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Discover Energy is no longer selling energy plans. However, it will continue providing VPP services to customers with solar, battery and EV chargers. Please treat information on this page as historical only.
Pros
Live chat support available
Innovative app and software lets you track your energy usage and even trade excess solar with other households
Good feed-in tariffs on solar plans
Cons
Some plans only allow direct debit payment and online support
Why compare energy plans with Finder?
We don't charge extra. Prices shown on Finder are the same as those you get directly from energy providers.
We update our plans from providers daily so you can make an informed decision.
We've helped over 1.39 million people compare energy plans in the last 3 years.
Discover Energy's plan prices are average to below average, ranging from 0% - 1% less than the reference price, with the best prices in South Australia and New South Wales.
It launched in early 2020 with a focus on green energy, and has several initiatives to support this.
GreenPower is available for a cheaper rate than many other providers, allowing you to pay a little extra for renewable energy to be fed back into the grid.
You can also jump onto a Virtual Power Plant program (a solar energy trading scheme) details below) for higher feed-in tariffs, or get special charging prices for your electric vehicle.
Discover Energy further stands out with a big emphasis on smart tech. Not only does its app give a comprehensive energy report with several management features, but its Smart Insights technology offers household-specific advice to save you money. You can even connect the app to your smart home devices like Alexa, Siri and more to do it all hands-free.
Here's what you might like about Discover Energy:
Electric vehicle owners may benefit from cheaper charging prices if they apply for Discover Energy's program.
Special app and software makes managing your power use easy.
The Virtual Power Plant (VPP) program offers lower energy prices and higher feed-in tariffs for some customers with eligible solar systems and batteries. We explain this scheme in more detail further down.
What's the catch?
The best offers require you to agree to purely digital support and account management, plus payment by direct debit only.
You might not get the most out of Discover Energy if you don't have solar panels installed as most of its best incentives revolve around solar.
As usual, if you aren't happy with Discover Energy for any reason, you can switch providers at any time as it won't lock you into a contract.
Where is Discover Energy available?
Discover Energy sells electricity in New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland and South Australia, plus natural gas in New South Wales, Queensland and South Australia. It's a 100% Australian-owned company.
Can I bundle gas and electricity with Discover Energy?
Yes, so long as you live in New South Wales, Queensland or South Australia. You won't receive a discount for bundling your services together, but you will get the convenience of having both utilities handled by a single provider.
What is the Virtual Power Plant (VPP) program?
Discover Energy has a special energy trading scheme known as a VPP. You're eligible to join so long as you have a battery and solar panel combo that's approved by Discover Energy.
The VPP can give you access to extremely high feed-in tariffs for some of your generated power. Here's how it works:
Your solar panels charge up your solar battery during the day.
The inverter on your solar panel is synced to Discover Energy Specialised software. This software constantly checks your stored energy against grid demand.
When demand is high, your excess solar power is automatically sold back to the grid at a high feed-in tariff.
You can track and control this entire process from your phone using the DE Insights mobile app, which lets you decide when energy can be sold and more.
Here's how much you'll get paid for exporting power under the Premium VPP scheme:
NSW, QLD, SA: 45c/kWh for the first 3.3kWh/day, then 25c/kWh for the next 3.3kWh, 9c/kWh beyond that (up to 300kWh per quarter)
VIC: 20c/kWh for the first 3.3kWh/day, then 15c/kWh for the next 3.3kWh, 6.7c/kWh beyond that (up to 300kWh per quarter)
Solar Energy
Does Discover Energy offer solar plans?
Yes. Apart from the VPP plans covered in the previous section, Discover Energy has a set of dedicated solar plans with higher feed-in tariffs than their other options.
If you're looking to install a new solar system, Discover Energy can give you a quote and help you get started with the installation process.
How good is the feed-in tariff?
Discover Energy has amazing feed-in tariffs on its dedicated solar plans in New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland, especially if you aren't exporting more than around 7kWh per day. The tariffs in Victoria are equal to the state's minimum feed-in rate, a bit lower than other providers.
Victorian residents also don't get access to the Solar Smart plan with higher feed-in tariffs.
Here's a breakdown of Discover Energy's solar feed-in tariffs state by state:
State
Solar Smart
Other
New South Wales
16c/kWh for the first 3.3kWh/day, then 10c/kWh for the next 3.3kWh, 4c/kWh beyond that
6.0c/kWh
Victoria
6.7c/kWh
Queensland
16c/kWh for the first 3.3kWh/day, then 10c/kWh for the next 3.3kWh, 4c/kWh beyond that
6.0c/kWh
South Australia
16c/kWh for the first 3.3kWh/day, then 10c/kWh for the next 3.3kWh, 4c/kWh beyond that
6.0c/kWh
Green Energy
How green is Discover Energy?
Green Electricity Guide Rating: 6.45/10
Discover Energy has government-accredited GreenPower plans which let customers support renewables in Australia for an extra cost on their power.
Discover Energy also has a Virtual Power Plant program where eligible customers with solar batteries can potentially access power for a lot cheaper by buying it from other Discover Energy customers.
If you have an electric vehicle, you may be able to join Discover's vehicle2grid (V2G) plans and charge your vehicle for less.
There are a couple of ways to reach Discover Energy, although it isn't contactable on weekends. You can:
Call the customer support line 9am - 5:30pm AEST, Monday to Friday.
Send a message on live chat on the Discover Energy website during the same hours above.
Email Discover Energy if you're not too worried about an immediate response.
Looking to switch to Discover Energy?
If you want to sign up to an energy plan from Discover Energy, head over to its website. There, you'll be able to input your details and select the plan that you want.
Once everything has been confirmed, it should take no more than 2 business days for Discover Energy to complete the switch from your old provider.
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.
Why you can trust Finder's energy experts
We've done the work
We've reviewed hundreds of energy plans and written 200+ guides to help you navigate the Aussie energy market. Our experts are seen on TV, print and digital media.
In the last 3 years, we've helped over 1.39 million people compare energy plans by explaining features clearly and simplifying confusing terms and conditions.
Learn more about energy
Our energy guides can help you compare and understand what plan is best for you.
Best energy plans:
5 plans selected by our experts, assessed and updated regularly
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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Discover Energy is no longer selling energy plans. However, it will continue providing VPP services to customers with solar, battery and EV chargers. Please treat information on this page as historical only.
