Compare Electricity Prices in Sydney

Working out if your Sydney electricity bill is competitive takes time most people would rather spend elsewhere. GoSwitch helps you compare electricity prices in Sydney from leading retailers in one place, free of charge. All we need to get started is your postcode and a few details about your home.

What do Sydney households pay for electricity right now?

Written by Clint Robinson, GoSwitch CEO
Published 3 August 202612 mins read

Sydney households on the Ausgrid network have a benchmark electricity price of $1,899 a year. The Australian Energy Regulator (AER) sets that figure as the reference price under the Default Market Offer, and it resets every July. The other two networks are higher again.

The DMO caps what retailers can charge on a standing offer, which is the plan you land on if you have never switched. Every market offer must publish a comparison price against the same benchmark.

We measure Sydney electricity prices against that AER benchmark, so a percentage below it is a real saving rather than a marketing line.

Network Model annual usage Reference price 2026-27 Change on 2025-26
Ausgrid 3,900 kWh $1,899 Down $66 (3.4%)
Endeavour Energy 4,900 kWh $2,328 Down $83 (3.4%)
Essential Energy 4,600 kWh $2,604 Down $137 (5.0%)

Residential flat rate tariff without controlled load. Figures from the Australian Energy Regulator Default Market Offer 2026-27 final determination, released 26 May 2026 and effective 1 July 2026. Verified 27 July 2026.

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Are you on the Ausgrid or Endeavour network?

Most Sydney households sit on the Ausgrid network, while Greater Western Sydney runs on Endeavour Energy. Your distributor owns the poles, wires and meter at your address, and sets the network charges every retailer passes on. That is why two homes with identical usage can pay different amounts.

  • Ausgrid covers Sydney city, the inner west, eastern suburbs, northern suburbs and northern beaches, along with the Central Coast and the Hunter.
  • Endeavour Energy runs the network across Greater Western Sydney, the Blue Mountains, the Southern Highlands, the Illawarra and the South Coast.
  • Essential Energy supplies regional and rural New South Wales rather than the Sydney metropolitan area.

You do not need to check a bill to work out which one serves you. Enter your postcode and GoSwitch matches your distributor automatically, then shows only the plans available at that address.

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How do usage rates and supply charges build your bill?

Every Sydney electricity bill has two parts. A daily supply charge covers your connection to the network and applies even if you use nothing. Usage charges cover the power you actually draw, priced in cents per kilowatt hour.

Across Ausgrid plans, usage rates currently run from about 24 to 34 cents per kWh. The supply charge ranges from roughly 77 cents to $1.66 a day. Low use households save more from a low supply charge, while heavy users should chase the lower usage rate.

We show both charges side by side in plain cents. A low usage rate paired with a high supply charge can still cost more over a year.

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    Which tariff type suits your household?

    Sydney plans use one of four tariff structures, and the right one depends on when you use power rather than how much. A single rate tariff charges the same amount around the clock.

    Time of use tariffs split the day into peak, shoulder and off-peak periods. They only pay off if you can move heavy jobs out of the evening.

     

    Tariff How it charges Who it suits Smart meter
    Single rate One usage rate per kWh at any hour Households with steady use or little flexibility No
    Time of use Separate peak, shoulder and off-peak rates Households that can shift use away from the evening peak Yes
    Demand Adds a charge based on the most power you draw at once during peak periods Households that avoid running several large appliances together Yes
    Controlled load A cheaper rate on a separate circuit for one appliance Homes with electric hot water or a pool pump Separate circuit

    A controlled load runs one appliance on a separate circuit at a cheaper rate, usually electric hot water or a pool pump. Controlled load tariffs sit alongside your main tariff rather than replacing it. Time of use and demand tariffs both need a smart meter.

    We ask about your appliances and daily habits before returning results, because an off-peak rate only saves money if it matches how your home runs.

    Who supplies electricity to Sydney homes?

    More than twenty electricity retailers sell to Sydney homes, and every one of them uses the same poles and wires. Your retailer sets the price and the energy plans on offer, never the reliability of your supply.

