Electricity Comparison in New South Wales

NSW runs on a deregulated energy market, which means residential customers can freely choose their electricity retailer. The network itself is managed by distributors, who own and maintain the powerlines that deliver electricity to your property. Your distributor depends on where you live:

• Ausgrid covers Sydney, the Central Coast, and the Hunter region
• Endeavour Energy services Greater Western Sydney, the Blue Mountains, Southern Highlands, the Illawarra, and the South Coast
• Essential Energy covers regional and rural NSW

Energy retailers are separate from distributors. They buy electricity through the wholesale market and sell it to you through electricity plans, handling your billing, pricing, and customer service. Your distributor does not change when you switch retailers. The powerlines stay the same, and there is no disruption to your supply.

The Australian Energy Regulator (AER) sets the Default Market Offer (DMO), a price safety net for residential and small business customers on a standing offer, and the reference price against which all market offers must be displayed. The DMO is a ceiling, not a target. Most households on a standing offer pay more than they need to, because energy retailers reserve their keenest rates for customers who actively compare and switch.

Not all electricity plans are built the same, and the cheapest-looking offer does not always deliver the lowest annual cost. Before you compare, it helps to know which plan features actually affect what you pay each quarter. GoSwitch displays all of these side by side so you can assess your options based on your energy needs.

The key things to review before committing to a plan:

• Usage rates: The cents per kilowatt-hour (c/kWh) charged for the electricity you actually consume. This is the biggest driver of your bill.
• Daily supply charge: A fixed fee charged every day simply for being connected to the grid, regardless of how much power you use.
• Contract terms: Whether the plan is fixed or open, and whether exit fees apply if you leave before the contract period ends.
• Conditional discounts: Some plans offer savings tied to direct debit or pay on time conditions. Missing a payment can mean losing the discount entirely for that billing cycle.
• Benefit period: The length of time a promotional rate or discount applies. Rates can revert higher once the benefit period ends, so check what you will pay after it expires.

Comparing the full annual cost of a plan, rather than the headline rate alone, gives you a much clearer picture of its real value.

Electricity prices in NSW depend on your location, energy usage, and the plan you are on. Each year, the AER sets a reference price known as the Default Market Offer (DMO), which acts as a benchmark for comparing electricity deals across the state. According to IPART’s Electricity in NSW retail market monitoring report, published July 2025, a typical NSW household on a standing offer can save around $400 a year by moving to a market offer.

The table below shows the AER reference price for 2025-26 across each NSW distribution network, based on typical residential energy usage.

Figures are GST-inclusive and based on typical residential energy usage on a single rate tariff. Your actual electricity bill will vary depending on your plan, tariff type, and household consumption.

The gap between cheapest electricity plans and the most expensive in the same network can reach $770 a year, according to the Vinnies NSW Tariff Tracker, October 2025 update. Comparing your current energy rates against live market offers through GoSwitch is the most direct way to find out if your energy bill can be reduced.

Several government rebates are available to eligible NSW households to help reduce the cost of electricity. Eligibility depends on your concession card status, household circumstances, and in some cases your energy plan. The rebates below are current for the 2025-26 financial year, according to the NSW Government and energy.nsw.gov.au.

• Low Income Household Rebate: $285 per year for eligible concession card holders, applied as a daily credit on your electricity bill. Embedded network customers receive $313.50 per year.
• Medical Energy Rebate: $285 per year for households where a resident has a medical condition requiring additional energy use. This rebate can be claimed on top of the Low Income Household Rebate.
• Seniors Energy Rebate: $200 per year for eligible independent retirees holding a Commonwealth Seniors Health Card, paid directly into a nominated bank account.
• Energy Accounts Payment Assistance (EAPA): Emergency hardship payments applied directly to your energy account for households at risk of disconnection, available through community organisations across NSW.

If your household also uses natural gas, the NSW Gas Rebate provides $110 per year for eligible concession card holders and is applied directly to your gas bill. Eligibility runs across both electricity and gas plans, and some rebates can be combined — worth checking before you assume you only qualify for one.

GoSwitch can help you find an energy plan that works alongside your rebates in Australia, so you keep more of that relief in your pocket rather than giving it back through an uncompetitive rate.

Unlike some other states, NSW sets no government-mandated minimum feed-in rate. Each electricity retailer sets its own rate for solar panels that export unused solar energy back to the grid, which means what you earn as a credit on your electricity bill depends entirely on your plan. IPART’s benchmark range for solar feed-in tariffs in NSW sits at 4.8c to 7.3c per kilowatt-hour in 2025-26. Individual retailer offers vary and may sit above or below this benchmark.

A high feed-in rate does not automatically make a plan the best choice. Some retailers offer an attractive solar feed-in tariff but offset it with higher usage rates or a steeper daily supply charge. GoSwitch includes feed-in tariff details when comparing plans, so solar households can weigh the full picture before switching.

Switching electricity providers in NSW does not interrupt your power supply. Your new provider manages the transfer once you have selected a plan, and most switches complete within a few business days. You do not need to contact your current retailer first.

Use GoSwitch as your comparison tool to get started:

1. Enter your postcode and provide details about your energy usage, such as your current bill and household size.
2. Review available plans side by side, including usage rates, daily supply charges, and contract terms.
3. Select the plan that suits your household and complete the sign-up online.
4. Your new provider contacts your current retailer and arranges the transfer on your behalf.
5. A final meter read is completed at your property, and billing moves to your new provider from that date.

GoSwitch is a free energy comparison service with no obligation to proceed once you have compared. If you are also reviewing your gas plans, GoSwitch compares gas alongside electricity so you can sort both in one place.