Compare electricity and gas providers in Canberra and the ACT

• Look for a cheaper plan. There’s a range of energy providers and plans available in Canberra and the greater ACT area. If you haven’t shopped around recently or if you’re on a standing offer, you may find a plan that better suits your usage needs and budget by comparing.
• Understand your property’s tariff. The tariff you’re on will impact how your provider charges you for electricity or gas. Some tariffs (such as time-of-use tariffs) allow you to alter your energy consumption to make the most of your plan.
• Take advantage of discounts and incentives. If you haven’t updated your energy plan in a while, you may find that your plan benefits have expired, you’re no longer receiving a discount or you’ve rolled on to a standing offer plan. Comparing energy plans can help you keep on top of offers with attractive discounts, potentially saving you money in the long run.

In the ACT, the energy market is deregulated, meaning you can choose who you want as your energy provider. However, the ACT government provides a reference price each year that customers can use to compare retailers. Each electricity plan will have a percentage that shows how the plan related to the reference price (e.g. 7% below the reference price).

Because customers in deregulated states and territories can choose their energy provider, energy markets tend to see more competitive rates known as market offers. Market offers tend to be more affordable than standing offers for regulated zones as they sometimes include discounts and a fixed price or price guarantee period.

Simply put, this means that you have the freedom to pick and choose between energy providers in the ACT and you can shop around for a plan that suits you on your terms.

Electricity providers in Canberra and the ACT can set their own usage and supply charges but must disclose the price difference between the electricity plans they offer and the reference price.

The reference price helps protect you against providers that set unfair costs by offering a benchmark that’s based on your location’s average annual electricity usage.

The reference price applies to residential customers on flat or time-of-use tariffs regardless of whether there’s a controlled load tariff or not. For small business customers, it only applies to flat tariffs where prices for electricity supply don’t include controlled load tariffs.

Here are the 2024-2025 ACT reference prices:

New South Wales (NSW), South East Queensland (QLD) and South Australia (SA) have the Default Market Offer (DMO) instead, that’s used as a maximum price that retailers can charge electricity customers. In Victoria, they use the Victorian Default Offer (VDO) instead.

Our energy comparison service can help you compare energy plans and providers in Canberra, the ACT and beyond. Simply enter in a few details, like your energy usage and address, and within minutes you can compare electricity and gas plans in Canberra from a range of energy providers.

You can see which electricity suppliers in Canberra retail electricity by reviewing the list below. We don’t compare products from all electricity providers on this list as we don’t compare all brands in the market, or all products offered by all brands. Find information about the electricity providers we currently compare.

• ActewAGL
• Amber Electric
• CovaU
• Energy Locals
• EnergyAustralia
• Nectr
• Origin Energy
• Red Energy

The information provided above is based on the postcode of 2600 and is accurate as of 3 December 2024. Data sourced from the Australian Energy Regulator (AER).

The following energy providers are dual fuel providers that offer both electricity and gas in ACT.

• ActewAGL
• EnergyAustralia
• Origin Energy
• Red Energy

The information provided above is accurate as of 3 December 2024. Data sourced from the Australian Energy Regulator (AER).

When it comes to finding the cheapest electricity provider, it’s important to compare because the exact plans and providers available to you will depend on where you live, your meter type and more.

To help you get started, we’ve compiled a table of the cheapest electricity for each provider in the ACT.

The prices and information provided above are based on a house with two to three adults with no electric heating, hot water or underfloor heating in the postcode of 2600 and are accurate as of 3 December 2024. Data sourced from the Australian Energy Regulator (AER). Plans and prices are subject to change.

In Canberra and the greater ACT area, you will see two main charges on your electricity bill:

• A fixed daily supply charge for electricity to be distributed to your property.
• A usage charge for each kilowatt-hour (kWh) of the electricity you use, which is charged as cents per kWh (c/kWh). The more electricity you use, the higher your electricity bill will be.

For gas, you’ll also pay a fixed daily supply charge and a usage charge for each megajoule of gas used (charged as cents per MJ (c/MJ).

Tariffs are the pricing structures that influence the way providers charge you for your energy usage.

The following types of electricity tariffs may be applicable in the ACT:

• Single rate tariffs charge the same, flat rate for your energy usage no matter when or how you use electricity.
• Time-of-use tariffs charge different rates throughout the day or day of the week depending on when you use electricity. These times are generally known as peak, off-peak and shoulder. You’ll need a smart meter to take advantage of a time of use tariff plan.
• Controlled load tariffs charge a lower, off-peak rate for large household appliances (like underfloor heating or electric hot water systems) that usually run during the night or in off-peak periods, but your appliances will need to be wired into a separate meter.
• Demand tariffs are a separate charge on your bill that vary depending on the intensity you use electricity during certain demand periods. This charge is in addition to the daily supply and usage charges.

If you have a solar power system for your house or business, you may end up generating more solar energy than you use. With a solar feed-in tariff in the ACT, your solar system can feed extra and unused energy back into the electricity grid. You may get paid for it as a credit on your electricity bill.

Solar feed-in tariffs can vary between energy providers in Canberra, so always consider this when comparing ACT energy plans.

The exact price of your electricity bill will vary depending on factors such as your household size, energy plan, what your electricity usage is and more. However, for residential customers using an annual consumption of 6,500kWh the yearly cost based on the ACT reference price is $2,267.¹

However, if you switched to a market offer you could save. The average market offer price while on a single rate tariff is $1,967, and on a time of use tariff is $1,960. Just by switching to a cheaper market offer you could potentially save hundreds of dollars on your electricity bills. However, it’s important to remember that the above is an average only and the offers available to you may differ in price and your household’s annual consumption will vary.

The ACT offers a Utilities Concession for eligible residents, which can help you save money and minimise your overall cost of living.²

You may be eligible for the Utilities Concession if you’re the primary holder of one of the following cards:

• Veteran’s Affairs Pensioner Concession Card or Gold Card
• Pensioner Concession Card
• Low Income Health Care Card
• Health Care Card.
• ACT Services Access Card.

The concession covers electricity, gas, water and sewage, and you can apply for it by simply contacting your energy provider.

Find out more about seniors energy rebates and concessions and other state-based rebates you may be eligible for.

The best energy deal for you will depend on your financial circumstances, energy consumption habits and household. Every gas and electricity provider offers varying rates, discounts, payment methods (including direct debit), exit fees (if any) and more. So, while the best deal for someone may be the cheapest plan, the best deal for someone else may be the most flexible.

Consider your personal circumstances while comparing energy plans. Our energy comparison service makes it easy to compare energy suppliers and plans in the ACT. You can compare the estimated total costs, usage costs, daily supply charges, and other fees.