Energy/Electricity Plan Comparison for NSW (Spreadsheet) Updated 10/12

Hi all,

Let's try this again. Here is a spreadsheet comparing the majority of suppliers in NSW. Estimates are based on an average 2-person household usage (reference EME). If you are only transferring, then connection fees may not apply to you, so have a look at the total with no additional fees applied instead (on the right-hand side). My goal was to avoid contracts longer than 12 months, but if a two-year contract including the termination fee allowed for a better deal, I included that instead.

In my opinion, and based on my comparison chart, Red Energy is the way to go. A two year contract gets you 10% off your ENTIRE bill, and a $50 credit upfront. While there is a $95 termination fee after one year (if you only want a 12 month, and 1 day contract), which partially negates the $50 credit you receive upfront, so in essence, there is no termination fee as I did not include the $50 credit in the discount for my estimate (right hand side of spreadsheet). On top of all this, they do have a referral program that gets you a $50 GC to Myers/Coles when you sign up with a referral.

Red Energy also has one of the better customer services (yes, there will always be a couple of bad horror stories, but all in all they receive good reviews and I have had a wonderful experience with them so far), and you receive a Red Energy Rewards Card that can be used at quite a lot of locations (see http://redenergy.frequent-values.com.au for more information).

I am not associated with Red Energy at all, but over the last week or so of calling all of these companies multiple times, I can honestly say that Red Energy is who I recommend, and that is who I ultimately ended up signing with.

Please use the spreadsheet & http://www.energymadeeasy.gov.au/ as a reference to find which company is best for you, and let me know if it needs any changes or updates are needed.

***I put A LOT of hard work into this spreadsheet, so all I ask in return is that if you do choose Red Energy, please send me a PM/DM and use my account number as a referral, and that will net us both a $50 GC. I will continue to update the spreadsheet as everyone comes across new information, so as to keep it up to date.

Your comments, feedback, and criticism is much appreciated. Please do not hesitate to post a question on here, or send it to me directly, and I will do my best to answer as I know how overwhelming comparing all the suppliers can be. I have gathered quite a bit of knowledge in the field over the past couple of weeks, and generally found that I knew more than the customer service reps that I talked to from the various companies.

All the best and good luck!

Link:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Ale8jGQIeXjxdGV…

Update 22/2:
- Red Energy dropped from 12% to 10%, unpfront credit changed from $100 to $50 (not updated as yet in spreadsheet)
- Click Energy available with 17% discount (not updated as yet in spreadsheet)

Comments

  • I don't think you have the correct rates for QEnergy.
    It seems that most of the rates you are quoting for other providers are Aus Grid, Single Rate, GST included. The QEnergy Aus Grid Single rates inc GST are 27.39 <1000, 29.01 >1000, 78.1c/day supply charge

    • +1

      HUGE EDIT COMING….I called QEnergy again to confirm and after asking a couple of times to be sure, an employee finally said the consumption rates they quote over the phone have already had the 12% taken off….an important detail they cleverly leave out.

      Will update the spreadsheet ASAP. Sorry for the inconvenience.

  • I agree it is odd that their fact sheet usage rates are the same as the NSW standards, but these rates were confirmed with QEnergy over the phone multiple times. Perhaps it could be location specific.

  • Thanks for this.

  • Also, you may like to consider http://www.energymadeeasy.gov.au/ which has some further options.
    It works well if you have a recent bill to use as input.

  • Yup, EME is great for narrowing your search, but I still recommend calling around if time permits to find the best deal for you.

  • Thanks for combining the threads, Mod.

  • Which promo is the $100 Red Energy upfront credit from? Are you sure you can get the $100 + $50 referral bonus?

    • +1

      Yup, they were happy to give both today, and all of last week when I called a couple of times. I'd be happy to send along the name of the associate I dealt with and his extension if necessary, just PM me.

      • Tried this today, only will give me $50 GC for referral not $100 bill credit.

        I have solar, gas & electricity.

        Should I be calling anyone specifically?
        C

        • Was it a two-year contract?

          I will PM you the name and extension of the associate I dealt with.

        • Or potentially the solar is a deal breaker for getting the referral and credit….will look into this for you.

  • Thanks for the spreadsheet grovesy15, this has been a massive help! This might be a stupid question, but where did you find the 12% usage discount for gas with origin? I can't seem to find that deal on their website, only 8%?

