SEQ electricity customers benefit from shopping around
While electricity bills in south-east Queensland (SEQ) increased for most customers by between 1.5% and 6.2% in 2024–25, customers who shopped around could find competitively priced plans.
QCA Chair Dr Malcolm Roberts said the QCA’s latest SEQ retail electricity market monitoring report showed that, even as prices rose in 2024–25, some retailers had cheaper plans than a year earlier.
“With prices rising, it is more important than ever for customers to find the best electricity plan for their circumstances.”
In SEQ, the Australian Energy Regulator (AER) caps the prices retailers can charge residential and small business customers on standing offers through its default market offer (DMO). Retailers competing for customers must offer plans with prices below the DMO price and/or other benefits.
“The DMO is meant to be a safety net for customers who stick with their plans. However, there will be cheaper plans in the market for customers who can shop around. The QCA’s analysis has shown that about 21% of SEQ customers switched retailers over the course of 2024–25, and some customers may have switched to a cheaper plan of their current retailer.
“A case in point are the older plans that were not available to new customers in 2024–25. The QCA has found that many SEQ customers were on such plans and that many of these plans were more expensive than the DMO.
Some customers in SEQ receive assistance with their electricity bills in the form of retailer hardship programs or payments and rebates provided by the Queensland government.
”In the December quarter of 2024, there were nearly 14,000 SEQ customers in retailer hardship programs, down from over 19,000 a year earlier. The QCA’s analysis showed that most assisted customers were on plans that resulted in higher bills than the lowest market offer their retailer had available, and some were on plans that resulted in higher bills than the most expensive market offer their retailer had available.
“Finding a better plan can seem daunting. Prices vary between retailers and even between different plans of the same retailer. Discounts or incentives don’t always mean a plan is cheaper. Customers should also understand any conditions for discounted prices, such as paying by direct debit or on time.”
Dr Roberts encouraged everyone to check the ‘better offer’ message on their bill and to use the Australian Government’s free Energy Made Easy website to compare all available plans.
If you need help using the Energy Made Easy website, call the AER Infoline on 1300 585 165. If you are struggling to pay your bill, contact your retailer for support.
The full SEQ market monitoring report for 2024–25 is available on the QCA website. In regional Queensland, the QCA sets prices, having regard to the Queensland Government’s uniform tariff policy that ensures customers in regional Queensland pay prices similar to those in SEQ. More details on the prices in regional Queensland are also on the QCA website.
For media enquiries, contact Cole Lawson Communications on 07 3221 2220.
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