We Analysed 9,933 Energy Plans Across 34 Retailers. The Price Differences Are Staggering.

A South Australian household on the most expensive residential electricity plan pays $2,639 more per year than a household on the cheapest plan in the same state — for the same electricity, delivered through the same wires.

That's not a typo. It's $220 per month in avoidable costs, hiding in plain sight.

We analysed every active residential electricity plan in Australia — 9,933 plans across 34 retailers — using publicly regulated data from the Australian Energy Regulator (AER). The results reveal a market where identical households in the same area can pay wildly different amounts depending on which plan they're on, and where the conventional wisdom about energy pricing doesn't always hold up.

How We Did This

This analysis covers all active residential electricity plans available through the AER's Consumer Data Right (CDR) framework as of 29 March 2026. Annual costs are calculated using a standard household consumption of 4,900 kWh per year — the AER's benchmark for an average Australian household — applied uniformly across all plans using each plan's published daily supply charge and usage rate.

All data is sourced from regulated, publicly available pricing information that retailers are required to publish. No estimates, no cherry-picking, no sponsored results.

Finding 1: Same State, $2,639 Difference

The single largest price gap we found was in South Australia, where the cheapest active plan costs $1,642 per year and the most expensive costs $4,281 per year — a difference of $2,639.

Annual cost calculated at 4,900 kWh consumption. Cheapest plans include variable wholesale-price plans (e.g., Amber) where actual costs depend on market conditions. Source: AER-regulated CDR pricing data, 29 March 2026.

Every state shows a price spread of at least $600 per year. In South Australia, New South Wales, and Victoria, the spread exceeds $1,800.

To be clear: these are plans available to households in the same state, connected to the same electricity grid. The product — electrons flowing through the same network — is identical. The price is not.

Finding 2: Even Within the Same Network Area, the Spread Exceeds $2,000

You might expect price differences between states — different networks, different wholesale markets. But what about households connected to the same distribution network, where the underlying infrastructure costs are identical?

Source: AER-regulated CDR pricing data. Distribution area based on network operator.

Within the AusNet distribution area in Victoria alone, there are 744 active plans — and a spread of $1,599 between the cheapest and most expensive. These households share the same poles, wires, and network charges. The only variable is the retailer and plan they've chosen.

Finding 3: The Big 3 Aren't Always the Most Expensive

A common assumption is that the "Big 3" retailers — AGL, Origin Energy, and EnergyAustralia — charge more than smaller competitors. The data tells a more nuanced story.

The Big 3's average annual cost is actually $75 cheaper than the average across all other retailers.

However, the real story is in the range. The absolute cheapest retailers by average price are all smaller players:

Note: Some smaller retailers have limited geographic availability or specialised plan structures.

And among the Big 3 themselves, the spread is significant: AGL averages $1,832/year, while EnergyAustralia averages $2,277/year — a $445 difference between two of the three largest retailers in the country.

Finding 4: Solar Feed-in Tariffs Vary by 1,125x

For households with rooftop solar, the feed-in tariff (FiT) — what your retailer pays you for exported electricity — is one of the biggest variables in your annual bill. And the variation is extraordinary.

At the bottom end, some plans from Alinta in Victoria offer a feed-in tariff of just 0.04 cents per kWh — meaning a household exporting 3,000 kWh of solar per year receives $1.20. At the top end, Flow Power's variable wholesale plans offer up to 45 cents per kWh, which on the same export volume would return $1,350.

The impact on annual bills is dramatic:

A solar household on the right plan pays 71% less than the cheapest non-solar plan. But a solar household on the wrong plan — one with a 0.04c FiT instead of a competitive rate — gives away almost all of that advantage.

Note: The highest FiT plans use variable wholesale pricing, meaning the actual rate fluctuates with market conditions. The 45c/kWh figure reflects peak export periods, not a guaranteed flat rate. Average FiT across these plans will be lower in practice.

Finding 5: The "Loyalty Tax" Is Real — But the Bigger Story Is Inertia

Standing offers (also called default offers or reference prices) are the plans you end up on if you never actively choose. Market offers are what you get when you compare and switch. The gap:

Source: Standing/default offers identified by plan naming convention in regulated CDR data.

The standing-to-market gap ranges from $59 to $159 per year — meaningful, but modest compared to the $1,500–$2,600 spreads we see across the full market. This matters because it tells us something important:

The AER's Default Market Offer and Victoria's Victorian Default Offer have compressed the gap between the worst standing offers and the market average. But they haven't addressed the much larger gap between the market average and the market's cheapest plans.

Finding 6: What This Means for Australian Households

According to the ACCC, 73% of energy consumers are not on the most cost-effective plan available to them. The AER estimates 2.5 million customers pay the default offer or above. Our analysis of 9,933 plans confirms why: the number of options is overwhelming, the price differences are enormous, and comparing plans manually is impractical.

Five things any household can do:

1. Check your current plan — look at your last bill and note your daily supply charge (c/day) and usage rate (c/kWh). These two numbers determine your cost.
2. Compare using the AER's Energy Made Easy tool at energymadeeasy.gov.au — enter your postcode and usage to see what's available.
3. If you have solar, prioritise the feed-in tariff — the 1,125x variation means your FiT choice can matter more than your usage rate. A plan with a high usage rate but strong FiT may be cheaper overall than a "cheap" plan with a negligible FiT.
4. Don't assume your retailer is too expensive (or cheap enough) — our data shows the Big 3 aren't systematically overpriced, and smaller retailers aren't automatically cheaper. The only way to know is to compare.
5. Review annually — plans change, new retailers enter the market, and your usage patterns shift. The plan that was cheapest last year may not be cheapest today. Set a calendar reminder.

Methodology

Data source: AER-regulated Consumer Data Right (CDR) pricing data, covering all active residential electricity plans published by licensed retailers

Date of analysis: 29 March 2026

Plans analysed: 9,933 active residential electricity plans across 34 retailers

Annual cost formula: (daily supply charge in cents × 365 days + usage rate in cents/kWh × 4,900 kWh) ÷ 100

Household consumption benchmark: 4,900 kWh/year (AER reference household)

Solar export benchmark: 3,000 kWh/year (where applicable)

Limitations: Calculations use flat-rate pricing where available. Time-of-use and demand tariff plans are estimated using weighted average rates. Variable wholesale plans (e.g., Amber, Flow Power) reflect estimated annual costs based on published reference rates, not actual wholesale spot prices. Actual bills may differ based on individual consumption patterns, tariff structures, and seasonal variation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Find the right plan for your household

Compare electricity plans from 34 retailers using regulated AER data. Enter your postcode and usage to see your estimated annual cost.