Energy statistics Australia
Find out how much energy is costing Australians and the financial burden they are causing with our energy statistics
Key takeaways
- Average annual electricity bills hit $1,498, with 21% of Australians finding energy a top stressor.
- Default market offer prices reset every 1 July, with the 2026-27 prices taking effect on 1 July 2026.
- Although almost 30% of Australia's electricity comes from renewables, over half still relies on coal.
Energy is one of our most stressful expenses, according to Finder research (data to August 2024), and with good reason. The average household spends $1,498 on electricity bills each year, and $827 on gas bills according to Finder's Consumer Sentiment Tracker. Energy prices have steeply outpaced inflation since the mid-2000s, and further increases will only add to household financial pressure.
We delve into how much households are paying for energy, how Australian energy prices compare globally, how many households face bill stress, and the stats around green energy.
What is the average energy bill?
The average quarterly electricity bill in Australia is $375 - that's equivalent to $1,498 per year. This is a 3% drop from the previous year.
New South Wales are forking out the most on electricity, with an average quarterly spend of $419, followed by South Australia ($417). Western Australians have the cheapest energy bills at an average of $273.
Between the generations, baby boomers are spending the least on electricity ($286), while Gen Y are shelling out the most ($368).
Default market offer prices
The Australian Energy Regulator (AER) is responsible for regulating default market offer (DMO) prices, which dictate the maximum price that retailers can charge customers on default contracts.
DMO prices reset every 1 July. The 2026-27 DMO took effect on 1 July 2026, and the AER publishes the maximum prices for each network area in its 2026-27 DMO final determination on the AER website.
DMO prices are a cap on standing offer prices, not a forecast of what every household will pay.
What is the average gas bill?
Gas bills are typically lower than electricity, costing the average household $207 per quarter ($827 per year) according to Finder research. This is mostly because many households use a combination of gas and electricity. The average household spend on gas has decreased by 4% from 2024.
Those from the ACT are spending the most on gas, an average of $281 per quarter, followed by Victoria ($270). New South Wales ($239) and South Australia ($237) come next, while Queenslanders and Western Australians are spending the least on gas ($201 and $159).
Unlike electricity, gas bills are the highest among Gen Z and millennials ($220 and $216 respectively), followed by Gen X ($202). Baby boomers are spending the least, $158 per quarter on average.
Have an electricity or gas bill that's higher than the average? Compare cheap energy plans and see how much you could save.
How do energy prices in Australia compare globally?
According to analysis by the Australian Energy Council, Australian retail electricity prices are the 10th lowest in the OECD. When compared against other countries using a purchasing power exchange rate, Australian average prices per kilowatt hour are equivalent to 17.6 US cents (c/kWh), which is less than the OECD average cost of 24.2.
However, the Australian Energy Regulator's default market offer price increases of up to 22.2% came into place in July 2023, after this comparison was compiled, so Australia may have moved up in the global rankings since.
How have energy and gas prices changed over time?
Since 2000, electricity prices have increased by 206%, and gas prices have increased by 334%. In comparison, the Consumer Price Index, which is a measure of the price of a typical basket of consumer goods and services, increased by 102% over the same period.
The data shows electricity and gas prices have generally grown faster than overall inflation. Prices began to diverge sharply around the global financial crisis in 2008. Gas prices increased faster than electricity prices in March 2022 following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Gas prices remained elevated in 2025, while electricity prices dropped sharply as government Energy Bill Relief Fund rebates reduced bills. Those rebates ended on 31 December 2025, so that federal support is no longer applied to household electricity bills, although state and territory rebates and concessions still apply to eligible households.
What is the energy burden on households?
Electricity is one of Australians' most stressful expenses according to Finder's Consumer Sentiment Tracker. Over 1 in 5 people (21%) rank their energy bill among their top 3 most stressful bills or expenses.
Only groceries (34%) and rent or mortgage costs (32%) cause households more stress than energy.