    • +1

      Hey Choux, they offered that over the phone when I called. I've spoken to multiple agents there, and they all offered the same, so I think it is standard practice for now, despite what the website says. Hope that helps!

      • That definitely does help, thank you :) Are you able to PM me your customer account number for Red Energy referral? Thanks!

        • Of course! Just enable PM's and I'll send it along. Feel free to ask any more questions too!

        • Ahh sorry, PM's enabled! Thanks for all your help!

        • Anytime :) Very happy to help.

    • +1

      I just initiated a switch from Origin to AGL for 8% discount on Gas (courtesy of an iSelect comparison) so I hope that Origin will try to retain me with 12%. I'm not that happy with Origin for dumping me onto no discount after the discounts finished without any warning… I will be 6mths without a discount at this rate…

      • Why 6 mths?

        • Because it has been ~3 mths since the discount ended without notice and now I can't change to the other retailer until the next meter reading which will be in ~3 mths. Just bad timing.

      • I've heard about companies completely ending the discounts after the contract is up…quite frustrating

    • grovesy15, does the 12% usage discount offer apply to existing customers like us who took advantage of last year's 25% discount? In other words, do you think I can stay with Origin for my gas with 12% usage discount but move over my electricity to RedEnergy?

  • Good question. The 12% discount was quoted from Origin to me as a new customer. However, surely if you threaten to leave for another company who will offer you a discount, and you know that Origin offers new customer's a 12% discount, they will fight to keep you. If you have time, I'd even suggest "trying" different sales associates, as it seems at companies like this some are more willing to be lenient than others.

    For what it's worth, someone mentioned to me yesterday that they were with Energy Aus for gas initially and their contract ran out, but Energy Aus offered them 14% discount with a new contract, whereas Origin was only offering 7%.

    If you're not in a major rush, I'd say push Origin to see what they can do….mention that you've been a loyal customer, always pay your bills, etc. and I don't see why they can't offer you the same discount as new customers. You should be rewarded for sticking with them! When speaking with them…maybe try and negotiate initially while not telling them it's only for gas…then tell them when you get the 12% you only want to commit to gas for now, and do some more research for electricity….

    Let me know how you go…I'm very interested to see what Origin says, and I'd be happy to call and try and find a good associate for you as well!

    • I have spoken to them and they sounded they dont wanna match to other competitor discount.
      btw, AGL is doing 20% discount on electricity and 14% discount on gas for (24 mths)

      • Is this NSW? I can't find it on their website. Usage only discount or total bill discount?
        I haven't jumped into the Red Energy offer as they don't do gas in NSW. I have calculated that based on my latest Origin Energy bill where I had 25% discount on usage only, that equates to approx 15% on total bill. So I'm using that as a benchmark in my comparisons.

        • I dont think thats a NSW deal.

  • NSW DEAL

    I just spoke to AGL, they are offering their SELECT 8 plan (24 month contract) which has a 10% discount which consists of 5% discount guarantee, 3% pay on time, and 2% direct debit and their electricity rate is 24.66 for the first 7000kwh and then 27.41 for anything after which is BEFORE the discount so I found this better than all the other NSW deals posted in this thread.

    • +1

      Will update spreadsheet later today.

      • I just realized that the prices she quoted me were excluding GST so they're actually 27.126 for the first 7000kwh and then 30.151 thereafter, taken from their website;

        Usage Unit Excl. GST Incl. GST

        Peak
        First 7000 kWh c/kWh 24.66 27.126
        Thereafter c/kWh 27.41 30.151
        Controlled load 1^ c/kWh 8.60 9.460
        CL1 service charge^ c/day 4.74 5.214
        Supply charge c/day 69.88 76.868

        Also, sign up before 30 June 2014 you could also receive 10,000 flybuys BONUS POINTS

        Sorry for all the stuff around but it seems that Origin has the best deal if they are infant offering 14% off.

        • +2

          Isn't Red Energy offer still the better choice? Their discount is on the total bill, not just usage which I suspect is the case for AGL and Origin Energy.

        • +1

          Just updated the spreadsheet. The new deal makes AGL closer to Red, but with Red's reward card, the chance for future referrals, and their $100 credit if you stay 2 years, I'd say Red is still the better deal when you factor in AGL's termination fees.