    What separates them is pricing, contract terms and extras like bill credits or rewards points. The list below covers the retailers competing hardest for Sydney households right now.

    • AGL – AGL is one of Australia’s largest energy retailers and sells electricity, gas and solar plans in Sydney.
    • EnergyAustralia – EnergyAustralia supplies households nationally and offers both single rate and time of use plans.
    • Red Energy – Red Energy is owned by Snowy Hydro and offers plans that earn Qantas Points.
    • Alinta Energy – Alinta Energy sells both electricity and gas, so Sydney households can bundle the two.
    • OVO Energy – OVO Energy launched in the United Kingdom and now sells electricity to Australian households.
    • ENGIE – ENGIE traded as Simply Energy before rebranding and sells electricity and gas in Sydney.
    • Powershop – Powershop suits customers who want to track and manage their usage online.
    • GloBird Energy – GloBird Energy is an independent retailer that competes mainly on price.
    • Nectr – Nectr builds its plans around solar households and daytime generation.
    • Kogan Energy – Kogan Energy extends the Kogan retail brand into electricity and gas.
    • Dodo – Dodo sells energy alongside internet and mobile, so households can bundle bills.
    • Sumo – Sumo is a smaller retailer that trades on price rather than brand recognition.
    • 1st Energy – 1st Energy sells to both residential and small business customers across Sydney.
    • Energy Locals – Energy Locals charges a membership fee rather than marking up usage rates.
    • Amber Electric – Amber Electric charges a monthly subscription and passes wholesale prices through to customers.
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    What is the Solar Sharer Offer?

    The Solar Sharer Offer gives Sydney households three hours of free electricity every day, and rooftop solar is not required. It started on 1 July 2026 under national energy rules.

    1. Free power runs between 11am and 2pm every day of the week.
    2. A daily cap of 24 kWh applies to the free window.
    3. Retailers with more than 1,000 customers in the area must make the plan available.
    4. You need to opt in, since retailers do not move households across automatically.
    5. Your meter has to record usage in short intervals for the free window to work.

    The plan suits households that can run the dishwasher, washing machine or pool pump in the middle of the day. Not every Sydney retailer has launched one yet, so availability depends on who supplies your address.

    Free hours only pay off if the rest of the day does not cost more. Several plans lift peak rates to fund the free window, so we compare the total yearly cost rather than the headline.

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    How much do Sydney solar households earn for exporting power?

    A solar feed-in tariff is what your retailer pays for power your panels send back to the grid. Sydney retailers set their own rate, and IPART publishes a yearly benchmark so households can judge if an offer is fair. The all-day benchmark for 2026-27 is 3.4 to 6.5 cents per kWh, down from 4.8 to 7.3 cents the year before.

    Exports sent to the grid in the evening are worth far more. IPART publishes separate time-of-day ranges for each network, and the evening figures run five to ten times the all-day rate

    Network All-day benchmark Evening benchmark Evening window
    Ausgrid 3.4 to 6.5c per kWh 17.2 to 18.7c per kWh 4pm to 9pm
    Endeavour Energy 3.4 to 6.5c per kWh 16.9 to 19.9c per kWh 4pm to 8pm
    Essential Energy 3.4 to 6.5c per kWh 26.6 to 33.3c per kWh 5pm to 8pm

    IPART published these solar feed-in tariff benchmarks for 2026-27 on 25 May 2026. Benchmarks are a guide, not a mandated rate. Verified 27 July 2026.

    Only a handful of retailers pay time-of-day rates, so most solar panels in Sydney still earn the flat benchmark. GoSwitch factors your export rate and your usage pattern into the estimate, because a high feed-in rate paired with expensive power usually loses.

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    Can you switch if you rent or live in an embedded network?

    Renters can switch electricity providers whenever the account sits in their name. You do not need the landlord’s permission, and you do not need to tell them.

