a more competitive energy deal in your area.
We will take into account all of the questions listed above to help you lower your power bills by possibly hundreds of dollars each year! If you’re ready to save money on energy, simply call Electricity Wizard for more information. We will help you to find a new energy deal for saving money on electricity in just 5 minutes.
How to find the right (and cheapest) energy provider for you from our panel
When you start your search for a new energy provider, it’s important to keep in mind that cheapest might not necessarily mean best. It helps to think of your electricity plan like a long-term relationship: will this retailer give you enough to keep the relationship going strong? In some cases, you may find that spending slightly more on your electricity plan can provide better service and support that makes all the difference to your household.
Basically, it all depends on what you want from a relationship with your retailer. It might be things like:
- Choosing a retailer that aims to get its power from environmentally-friendly energy sources, so you can do your part to reduce your environmental footprint.
- Finding an energy provider that’s locally-owned and operated, to give you peace of mind that you’re speaking with a company that understands your local area, and your needs.
- Discovering a company that does what it can to think outside the box. There are more and more energy companies coming into the market these days, and some are looking at ways to offer a more streamlined, customer-focused business model, and trying to think differently about the way a energy retailer works.
When you’re doing your research to compare retailers, think first about what you want them to offer. Have a look at our retailer pages and do a bit of reading on each one. Then read some customer reviews—these help you get an idea of what their service is actually like, from people just like you. Here’s what we recommend to look for, to assist in finding the best rates:
- Confirm Peak Rate/Off-Peak Rate/Supply Charges. Work out at what times you use the most electricity, then find a retailer that provides the best rate during this time. If you tend to use the most electricity during peak times, don’t despair; you can make some easy changes to your usage habits, such as running high-draw appliances like the dishwasher, or washing machine and dryer, later in the evening.
- How much will they increase their rates each year? Retailers will quote based on the DMO/ VDO this keeps comparing energy easy as all retailers reference the same amount for your area or meter configuration.
- Fees for moving house. It might not affect you now, but it pays to find out if you’ll be charged any fees for disconnection or relocation. Moving house is stressful enough as it is, without having to worry about paying extra on your electricity bill.
- Are there any discounts available? With the amount of competition in the energy market today, retailers are keen to get you as their customer. In Victoria, as part of clear advice which was introduced in July 2019, if an alternative offer with the customer’s retailer would be cheaper than their current plan, then this will have to be outlined on their bill. In NSW, SA & South East QLD, Retailers can set a market offer which includes conditional and/or unconditional discounts. Currently, the usage rates and supply charges will be the same for market offers and DMO’s. Unconditional discounts are guaranteed discounts and conditional discounts require the customer to meet the conditions in order to get the discount, for example: paying on time.
- Does the discount apply to the usage & supply or just usage rates? This one’s important, as there’s a significant difference in price between a discount off usage, as opposed to a discount off usage & supply. Check to be sure which discount you’re getting to ensure it’s actually worth it.
- Will your current retailer offer you a new plan before signing to a new energy contract? Your current energy provider wants to keep you as their customer, so they might be open to offering a special deal to keep your business. If you’re looking to switch anyway, it never hurts to ask.
- Will your new retailer match or beat another company’s offer? This is another tactic electricity retailers will try in order to keep your business, so use it to your advantage. Simply find a retailer who you want to go with, and ask if they’ll do it. This gives you the opportunity to achieve a cheaper rate with the energy provider that suits you.
- Remember that it takes several months to complete the switching process. While switching your plan only takes a few minutes, the process your retailer goes through may up to 90 days to complete. In this time, you will receive one final bill from your current retailer before switching to your new one. The duration depends on your next meter read & cooling off period.
- Pay close attention to your first energy bill with your new retailer. After making the switch, be sure to read over your first energy bill carefully, to ensure you’re getting the right discounts or bonuses, or even the right rate, that you were promised. It’s also important to make sure your energy usage is similar to your previous, this will help you compare the savings more accurately.
Once you’ve worked out what you want from this relationship with your energy retailer, it’s time to get started comparing electricity prices to find the best and possibly cheapest energy provider who will provide the best service for your household.
Comparing cheap energy retailers for more affordable power bills
According to leading electricity retailer Energy Australia one of the best ways to save money on annual electricity is by taking matters into your own hands. As a customer in a state with full retail competition, you have the right to research the market and compare cheap energy retailers to find more competitive rates available to you.
When you use a free, easy energy comparison from Electricity Wizard, it’s important to take the following factors into account:
- Tariffs: What pricing structure will an electricity retailer use for a particular energy plan?
- Discounts/Offers: As a new customer, are you guaranteed a discount? Will you receive a discount for paying your bills on time?
- Service Options: Will you be billed on a bimonthly, monthly, or quarterly cycle? Is a full payment necessary on the due date, or can you use an alternate payment plan?
- Contract Type: Will you be on a standard or market retail energy contract?
- Fees/Charges: Are there late payment fees, concessions, early exit fees, or connection/disconnection fees with a certain retailer?
- Terms and Conditions: Are there any special conditions with a contract? How long does the benefit term last?
- Features and Benefits: What are the top three benefits of a certain energy retailer’s price plan?
If all of the above factors seem confusing to you, it pays to trust your energy comparison in the hands of the experts. Electricity Wizard will use our industry knowledge to help you find the right electricity retailer to meet your needs by comparing from a host of cheap energy retailers in your local area.
Electricity Wizard will compare apples to apples, taking into account special discounts, terms and conditions, payment plans, credits, green options, and much more. Call us to make the switch today!
Ways to possibly save money on electricity: switch to an energy retailer from our panel
In addition to taking advantage of a free electricity comparison to switch to a cheap retailer, you can heed the advice of the Energy and Water Ombudsman of Queensland to make your household electricity bills as affordable as possible:
- If you’re not using an electrical appliance, turn it off right away.
- Make upgrades to energy and water efficient products.
- Take shorter showers in the morning.
- Keep your air conditioner set to 24°.
- Switch to energy-efficient light bulbs.
- Switch to off-peak electricity whenever possible.
- Better insulate your home in the cold winter months.
- Only use appliances like washing machines, dishwashers, and dryers with a full load.
- Check thoroughly for gas and water leaks.
If you’re experiencing financial hardship and can no longer pay your energy bills, you may be eligible for relief. Once you contact your electricity retailer for help with bill payment, you may be assigned to a financial counsellor to help manage a short-term monetary crisis.
A financial counsellor is intended to help you organize your finances, create a household budget, and look for innovative ways to improve your financial situation. A financial counsellor may also be able to determine your eligibility for government assistance and negotiate with specific creditors to keep household bills to a minimum.
To keep your electricity bills as affordable as possible, it can literally pay off big time to start out with an electricity comparison from Electricity Wizard. We will help you to compare apples to apples to find a cheap energy provider near you in minutes. Call us to make the switch today!
Call now on 1300 763 462 and speak to an energy specialist who will help you find a deal to better meet your needs.
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