south australian electricity retail market
start saving!
enter your postcode to find a better deal on your power & gas
South Australia is the fourth biggest electricity market in Australia, after NSW, Victoria and Queensland. The state has approximately 700,000 residential customers and 100,000 business customers. There is only one electricity distribution network - ETSA Utilities.
South Australia introduced full retail competition to the electricity market in 2002; prior to that date residents were not able to switch electricity providers.
electricity suppliers in adelaide & south australia
Electricity suppliers, called retailers, are companies that sell electricity directly to consumers and/or businesses and issue bills. Retailers do not usually own the wires and poles; they simply purchase electricity wholesale (or in some cases generate electricity themselves) and resell it to the end consumer. They pay the electricity distributors a fee for using their networks to supply power to households and businesses. This fee is passed on to consumers in the form of a supply charge.
As at August 2011, there were nine electricity suppliers retailing to South Australian households:
adelaide & south australia electricity prices
The amount you pay for electricity comprises a fixed supply charge (priced in cents per day) plus usage charges per kilowatt hour of power that you consume (priced in cents per kWh). The more electricity that you consume the higher your usage charges will be so there is always an incentive to use less.
In most states power prices usually vary depending upon where you live. However, in South Australia, with only one distributor, base retail electricity prices are consistent across the entire state although vary according to the retailer you choose.
Power prices also vary depending upon the type of meter you have at your home. Many homes have single-rate meters, which means you pay the same price per kWh regardless of when you use electricity. Some households have off-peak meters tied to specific appliances such as hot water or storage heating that work only at night time; in such cases they pay a lower price for this type of usage.
As the price you pay for electricity varies depending upon where you live, how much you use, what type of meter you have and the electricity company you select it is not a simple task to compare electricity prices in Adelaide and South Australia. However, Switchwise makes it easy - simply enter your postcode on our homepage, answer a few questions and we can calculate whether there are cheaper electricity suppliers and plans for your home.