Switching electricity retailers in Australia is genuinely easy: the new retailer does the paperwork, nobody visits your house, and your lights never flicker. The only real work is the ten minutes of comparison beforehand, and that is the part most people skip.
When it is worth looking
You do not need to churn retailers every month. But a few moments should always trigger a comparison:
- The better offer box on your bill says you could save. Retailers in Queensland, New South Wales, South Australia, Tasmania and the ACT must print this check at least every 100 days; in Victoria it is at least every 3 months. If your own retailer is telling you a cheaper plan exists, believe them.
- A price change letter arrives. Retailers must notify you when your rates change, and most repricing lands around 1 July each year when the regulated benchmarks reset.
- A benefit expires. Sign-up discounts and credits often lapse after 12 months, quietly moving you to a dearer rate.
- You have never chosen a plan. If you are on a standing offer or default price, a market offer is very likely cheaper. Our reference price guide explains the benchmarks.
- You move house. A move is a free shot at the whole market.
One honest caveat: in Western Australia and the Northern Territory most households cannot choose their retailer, so this guide is about the six eastern States and Territories on the national retail market.
Step 1: get your numbers
Grab a recent bill and note your average daily usage in kWh, your controlled load usage if you have one, and your current supply charge and usage rates. Our bill reading guide shows where each number lives.
Step 2: compare whole bills, not headline rates
A low usage rate can hide a high supply charge, and vice versa. The only fair comparison is the whole bill: supply charge plus usage rates applied to your kWh.
That is what our free calculator does. Enter your usage once and it ranks plans by real daily, monthly and yearly cost. In QLD, NSW, VIC, SA, TAS and the ACT you can import real plans for your postcode straight from government data, then fine-tune against your current plan. The government comparison sites, Energy Made Easy and Victorian Energy Compare, are good cross-checks and can read your smart meter data.
Before you commit, check the fine print on your shortlist:
- Conditional discounts. A pay-on-time discount only helps if you always pay on time. When in doubt, compare base rates.
- Sign-up credits. A $100 credit on a plan with poor ongoing rates is usually a worse deal by month six.
- Benefit periods. Note when any discount ends, and put a reminder in your calendar for a month before.
- Solar feed-in. If you have solar, weigh the feed-in tariff against the usage rates rather than chasing the highest feed-in number alone.
- Exit fees on your current plan. Most ongoing market offers have none, but fixed-term contracts can charge an early termination fee, so check your current plan's terms before you leap.
Step 3: sign up and let the retailer do the rest
Once you choose, you sign up with the new retailer, online or by phone, with your address or NMI handy. You do not need to call your old retailer; the new one manages the transfer.
Three things happen from there:
- A cooling-off period starts. Once you agree to a market contract you get a ten business day cooling-off period, so you can change your mind without penalty.
- The transfer completes. The switch is typically timed around a meter read. With a smart meter it can be quick; otherwise it may wait for the next scheduled read, so allow a few weeks. Nothing changes physically, the same poles, wires and meter serve your house, and the distributor who fixes outages stays the same.
- Your old retailer sends a final bill. Pay it, and make sure any concession or rebate you receive is registered with the new retailer, since concessions do not always follow you automatically.
Step 4: do not set and forget
The market moves every July, and benefits expire. A ten-minute comparison once a year, ideally soon after 1 July when the new prices land, keeps you near the front of the pack. Pick your State and see where your plan stands today.