          And yes delfredo, you're right. It's important to look at where they apply the discount rates specifically, etc.

  • The DODO daily charge is advertised as 76.835 on their website which in inclusive of GST.

  • +1

    I ended up signing with RED ENERGY for the 12% discount off the ENTIRE bill and got $100 credit towards the first bill and got $50 coles gift voucher and I mentioned grovesy15 so that he also gets a $50 coles gift voucher because he really does deserve it..

    EDIT: I should also mention that the other cats are only offering a discount off the usage, every day you are charged a daily service fee which is something like 78c, the discount provided from other cats does not apply to the daily service fee, RED ENERGY's discount does.. The choice was simple.. I hope this helps..

    • +1

      Thanks for the comment mate! I agree with your comments, and definitely happy to hell anyone with any questions. I can also send along the extension of the associate I dealt with, and he can help out for sure…although it seems others will as well but it can be hit or miss. Cheers and Merry Christmas!

  • I cannot find any mention of this $100 Red Energy credit anywhere. Help me out and you might just get yourself a referral credit :)

    • Just sent you a PM!

      • If you do a search, you'll find that it's no longer there. Expired. Only has the $50 credit offer.

      • +1

        Are the expiry dates on this PDF some where?

        http://www.redenergy.com.au/docs/nsw_price_fact_sheets/Livin…

        May still be able to argue/discuss your way into the credit with the various codes in the PDF, i.e. RED4954MR, RED4955MR, etc.

        Like we discussed delfredo, hopefully my contact can still help out when he's back on holidays, or at the very least, direct us towards a better deal.

        Will update the spreadsheet a bit later, but still the best deal with the $50 GC, rewards card, and you can avoid a 2-year contract if the $100 credit deal is no longer available.

        • Can only avoid two year contract with the 5% Pay on Time discount option for electricity and 3% for gas.

        • Delfredo might be right, looks like the $100 credit has been replaced with a $50 credit from 9 December 2013. See the T&C's here:
          http://www.redenergy.com.au/docs/NSW-Red-Energy-50-Dollar-Cr…

        • +2

          I was just (on 2/1/2014) able to negotiate with the Red Energy and get all of the following

          :
          -100$ Credit on the first bill
          -50$ Gift Card
          -12% discount on the total bill

          Used Grovesy15 referral code.. A well deserving one. Thanks

        • I just tried to get the $100 credit and got rejected - didn't go through with setting it up and will try again later this afternoon

  • If you're 50 and above, in NSW, you can get 17% of total bill, with Click Energy. It is similar to the deal offered by OneBigSwitch in October last year. The discount is valid for 2 years but you are not tied into any long term contract (free to leave anytime with no exit fee).

    https://www.clickenergy.com.au/about-us/news-blog/click-ener…

    • +1

      Nice find, Delfredo.

      I updated the spreadsheet. Can you confirm that there is no connection and disconnection fees with Click for this one? And also the details of the referrals? Cheers!

      Makes Click about $32 better than Red for those over 50 years of age in NSW. No contract with Click is a nice bonus, while with Red you get the Red Energy rewards card (see initial post for link to discounts), and both the referee and new member get the $50 GC (whereas with Click only the referee get's $50).

      Some comparable options for some (over 50y in NSW) with pros and cons to both!

      • I do not have details of this offer as I'm not eligible by age… yet.
        But here's the price fact sheet for their current offer to the general public.
        https://www.clickenergy.com.au/energy-price-fact-sheets/87
        Prices are regulated in NSW so I usually don't bother to check. In any case if it's different then it can only be lower than the regulated limit so that will be a favourable difference rather than unfavourable.
        There is no connection/disconnection fee and there appears to be a $50 sign up bonus (half paid upfront balance payable after 12 months) but again I'm not sure if this applies to the 17% offer for the 50+ age group.
        There is also a $50 referral bonus for existing customer (new customer don't get it).
        https://www.clickenergy.com.au/about-us/forms/mates-rates/

        The 50+ age group offer can come in useful if you can get someone like your parents to sign up for the property you live in but you pay the bill (ie. just utilise their name to open an account). That is if you're not 50 and over. :)

      • I just found out that this Click Energy offer of 17% discount off total bill, is made to all Fiftyup Club members. It is free to join Fiftyup Club and there is no age limit. To switch over to Click Energy the applicant must be aged 18+.

