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Energy Australia vs Origin
Origin is a behemoth in the Australian energy market, with nearly 3 million more customers than Energy Australia, but having more people buying your energy doesn’t necessarily make you better.
We’ve put together this guide to help you distinguish between two of Australia’s three largest energy retailers. We look at what plans they offer and where as well as a quick comparison of their best prices state by state.
Get a price estimate for Energy Australia or Origin
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Energy Australia vs Origin: How do they stack up against each other?
At the time of writing, here's how the two providers compared to each other:
The annual estimated electricity prices are based on a residential customer on the Ausgrid network who consumes 3911kWh yearly on a single rate tariff. Your actual bill may vary depending on your consumption.
The annual estimated electricity prices are based on a residential customer on the Jemena network who consumes 4000kWh yearly on a single rate tariff. Your actual bill may vary depending on your consumption.
The annual estimated electricity prices are based on a residential customer on the Energex network who consumes 4613kWh yearly on a single rate tariff. Your actual bill may vary depending on your consumption.
The annual estimated electricity prices are based on a residential customer on the SA Power Networks network who consumes 4011kWh yearly on a single rate tariff. Your actual bill may vary depending on your consumption.
The annual estimated electricity prices are based on a residential customer on the Evoenergy network who consumes 6100kWh yearly on a single rate tariff. Your actual bill may vary depending on your consumption.
The annual estimated gas prices are based on a residential customer on the Jemena network who consumes 18542MJ yearly on a single rate tariff. Your actual bill may vary depending on your consumption.
The annual estimated gas prices are based on a residential customer on the AusNet Services network who consumes 46000MJ yearly on a single rate tariff. Your actual bill may vary depending on your consumption.
The annual estimated gas prices are based on a residential customer on the APA (Allgas Energy) network who consumes 8000MJ yearly on a single rate tariff. Your actual bill may vary depending on your consumption.
The annual estimated gas prices are based on a residential customer on the Australian Gas Networks network who consumes 14000MJ yearly on a single rate tariff. Your actual bill may vary depending on your consumption.
The annual estimated gas prices are based on a residential customer on the Evoenergy network who consumes 20000MJ yearly on a single rate tariff. Your actual bill may vary depending on your consumption.
The annual estimated gas prices are based on a residential customer on the ATCO network who consumes 4015MJ yearly on a single rate tariff. Your actual bill may vary depending on your consumption.
What plans are available from Energy Australia and Origin in each state?
Note: Discounts and incentives change often. Be sure to check with the provider before signing up or applying.
New South Wales
The plans on offer in New South Wales are the standard suite for each provider, consisting of three from Energy Australia and four from Origin.
This provides you with Origin's cheapest fixed rates for a year and flexible payments. Everyday Rewards customers get extra points when signing up, paying bills, and can access 25% GreenPower for free.
This is a lot like the Max Saver but with slightly higher usage rates and without the same billing and app requirements.
This offers a smaller reduction in rates than the Flexi plan, but it is otherwise entirely the same.
This plan provides rates equal to the state’s reference price, but it has a $100 bill credit after the first 3 months.
This plan gives a guaranteed discount on your usage and supply rates for the duration of the one-year benefit period. The rates are also fixed for this period.
Much like the Total Plan, the No Frills plan will give you a fixed rate for the first 12 months before changing to a variable rate. It provides lower base rates than Total, but no discount.
There’s nothing extra about this plan as it simply offers electricity at the Victorian Default Offer. As such, it doesn’t have a benefit period.
A fairly generous discount on the Victorian Default Offer, with fixed rates for the first year. If you're an Everyday Rewards Customer, you earn bonus points when you sign up, pay your bill, and will get 25% GreenPower for free.
This is a less-rigid version of the Max Saver. It has higher usage rates but no associated requirements for direct debit billing and app use.
This will not give you a discount on your usage rates compared to the reference price, but you’ll get a $50 bill credit after 3 months.
Queensland
Once again, you'll find little difference between the rates offered by Energy Australia's Total Plan and No Frills plan in Queensland for the first 12 months. Origin's offerings are largely comparable to those in other states.
As in other states, the Total Plan provides a guaranteed discount on both your usage and supply rates for the first 12 months you’re on it. It also has fixed rates during that period.
This plan is very similar to the Total Plan, but it has lower fixed rates for the first twelve months and no discount. It works out to be about the same as the Total Plan.
This plan does not have any bonus features. It provides electricity at the reference price and nothing more.
Save on power with fixed rates for the first year of your plan, as well as flexible payments. If you have an Everyday Rewards account, get bonus points when you sign up, pay bills, and enjoy 25% GreenPower for free.
This is similar to the Max Saver plan, but it has more flexibility around bill payments as well as higher rates.
This plan has higher usage rates than the Flexi plan but comes with the same freedom in payments.
This plan is close to the reference price but with a $200 bill credit applied after 3 months.
ACT
The ACT is different in that it has no set reference price like you'll find in other states, but Energy Australia and Origin both have competitive plans on offer for residents.
With the Total Plan, you’ll receive a guaranteed discount on your rates for the benefit period of 12 months. The rates will be fixed for the same length of time.
This plan is mostly equivalent to the Total Plan, but it replaces the guaranteed discount with lower base rates in the first place. These rates are fixed for the one-year benefit period.
This plan provides no bonus features and provides electricity at the reference price.
Get 12 months of fixed rates bundled with flexible payment options. Everyday Rewards customer? Enjoy 25% GreenPower for free, bonus points per dollar spent on your bill, and even bonus points when you sign up.
This plan offers more flexibility in bill payments as well as higher rates than the Max Saver plan, but it does not require you to use the app.
This is a more expensive version of the Flexi plan, but it retains the same freedom in payments.
This plan supplies power at the reference price, though Origin offers a $100 bill credit after 3 months along with it.
Verdict
Neither Origin nor Energy Australia offers very much in the way of sign-up incentives, though Origin does have a few tiny discounts and bill credits here and there on some of its plans. Both companies boast a power usage and management app for their customers to track their power use.
When it comes to environmental options, both Origin and Energy Australia offer GreenPower certified renewable energy in increments of 10%, 20% and 100% for Energy Australia and 25%, 50% and 100% for Origin. Origin also offers a wide range of solar power options and has very high feed-in tariffs available for many of its plans compared to Energy Australia.
Origin wins over Energy Australia when it comes to plan prices. When choosing one of these suppliers over the other, you may want to consider other things like customer service and which plan will suit you best in terms of your power use and where you live.
Important notes: The estimated price we show by default is based on a single rate tariff. On your bill this might be known as a "peak tariff", "peak only" or an "anytime tariff". There are other tariff types available to customers and you may need to contact your provider if you are on these tariffs:
Single rate with a controlled load
Time of use
Time of use with a controlled load
The price estimate should not be used as an official quote, but an indication of what your costs may be on the plan. It varies based on whether you provide us with your bill details. You can learn more here.
Sam Baran is a writer for Finder, covering topics across the tech, telco and utilities sectors. They enjoy decrypting technical jargon and helping people compare complex products easily. When they aren't writing, you'll find Sam's head buried in a book or working on their latest short story. Sam has a Bachelor of Advanced Science from the University of Sydney.
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