    Embedded networks work differently. A strata building, retirement village or caravan park buys power in bulk and on sells it to residents. The bill then comes from the building operator rather than a retailer. Inner Sydney apartment blocks are the most common case.

    Check the name on your bill. A strata manager or village operator listed as the supplier usually means you sit inside an embedded network. That narrows your options.

    Some embedded network customers can still move to a retailer, and some cannot. One of our energy specialists can confirm what applies at your address, because a bill alone does not always make it clear.

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    What energy rebates can NSW households claim?

    Six NSW rebates cut what households pay for energy, and none of them apply automatically. You claim each one separately, and the amount changes if your building buys power in bulk.

    Rebate Retail customers Embedded network Who it is for
    Low Income Household Rebate $285 a year $313.50 a year Pensioner Concession, Health Care, Low Income Health Care or DVA Veteran Gold Card holders
    Medical Energy Rebate $285 a year $313.50 a year Concession card holders with a medical need for heating or cooling
    Seniors Energy Rebate $200 a year $200 a year Commonwealth Seniors Health Card holders
    Family Energy Rebate Up to $180 a year Up to $198 a year Households receiving the Family Tax Benefit
    Gas Rebate Up to $110 a year Up to $121 a year Concession card holders with a mains gas account
    Life Support Rebate Varies by equipment Varies by equipment Homes running approved life support equipment

    Rebate amounts published by NSW Climate and Energy Action and Service NSW. Verified 27 July 2026.

    Two rules matter. You cannot hold the Low Income Household Rebate and the Seniors Energy Rebate together. Taking the Low Income rebate also drops the Family Energy Rebate to $20 for retail customers and $22 in an embedded network.

    We apply the rebates you qualify for to the annual estimate, so the figure you compare is what you would actually pay.

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    How do you switch electricity providers in Sydney?

    Switching electricity providers in Sydney happens online and completes within a few business days. Your old account closes once a final meter read comes through.

    1. Grab your latest bill, since it shows your usage and your current electricity plan.
    2. Enter your postcode and usage to see what is available at your address.
    3. Pick a plan and sign up online, and GoSwitch handles the transfer.
    4. Wait for the final meter read, which sets the date your new rates start.

    Check three things before you commit. Exit fees still apply on some contracts, though most Sydney plans now carry no exit fee.

    Conditional discounts only pay out if you meet a condition, usually direct debit or paying on time. Variable rates let your retailer change the price mid-contract, so a low opening rate can drift.

    The poles, wires and meter at your address stay exactly as they are. Nobody visits, your power never drops out, and you never need to contact your old retailer.

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    Find better Sydney electricity prices with GoSwitch

    Comparing costs nothing and commits you to nothing. Enter your postcode and tell us how much power you use. GoSwitch then shows the plans available at your address with the annual cost for each.

    You can compare energy plans for electricity and natural gas at the same time, so a dual fuel household sees both bills in one place. We also compare internet and health insurance if you want to tidy up the rest.

    Sydney households who have never switched are usually paying more than they need to. Compare electricity prices in Sydney today and see what a better plan looks like!

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    FAQs

    Sydney electricity prices fell at the benchmark level in 2026, with the Ausgrid reference price dropping $66 to $1,899 a year. Many retailers lifted their daily supply charges at the same time, so check where your own plan sits with GoSwitch.

    Sydney households on the Ausgrid network pay between about $1,200 and $1,900 a year, or roughly $300 to $475 a quarter. Usage varies with household size and heating, so enter your own usage figures into GoSwitch for a closer estimate.

    A benefit period is the limited window where a discount or bonus credit applies, usually for 12 months from sign up. Your rate can jump sharply once it ends, and GoSwitch can flag what you would pay when it expires.

    Your solar feed-in tariff changes to whatever the new retailer offers, since each sets its own rate and IPART only publishes a guide. Nothing carries over from your old plan, so we show the export rate beside the usage rate before you commit.

    An unpaid balance usually does not stop a switch, though your old retailer will still pursue the debt separately. A new retailer may run a credit check, so arrange a payment plan first and then run a comparison with us.

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