        On this basis, this Click Energy offer is superior to all current offers in the market as of today. No lock in contract term is a big plus, meaning that you can still switch over anytime to any other competitor which may offer an even better deal later down the track, yet the 17% discount off the total bill offer will stand for the next 2 years (if you are still with Click Energy). Notwithstanding this, it is still a huge setback compared to the 25% discount off the total bill offer by Origin Energy a year ago!! Pity that it was only a 1 year contract.

        Conditions of this offer, is that you must pay by direct debit only (and be a NSW Fiftyup Club member). The advantage of this Fiftyup Club offer compared to the earlier One Big Switch offer is that you can opt to receive paper bills instead of electronically by email.

    • Can you confirm the Click Energy rates too? Heard these went up in Vic on Jan. 1st, but unsure of NSW. Thanks!

      • Red Energy Gas rates have actually gone up in Victoria on 1 Jan 2014. Increase in my area was 2% peak and 6% off-peak.

        • Good to know. Must be a Vic - specific change then. (Will get back to your PM later tonight mate)

  • Hi Grovesy15,

    I came across your posts and spreadsheet this afternoon whilst I was looking for a new Energy provider. Your spreadsheet was great. Anyway I would be interested in you referral number and Red Energy contact. Can you please PM me because I just joined Ozbargain and can't generate a PM for 24 hours. Many thanks,

    • +1

      Hey there, very happy to help and thanks for the comments! I think there should be a way for you "turn on" PM's, then I'll send you one! Cheers :)

      • Thanks, I've enabled PMs

        • +1

          Awesome. Just sent you a message. Let me know if you have any questions….very happy to help!

  • +1

    Just got off the phone with Red and was working on a very nice rep there about what the best deal is now…

    They are currently offering a $75 CREDIT, 12% OFF THE ENTIRE BILL DISCOUNT DEAL if you mention it on the phone…let me know if you'd like a contact to call who I can confirm to be reliable for this, but any rep should be able to offer the deal if you quote it.

    As always, please feel free to PM me any questions and comments!

    • +1

      Spreadsheet has been updated to reflect this new deal.

      • +1

        Grovesy15 you are a LEGEND. Thank you so much for your help this morning, after being told by the offshore call centre 3 time that there was no upfront credit I finally got onto Sam who was polite and extremely helpful.

        I signed up for $75 CREDIT, 12% OFF THE ENTIRE BILL DISCOUNT DEAL plus $50 GC for both you and me. He told me this was a special for NSW.

        Many thanks again,

        • +1

          Glad everything worked out!

          Anyone please feel free to message me for Sam's extension (don't think I should post it on here for privacy issues).

  • Hi Grovesy15, could you please pm me the details for this deal also? thanks

    • No problems, Jessie. Please just "turn on" your private messages :)

      • +1

        great thanks, all done

  • +1

    Hi Grovesy15, could you please send me the details for your red energy referral

    • No problem. Happy to help if anyone has any questions!

      Just "turn on" your PMs or send me one, please! ;)

      • Sorry for the delay - i have sent you a PM :-)
        Thanks in advance

        • Haha no worries!

  • Hi guys,

    I've just moved into a new rental apt and I have NFI as to what is a good deal. I used to sign up with Energy Australia earlier without doing any shopping around, however, I'm looking to "understand" my electricity/gas needs and getting a more cost effective solution.

    Any pointers for a n00b? I'm a bit apprehensive in just picking a plan based on the "usage estimation" on energymadeeasy as mine would not be a typical household. I will have a fair bit of computing gear running in the house that may chew up the "quota" like nobody's business (5 desktops in addition to the standard mod cons).

    Lastly, I can go for only a 12 month contract as my lease is valid for 12 months (after which I may decide to move elsewhere).

    • +1

      Hey mate, just out right now but will send you a longer message later with my 2 cents! Cheers!

      • Not a problem. Thanks a ton mate.

    • The switch over will occur at the next meter read so looks like you have less than 12 months if you have already moved in and started your 12 month lease.

      Typically if you expect high usage then go for one with good discount or good rate on the usage bill rather than accepting one with a lower discount on the total bill amount. Your ratio of variable cost (driven by usage) vs fixed cost (daily rate on supply) will be higher than that of an average household.

