The first page: what you owe and when
Retailers in most states follow the AER's Better Bills Guideline, which puts the essentials on the first page in a set order. Look for:
- Amount due and due date. What you need to pay and by when.
- Billing period. The start and end dates and the number of days.
- Your plan. The name of your plan and your retailer.
- A better offer message. Whether your retailer has a cheaper plan for you and how much it would save, based on your usage.
Read the better offer message
It is the quickest saving on the whole bill. If it says you could save money on another plan with the same retailer, call them and ask to be moved. Victorian bills carry a similar best offer message.
The charges, line by line
| Line | What it means |
|---|---|
| Usage, peak, shoulder or off-peak | The kWh you used multiplied by the rate for each period. On a flat rate there is just one line. |
| Daily supply charge | A fixed amount for every day in the billing period, whatever you use. |
| Controlled load | A separate, cheaper rate for an appliance such as a hot water system on its own circuit. |
| Solar feed-in credit | Exported kWh multiplied by your feed-in rate, shown as a credit. |
| Concession or rebate | A government discount for eligible card holders, shown as a credit. |
| Discount | Any discount on your plan, such as for paying on time. |
| GST | Most retailers show GST included in the totals. Some list it separately. |
Network charges and the cost of environmental schemes are already built into your usage and supply rates. You will not usually see them as separate lines. Our guides to usage charges and supply charges explain each one in detail.
Your usage and meter reading
The usage section shows how much power you used and how it was measured:
- Previous and current reading. The difference is your usage for the period.
- Read type. A or actual means the meter was read. E or estimated means it was not. See estimated reads.
- Average daily usage. Your kWh divided by the days, often compared with the same time last year.
- NMI. Your National Metering Identifier, a 10 or 11 character code that identifies your connection. You need it when switching or making a complaint.
Average daily usage is the most useful number for comparing bills. A 92-day winter bill and an 89-day spring bill are not comparable in dollars, but kWh a day tells you whether your usage really changed.
How to check your bill in five minutes
Check the dates and read type
Make sure the billing period runs on from the last bill and see whether the read was actual or estimated.
Compare daily usage
Look at kWh a day against the same bill last year. A big jump points to an appliance, a leak in your hot water system or an estimate.
Check the rates
Compare your usage rate and supply charge with the regulated price for your network on our rates by state page.
Check your credits
Make sure any concession and solar credit appears. A missing concession is one of the most common errors.
Price it yourself
Enter the kWh and days in our bill calculator with your own rates. The total should match.
Questions about reading your bill
Start with the first page for the amount due, due date and billing period. Then turn to the charges: usage is your kWh multiplied by your rate, and the supply charge is a daily amount times the days in the period. Credits for solar, concessions and discounts come off at the end.
It means the meter reading was estimated rather than actually read. Your retailer estimates usage from your history and corrects it on a later bill once the meter is read. If estimates keep appearing, ask why and consider giving a self-read.
Your National Metering Identifier, a 10 or 11 character code that identifies the connection point at your property. It stays with the property, not with you. You need it when switching retailers, moving house or lodging a complaint.
A message the AER requires retailers to include, telling you whether they have a cheaper plan for you based on your usage over the past year, and how much it would save. If it says you could save, you can ask your retailer to move you to that plan.
Compare average daily usage, not dollars. If kWh a day went up, heating, cooling, a new appliance or a faulty hot water system is likely. If usage is the same but the bill rose, your rates may have changed or the period may be longer. An estimated read can also cause a high bill.
Yes. Residential electricity rates in Australia are quoted including GST, and most bills show GST as part of the total. Solar feed-in credits are generally paid without GST for households.
Sources
Every rate on this page comes from the regulator or the regulated retailer. Last checked October 2026. Prices include GST unless we say otherwise.