South Australians (33%) and New South Wales (25%) are the most likely to experience energy bill stress.
Gen X (29%) and baby boomers (27%) are the most likely to rank their energy bill as one of their most stressful expenses, compared to just 16% of gen Z.
How many households are on hardship programs?
Across the country, the share of residential electricity customers on hardship programs has fallen. At 30 June 2025, 1.7% of residential electricity customers were on a hardship program, down from 1.9% at 30 June 2024, according to the AER's Annual retail markets report 2024-25.
At December 2022, South Australians were the most likely to need financial assistance for their electricity bills (1.95%), followed by Tasmanians (1.82%).
The average hardship program debt for residential electricity customers was $2,102 at 30 June 2025, up from $1,687 at 30 June 2024.
The share of residential gas customers on hardship programs has also fallen. At 30 June 2025, 1.2% of residential gas customers were on a hardship program, down from 1.3% at 30 June 2024.
The average debt of gas hardship customers was $947 at 30 June 2025, up from $812 at 30 June 2024, and hardship debt for ACT gas customers was consistently higher than the average.
Are Australians happy with their energy provider?
Australians are less than impressed with their energy and gas providers, according to Finder's Consumer Sentiment Tracker. Gas and electricity are ranked as being the least value for money out of all other services. 54% of electricity customers and 56% of gas customers reported their plans as being good value for money.
Despite this, in the last 6 months, only 16% of Australians have switched their electricity plan and only 15% have switched their gas plan. Millennials and Gen Z are the most likely to switch. 20% of Millennials have changed their electricity plan, whilst 19% of Gen Z have switched their gas plans. This is significantly higher than the 10% of baby boomers who have switched their energy plans.
How well do Australians understand their energy bill?
When asked to rank their understanding of their electricity bill, more than a third of Australians (35%) say they understand it perfectly. A further 41% say they understand their bill quite well, while 23% have little to no understanding of their bill.
Not surprisingly, there is a correlation between understanding your bill and how much that bill is costing you. Those who claim to understand their bill perfectly have the lowest quarterly electricity bills ($333). Those who don't understand their bill at all, or aren't sure how well they understand it, pay the most, shelling out on average $454 and $447 per quarter respectively.
A lack of understanding may be contributing to higher electricity bills, with 38% of those who received an unexpectedly high electricity bill in the last 12 months saying they don't understand their electricity bill.
What is Australia's energy consumption?
In the 2023 financial year, Australia consumed 188.6 terawatt hours of electricity. Of this, New South Wales (67.5 terawatt hours), Queensland (56.1 terawatt hours) and Victoria (43 terawatt hours) made up the majority of consumption.
Annual electricity consumption in Australia has continued to increase over the years. Consumption dipped slightly in 2013 and 2014 at 194 terawatt hours, but has increased steadily in the years since.
How much of Australia's energy comes from renewable sources?
Almost 30% of Australia's electricity generation comes from renewable sources, including solar (8%), wind (14%) and hydro (7%).
Despite this, more than half of Australian energy generation comes from coal. In the 12 months to August 2024, 47% of the electricity generation in Australia came from black coal, 17% came from brown coal and 6% was generated using gas.
Are Australians prepared to pay for green energy?
Finder research found that a majority of Australians are conscious about their impact on the climate. 68% of Aussies said they are concerned in some way about their carbon footprint.
Finder research found 33% of Australians are willing to pay more on their electricity bill for green power.
Gen Y are the most willing to pay more for clean energy, with 47% saying they would fork out extra for green power. This is compared to 23% of baby boomers and 29% of Gen X.
However, when it comes to how much extra they are willing to pay for green power, Gen Z were the most generous willing to pay $61 extra per month. Baby Boomers are willing to pay the least at only $25 per month.
The good news is that switching to green energy doesn't have to cost you more. Finder's 2022 Green Consumer Report found switching to an electric vehicle could actually save you $1,120 a year.
Sources
More resources on Finder
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