      You need to do your calculation to see what's best. Sometimes going on a 2 year contract can be beneficial if the referral bonus outstrips the early exit fee penalty. Depends on how you want to play it.

  • +2

    I am part way through switching to RedEnergy from Origin.
    Origin have just sent me a letter with better offers.
    16% off electricity usage for 12 months (15% for paid by due date, 1% for direct debit)
    14% off gas usage for 12 months (13% for paid by due date, 1% for direct debit)

    The 16% off usage is still not better than 12% off total bill.

    • What are you doing with gas?

      • I thought I initiated transfer to AGL, however I don't recall receiving anything from them yet. I will look at the discount they offered and go with the largest I can get.

        • I'm with Origin as well with my 12month contract set to expire and yet when I contacted them through their call centre they did not want to offer anything special and my current discounted rate would revert back to its original price post contract completion.
          Could you please advise how much notice needs to be given to Origin before switching to another provider. I dont want to be paying 2 bills at once.

          Thanks!

        • +1

          You won't pay two bills at once. The retailers switch at a meter reading. If you are about to come off the contract then go to your preferred retailer now because they can't take over until the next meter reading which (I believe) will be at the end of the contract.

  • +2

    Despite the name, membership of the FiftyUpClub appears to be open to all.
    The member offer for connection to Click Energy with 17% off total bill discount requires the applicant to be over 18.
    The spreadsheet shows that the RedEnergy 12% discount with $75 up front discount on the initial bill beats the ClickEnergy offer with the example usage used in the spreadsheet.

    • Ya I think Red is still the way to go, especially with the rewards card. More or less energy usage from the estimated example in the spreadsheet shouldn't change anything between these two companies either.

  • Hi All,

    Just for your information I came across this government comparison website for electricity and gas(particularly of interest to me was NSW) however it works for other states as well. It was really easy to understand. You only need your previous bill to make an estimate of your usage and it will tell you your annual rate. It also shows current offers available and you can sort from lowest to highest. Hopefully it will be of help to others on here.

    http://www.energymadeeasy.gov.au/compare-offers/details/1391…

    Red still came up for me as the cheapest but make sure you read the tTERMS & CONDITIONS they send to you as the "Welcome" credit is added onto the early termination fee.

    Cheers.

  • Hi Grovesy15, could you please send me your red energy referral and Sam's extenstion?
    No sure if the $75 credit is still available.

    • No worries, Mav. Should be…if not I'm happy to give him a call and see what the best going is now.

      • Could you PM his extension too please? Or anything you've heard regarding this? I'm really doubting I can get a deal as good as what's mentioned in the thread - just got off the phone with Red and the guy was very insistent that all upfront credit and 12% deals have expired and they're under strict instructions not to negotiate besides what's on their website now. (which is just 10% and no credit)

  • Hi grovesy15,
    so I have been with Click Energy for a while on the Click Easy plan,
    recently got a new bill of $437 (~1400kWh/Quarter), and I also have small $50 bills every month that comes with the plan, probably their way of reducing the price as some say.
    After thinking about the bills, 3 months would cost me about $507 ($437+$50+$50 and ~$30 discount), obviously this won't be the case in winter, as I rely a lot on my aircon - but comparing with others on different sites like iSelect and Switchwise, it looks like $507 is probably the most expensive I can find, as Dodo would be $402 and AGL would be $449.
    What do you think about this? Am I calculating it correctly?

    regards

    (If possible, could you PM me the Red Energy offer, thank you very much)

    • Thanks for the question! Will send you a reply and message this afternoon when I get a break! :)

    • Should have gone onto the Click Platinum plan, you'll get an additional 10% discount (on top of the 7% discount you're getting with the Click Easy plan) off the total bill. No exit penalty fee too (ie. leave anytime you like).

      Red Energy has recently dropped their discount from 12% to 10%.

      • Am I able to change my plan if I'm already their customer?

        • +1

          You can try. Click Platinum is not available in NSW if you call Click Energy directly. However you can apply for it via www.fiftyupclub.com.au. Free to sign up to Fiftyup Club and you don't have to be above 50 years old. Otherwise there's Plan B but I think you should try this out first.

        • Hey man big +1 for that suggestion. Since Red was not offering any credit and only 10% off, I signed up to that site for Click's offer. 2 years with 17% off the entire bill - rates are the same as Red. Great!

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