Major Retailers (The Big Three)
AGL
Australia's largest retailer. Offers a wide range of plans including solar, gas, and dual-fuel. AGL's Solar Savers plan offers competitive feed-in tariffs. Market share: ~3.5 million customers. Known for reliable service and a solid mobile app. Discounts typically 25–35% off usage rates.
Origin Energy
Origin serves ~4 million customers. Their Origin Go and Origin Plus Solar plans are popular. Origin offers 100% green energy options and competitive FITs. Strong online portal and app. Discounts often 25–32% off usage rates with pay-on-time conditions.
EnergyAustralia
EnergyAustralia serves ~1.6 million customers. Their Flexi Plan offers flexibility without lock-in contracts. Competitive in VIC and NSW. Offers some of the best conditional discounts in the market. Also offers carbon-neutral plans at no extra cost.
Smaller & Midsize Retailers
Red Energy
Owned by Snowy Hydro. Consistently high customer satisfaction ratings. Offers competitive rates and some of the best solar feed-in tariffs (10–12 c/kWh in some areas). No lock-in contracts. Excellent customer service reputation.
Powershop
100% carbon-neutral electricity since 2019. Unique app-based model where you pre-purchase electricity "packs" at discounted rates. Very transparent pricing. Good FITs. Owned by Meridian Energy (NZ). Excellent for tech-savvy users.
Momentum Energy
Owned by Hydro Tasmania. 100% Australian-owned. Competitively priced plans with good solar FITs. Strong in VIC and SA. No exit fees. Profit-for-purpose model with community investments.
Alinta Energy
Major presence in WA and increasingly competitive in eastern states. Competitive flat-rate plans. Known for straightforward pricing without complex conditional discounts.
How to Choose a Retailer
- Check your state — Some retailers are only available in certain states. Red Energy is strong in NSW/QLD; Momentum in VIC/SA; Alinta in WA.
- Compare total annual cost — Use Energy Made Easy. The cheapest plan for a 3-person home may differ from a single-person apartment.
- Look at customer service ratings — The Energy & Water Ombudsman publishes complaint data. Smaller retailers often have fewer complaints per customer.
- Check contract terms — Some plans lock you in for 12–24 months. Others are month-to-month with no exit fees.
2026 Market Trends
Energy prices remain elevated due to network costs and wholesale market conditions. The best deals are typically found by switching every 12 months. Standing offers and out-of-contract plans can be 30–50% more expensive than the best market offers.
What the 2026 Price Changes Mean
Default prices fell on 1 July 2026 across most of the eastern states: the AER's final Default Market Offer for 2026–27 is 3.4–5.0% lower in NSW and 7.2% lower in South East Queensland, while South Australia rose 1.4%. Victoria's default offer fell about 5% to a typical $1,591 a year. That is good news if you are on a market offer — but only if your retailer actually passes the saving through. Out-of-contract customers and those on standing offers often miss the falls entirely, which is why comparing your plan against the reference price each year still pays.
The New Solar Sharer Offer
Since 1 July 2026, retailers with more than 1,000 customers in DMO areas must offer at least one plan with three hours of free electricity every day — 11am–2pm in NSW and South East Queensland, 12pm–3pm in South Australia — capped at 24 kWh per day in the window. You need a smart meter and must opt in; you do not need solar panels. For households that can shift laundry, dishwashing, EV charging or pool pumps into the window, this new regulated offer (part of the DMO reforms) can be worth several hundred dollars a year — ask each retailer you compare whether they offer it.
A Retailer Comparison Checklist for 2026
- Compare total estimated annual cost at your actual usage, not the headline discount.
- Check whether the discount is conditional on pay-on-time or direct debit.
- Ask when the benefit period ends and what the rate reverts to.
- Check exit fees and lock-in terms if you might move.
- Ask about the Solar Sharer Offer and the solar feed-in tariff if relevant.
How to Read a Retailer's Fine Print
Two details decide whether a headline discount is real. First, the base: a "25% off usage" discount applies only to the usage component, not the supply charge, so the actual saving on your total bill is smaller than it sounds. Second, the conditions: discounts usually require pay-on-time or direct debit, and benefit periods commonly run 12 months before the rate reverts. A plan advertised at 30% off can cost more than a flat-rate plan once the conditions and reverts are accounted for — which is why the annual-cost comparison on Energy Made Easy matters more than any marketing figure.