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When it comes to energy, residents of Canberra and the ACT have:
Methodology: The following list was made using prices found checking our energy engine on 1 March 2021.
The following list of cheap plans is a general guide only and may change at any time. We compared prices based on a residential customer in ACT (Postcode: 2601) who consumes 5,499 kWh a year on a single rate tariff in the Ausgrid network. The estimated price includes conditional discounts (if any). Any plans with special eligibility requirements are excluded from our picks. Always check the provider's site before applying. Your actual bill may vary, depending on your usage. Please use our engine for a specific comparison in your postcode.
Plan | Reference price | Estimated quarterly price | BPID |
---|---|---|---|
Powerclub: Powerbank Home Flat + Solar | N/A | $365 | BPID |
Powerclub: Powerbank Home Flat | N/A | $365 | BPID |
Origin Go | N/A | $367 | BPID |
Origin Go | N/A | $376 | BPID |
Origin Go | N/A | $385 | BPID |
EnergyAustralia: Total Plan Home | N/A | $387 | BPID |
Powerclub: Powerbank Home Flat + Solar + Smart | N/A | $390 | BPID |
Powerclub: Powerbank Home Flat + Smart | N/A | $390 | BPID |
ActewAGL: Simple Saver | N/A | $395 | BPID |
Origin Flexi Usage | N/A | $400 | BPID |
Methodology: The following list was made using prices found checking our energy engine on 1 March 2021.
The following list of cheap plans is a general guide only and may change at any time. We compared prices based on a residential customer in ACT (Postcode: 2601) who consumes 5,499 kWh a year on a single rate tariff in the Ausgrid network. The estimated price includes conditional discounts (if any). Any plans with special eligibility requirements are excluded from our picks. Always check the provider's site before applying. Your actual bill may vary, depending on your usage. Please use our engine for a specific comparison in your postcode.
Plan | Tariff type | Estimated quarterly price | BPID |
---|---|---|---|
EnergyAustralia: Total Plan Home | Single Rate | $282 | BPID |
Origin Go | Single Rate | $285 | BPID |
Red Energy: Qantas Red Saver | Single Rate | $296 | BPID |
Red Energy: Living Energy Saver | Single Rate | $296 | BPID |
Red Energy: Red BCNA Saver | Single Rate | $296 | BPID |
Origin Flexi Usage | Single Rate | $308 | BPID |
EnergyAustralia: No Frills | Single Rate | $311 | BPID |
EnergyAustralia: Basic Home | Single Rate | $340 | BPID |
Red Energy: Standing Offer | Single Rate | $353 | BPID |
ActewAGL: Home Gas Plan - ACT | Single Rate | $353 | BPID |
Most of the energy produced in the ACT comes from solar sources and the government plans to have 90% of the ACT's electricity coming from renewable sources by 2020. The ACT has several solar farms and residents can get solar feed-in tariffs from all of the main retailers operating in the territory. However, not all retailers offer installation so make sure to check if you need to arrange solar installation before signing up.
Evoenergy, owned by ActewAGL, is the main electricity and gas distributor in the ACT but residents can choose from the following energy retailers:
Link to provider review | ⚡ Electricity | ♨️ Gas | ☀️ Solar |
---|---|---|---|
ActewAGL | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
EnergyAustralia | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
Origin | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
Energy Locals | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ |
Powerclub | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ |
Businesses have a few additional options and can sign up for electricity with Next Business Energy and ERM Business Energy. Simply Energy also operates in the ACT, but only accepts customers who are registered for the Next Generation Energy Storage Program.
Although there is no 'best' retailer, to give you a general guide, here are 5 top electricity and gas retailers by complaints percentage in Australia (which are available in the ACT).
Retailer | Number of customers | Number of complaints | Complaints as a proportion of customers |
---|---|---|---|
ActewAGL | 169,807 | 1,235 | 1% |
Energy Locals | 20,504 | 232 | 1% |
Origin Energy | 1,831,948 | 26,598 | 1% |
EnergyAustralia | 1,044,384 | 17,806 | 2% |
Red Energy | 306,228 | 15,404 | 3% |
Simply Energy | 133,318 | 9,627 | 7% |
Power Club | 627 | 6 | 6% |
Source: AER, Annual retail markets report 2019-20 (Table 2.1 & 5.2). We looked at complaints to the 7 top electricity retailers in ACT (by customers) and ranked them by the smallest proportion of complaints to a retailers' total customers. If you want a better idea of who the best energy provider is in Australia overall, check out our picks.
