Compare Energy and Gas in Sydney, NSW
Take the hard work out of finding an energy plan that suits your needs, in Sydney, New South Wales, with Energy and Gas. We compare both residential and business energy prices and providers so that you can pinpoint a deal to suit your circumstances.
Why Compare Energy in Sydney, New South Wales?
- Get the most suitable plan for your circumstances and take advantage of currently available discounts. Often, many people initially choose their plan for a limited-time discount that has long-since reverted to expensive energy rates compared to other plans on the market. Comparing what’s out there can help to ensure that you continue to receive affordable energy rates.
- Installing a smart meter can help you to choose a plan that enables you to take advantage of time-of-use tariffs. For example, choosing a plan which offers lower energy rates during off-peak periods can help you to save money by running your highest energy consuming appliances during those times.
- New energy retailers are constantly coming onto the market, meaning there is more competition. This can drive down energy rates and lead to bigger and better deal offers. Regularly comparing your energy plan can ensure that you are able to take advantage of these competitive prices and deals.
Energy Providers in New South Wales
AGL
AGL has been operating in the energy industry for more than 180 years. With more than 3.7 million customers, AGL operates the largest private electricity generation portfolio in Australia, accounting for about 20% of the total generation capacity of the Australian National Electricity Market.
ActewAGL
ActewAGL is an electricity, gas and solar retailer proudly based in the nation’s capital and for more than 100 years they’ve been an active part of the community. Their customers enjoy among the cheapest electricity prices in the country. ActewAGL have built a special relationship with the region they serve, getting behind local teams, charities and community events. And as the world around us continually changes, they’re exploring innovative energy solutions to help you take control of the energy you use.
Alinta Energy
Alinta Energy is committed to getting the balance of sustainability and affordability just right so that Australians can enjoy the benefits of both. Alinta Energy is able to achieve this by being both a generator and retailer of power. Having been in the industry for more than 20 years, Alinta Energy now provides power to more than one million customers across the country.
Dodo Power and Gas
Dodo expanded their services in 2010 to become an electricity and gas retailer. They provide simple energy plans to their customers, free from complicated features and discounts that tend to cause confusion. Additionally, Dodo offers flexible payment plans and no lock-in contracts.
Energy Australia
Energy Australia considers the individual needs of their customers by providing fair and transparent energy plans. A focus on sustainability is integral to their business, which is why they allow customers to opt into their ‘Go Neutral’ program at no extra cost. Additionally, their fixed rate products protect their customers from rate rises.
Momentum Energy
Momentum Energy, which was established in 2002, is owned and operated by Hydro Tasmania, which is the largest producer of renewable energy in Australia. From the presentation of their bills to their customer communication, Momentum Energy is dedicated to transparency. Over the years, Momentum Energy has been recognised for their environmental awareness and customer satisfaction through the reception of several awards.
Origin
Origin Energy aims to help their customers, the community and the plant through providing affordable and sustainable energy that is both smart and simple. As one of Australia’s leading energy retailer, Origin plays a key part in all aspects of the energy supply chain, including in generation and retail. Their investment into solar and wind energy has enabled 330,000 homes across Australia to be powered by renewable energy.
Ovo
OVO launched in the UK in 2009 focussing on great service, affordable pricing and access to more renewable energy. Ovo is now the largest independent retailer in the UK supplying energy from renewable sources to over 5 million households.
In late 2019, Ovo launched in Australia with the same green approach. When you join Ovo, they will commit to purchasing the equivalent of 10% of your electricity usage from renewable energy generators as standard. This is at no extra charge to you, and is audited under the government’s GreenPower scheme. Ovo's electricity is 100% carbon neutral. To do this, Ovo assesses the full life cycle of retailing electricity to their customers; this includes all emissions released in the four key stages of energy retail (generation, transmission, retail activities and supply).
Powerdirect
Powerdirect focuses on getting back to basics by simply providing their customers with affordable energy rates with incredible customer service. They pride themselves on their ability to streamline customers’ electricity needs as well as providing useful advice as to how they can save energy – all with a personal touch.
Powershop
Powershop’s point of difference is its commitment to sustainability and they are proudly Australia’s greenest energy company. They are 100% carbon neutral, completely offsetting the carbon emissions associated with their customers’ energy consumption at no extra cost. Additionally, they help customers to get the most out of their solar panels by offering a range of intuitive tools and insights.
Red Energy
Red Energy is a 100% Australian company that has been around since 2004. Owned by the renewable energy generation company Snow Hydro, Red Energy has gained a reputation for providing consistently excellent customer service from their Australian-based customer service team. Their competitive pricing and attractive sign-up incentives combined with their personal, simple and easy service has meant that Red Energy has become one of the most popular energy providers in Australia.
