Household Electricity in Australia: Rates, Bills and Help

Your bill comes from a retailer, but the power reaches you through a network business that owns the poles and wires in your area. You can choose the retailer in most of the eastern states. You cannot choose the network, which is set by your address. That is why prices differ so much between Sydney, regional NSW and Melbourne, even with the same retailer.

The eastern and southern states share the National Electricity Market. In NSW, south-east Queensland and South Australia, the Australian Energy Regulator sets the Default Market Offer each year as a ceiling for standing offers and a reference price for every advertised plan. Victoria has its own Victorian Default Offer. Western Australia, the Northern Territory, Tasmania, the ACT and regional Queensland set regulated prices through their own regulators or governments.

Every bill comes down to two charges: a daily supply charge and a usage charge for each kWh. How the usage charge is worked out depends on your tariff, which more and more depends on when you use power. Concessions, solar credits and discounts then come off the total.

The figures on this site are taken from regulator determinations and regulated retailer price lists for 2026-27, and each page lists its sources.