Best value electricity plans in NSW
Variable rate electricity plan with no connection fee after moving and flexible payments, billed quarterly. Has a guaranteed discount on your usage charges over a 12 month benefit period and no lock-in contracts or exit fees. Choose between 10% and 200% GreenPower.
The Total Plan has fixed energy rates and a guaranteed whole bill discount for the first 12 months you're connected. After 6 months, you'll have the chance to opt in to carbon neutrality, and you can always choose anywhere from 10% to 100% GreenPower.
This plan comes with fixed rate electricity and flexible billing, with rates no longer fixed after 12 months. GreenPower options range between 25% and 100%. If you link your Everyday Rewards account you'll get bonus points, 25% GreenPower for free, and extra points whenever you pay your bill.
In this plan, you receive variable rate electricity with no contract term and flexible payment options. You have a choice of monthly billing and 100% GreenPower, if you want.
Get electricity at wholesale prices by paying a monthly membership fee. Your plan will be operated entirely online, with self serve via an online portal and live chat. Payment by direct debit only, with carbon offsets for 100% of your energy usage.
Note: Plan information last checked on March 2021.
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An energy rebate is a certain amount of money you get back that goes towards reducing your energy bill. Usually, you'll have to meet an eligibility requirement to access a particular rebate, often something like holding an appropriate concession card.
Rebates take two main forms: a flat amount of money back, or a percentage of your total energy bill. To find out what rebates you could be able to access, search for the Australian Capital Territory section of our guide to concessions and rebates.
Like several other states, the ACT splits up the day into three separate periods of time as far as power usage is concerned: peak, off-peak, and shoulder. Customers who are on a time-of-use tariff with their power plan will pay different usage rates for each of those periods as follows:
Reading an electricity meter in the ACT can be done either by a technician or yourself. To have a technician do it, you only need to make sure they have easy access to the meter on your property.
If you wish to read the meter yourself, do a safety check. Inspect the meter and meter housing for signs of damage from animals or water, and ensure that none of the visible components are melted or burned, which could be a sign of electrical damage.
From there, the reading process will depend on what kind of meter you have — our meter reading guide has more detail if you want or if yours isn't listed below:
As with most states, residents of the ACT will get their power bill quarterly (or every 3 months) at a minimum. However, your retailer may decide to send it monthly or offer you the option to receive it monthly.
Here's how a few electricity retailers handle bills in the capital territory:
Relocating from one property to another requires powering off at your old property and reconnecting at your new address. This is a pretty straightforward process in the ACT, so here's a few ways you can go about it depending on your situation:
There may be fees associated with connecting and disconnecting your power and gas from one property to the next, charged by the distributor. There is only one distributor for both utilities in the ACT, EvoEnergy, and they charge the following rates:
Distributor | Connection fee | Disconnection fee |
---|---|---|
EvoEnergy (electricity) | $88.47 | $38.28 |
EvoEnergy (natural gas) | $19.47 | $19.47 |
Energy prices in the ACT are regulated by the government. However, some providers may still offer cheaper plans than others. In addition to price, there are several other factors you should consider when choosing an energy plan.
Your choice of retail provider can make a noticeable difference to the size of your energy bill. Once you've compared electricity and gas plans and chosen a new provider, it's relatively easy to switch. It's simply a matter of applying with the new provider and cancelling your existing plan. Your new provider should generally be able to supply your energy by the next day.
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I live in Duffy so do i have an option of electricity suppliers?
Hey Robert,
Thank you for your inquiry.
Regarding your options on electricity suppliers in your area, availability would vary depending on location.
You may fill out our Energy Comparison form for the Australian Capital Territory to consult an energy broker.
Once you have chosen a particular plan, make sure to review the relevant Product Disclosure Statements/Terms and Conditions then click on the “Go to site” button to proceed with your application.
I hope this helps.
Best,
Maria
Name of gas suppliers that service red hill act
Hi Tully!
Thanks for the comment.
Currently, we have ActewAGL as the sole option for ACT residents on our page.
You may complete the inquiry form and an energy consultant will get in touch with you.
Hope this clarifies.
Cheers,
Jonathan