ENGIE
ENGIE, which has been providing Australians with energy since 2005, is committed to providing affordable energy as well as simple and smart ways of managing energy usage. As part of the leading global energy provider ENGIE, ENGIE draws upon a wealth of experience, knowledge and buying power to offer their customers with innovative energy solutions.
Tango Energy
Tango Hydro is the retail arm of Pacific Hydro, which is a green energy company with assets across 19 countries. Having commenced business in 2012, Tango Energy is now a rapidly growing electricity retailer in the Australian market. They are focussed on providing their customers with refreshing simplicity, with no conditional discounts, and with a speciality in fixed rate energy plans.
Learn More About Energy in New South Wales
Deregulation of the Electricity Industry in NSW
In 2014, the New South Wales electricity industry became deregulated. This is great news for consumers as it means that the government no longer regulates retail prices. Therefore, private energy companies are able to set their own prices. Deregulation stimulates competition between retailers who are all vying for customers, since energy contracts are lucrative for them.
Essentially, deregulation of the electricity industry allows customers to benefit from lower energy rates and better deals.
New South Wales Energy Concessions
In New South Wales, the state government offers several types of energy rebates that can help to lower or subsidise your bill. These rebates are divided into two categories: retail and on supply.
The energy concessions and rebates offered by the New South Wales Government include:
- Low income household rebate
- Family energy rebate
- Life support rebate
- Medical energy rebate
- Seniors energy rebate
- Energy accounts assistance scheme
Smart Meters
Getting a smart meter can be a great way of gaining insight and understanding your energy usage patterns, and therefore help you to choose a plan that caters specifically to your household energy needs.
Smart meters work by recording your energy use every 30 minutes and sending this information to your energy retailer. You are then able to access this information through an online platform or app provided to you by your energy retailer.
In New South Wales, if you don’t already have one, you can get a smart meter through your electricity retailer. If your existing meter is manual and becomes faulty, you are required to replace it with a smart meter.
When getting a smart meter, your electricity retailer will supply you with information regarding who will install the meter, whether your electricity supply will need to be temporarily turned off, the associated costs of the installation, and whether extra electrical work is required.
Electricity Tariffs and Charges in New South Wales
On your electricity bill, there are three different kinds of ‘charges’: supply charges, usage charges and demand charges. Usage charges refer to the cost of the energy you have consumed, and is charged per kWh. A demand tariff (AKA a capacity charge) is a component of electricity billing where the daily charge is set by the highest power demand in a specific time period. For example, between 3pm and 9pm. Demand charges are charged either per kW per day or kVA per day.
Supply charges, on the other hand, is the fee you pay to supply your home with electricity, regardless of how much or little energy you consume. For homes with solar panels, you can receive credit for the excess power your panels feed into the grid called Feed-In tariff.
In New South Wales the most common tariffs are:
- Single rate tariff – A flat rate charged for the ‘blocks’ of energy you consume
- Time of use tariff – Different rates are charged based on when you consume energy
- Controlled load tariff – A controlled load tariff is applied to a large appliance in your home like a hot water service, slab or pool heater, which receives electricity on its own circuit and might or might not be separately metered. These sorts of appliances generally pull large, steady amounts of electrical current at certain times of the day, usually overnight.
Electricity Distribution Networks in New South Wales
Electricity distributors maintain the infrastructure required to provide energy, such as power poles, wires, stations and substations. You are not able to choose who your distributor is at it is dependent on your location.
The electricity distribution networks in New South Wales are:
- Endeavour Energy – Services southern/western metropolitan Sydney and surrounds
- Essential Energy – Services country and regional New South Wales
- Ausgrid – Services inner, northern and eastern metropolitan Sydney and surrounds
Default Market Offer
A mandatory Electricity Retail Code began on 1 July 2019. It has new rules for retailers in states or regions where there is no regulated price for electricity. The Code sets an annual price cap in each region – this cap is called the default market offer (DMO) price. It protects consumers on standing offers from paying excessive prices by ensuring retailers cannot charge customers more than this price. The DMO is currently set in NSW, QLD and SA.
The annual DMO price is based on a set amount of electricity usage. Retailers can set different rates, as long as they don’t exceed the annual price for that consumption level. The Code says that retailers in these regions must compare all their offers to the same base rate (the ‘reference price’) whenever they advertise or market their offers. The reference price is set at the same price as the DMO price cap.
Average Electricity Bill in New South Wales (Sydney)
According to the Australian Energy Regulator and based on figures from DMO set in July 2019, the average annual expenditure for residents of Sydney, New South Wales is $1467 which equates to about $28.13 weekly.
It is worth keeping in mind that this is just an average and that your individual bill will be dependent on your specific circumstances, such as the size of your household and the appliances that you use.