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compare gas supplies
Australia has significant natural gas supplies which service both domestic and overseas demand. Finding the best supplier for your household can be a daunting process so Switchwise was developed to enable consumers to compare gas plans quickly and easily. Australia has more than 3.75 million residential gas users and 105,000 business gas users, with the largest number of gas users in Victoria followed by New South Wales (NSW) and the ACT. Gas users can use the Switchwise calculator to compare gas products and in many cases switch to a new gas company online.
deregulating the industry
When the various State Governments decided to deregulate their energy industries, part of the reasoning behind the decision was to allow consumers better access to cheap home gas through a competitive marketplace. There are now numerous gas suppliers, and households are free to compare gas providers and choose the supplier they prefer, selecting plans with better service, cheaper prices or better environmental benefits.
ensuring competition
Changes to the ownership of the gas pipeline infrastructure as well as subsequent regulatory modifications since the 1990's have seen the break-up of individual gas suppliers into separate gas transmission and distribution companies, many of which are now privately owned.
To ensure monopolies did not develop and that gas competition and pricing remained fair, the Government introduced regulations allowing third party access to pipelines. More recently, under reforms agreed to in the Australian Energy Market Agreement 2004 (amended 2006) the current Gas Law and Gas Code is to be replaced with the National Gas Law and National Gas Rules which require the owners of covered pipelines to submit access arrangements to the regulator for approval. All these measures help ensure that the supply of gas to Australian households by the various providers remains price competitive and fair.
natural gas usage
Natural gas has many applications in the home and business sectors of the Australian economy. Gas is useful in the home because it is a source of cheap energy for cooking, hot water and heating. Business use involves all sectors from restaurants and cafes through to hotels and schools. Natural gas is also used by a growing number of power stations to generate electricity as a clean and inexpensive alternative to coal. Compressed natural gas is increasingly being used for transport, mainly in buses.
gaining an edge in gas
To find out how you can save money on your gas bills and ensure you are getting a good deal on gas, use Switchwise to compare gas pricing and plans from a variety of gas suppliers. Our price comparisons and calculators give you the opportunity to compare a range of gas suppliers and possibly find yourself a cheaper gas supplier or plan. On our search results page you can sort gas plans by cost to find a cheaper deal for your home.
advantages over coal
One of the key advantages of natural gas is that it pollutes less than other hydrocarbon energy sources. The burning of natural gas still releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere but compared to coal and oil the amount of carbon dioxide released is significantly less and thus natural gas has an environmental advantage by up to 65 percent. It is also thus becoming an increasingly viable alternative for electricity generation and transportation. Gas fired electricity turbines are also far more efficient than coal fired turbines.
In addition to its environmental benefits, natural gas is also the energy of choice for your home. Running your heating, hot water and oven & stove on natural gas is usually cheaper than electricity due to both its generally lower prices and higher efficiency.