Guide to energy providers in Western Australia

You may be able to choose your natural gas provider in Western Australia. Residential customers may be able to choose gas plans from the following providers (depending on your location, not all plans or providers may be available):

• AGL
• Alinta Energy
• Amanda Energy
• Kleenheat
• Origin Energy
• Perth Energy
• ENGIE (formerly Simply Energy)
• Supagas
• Synergy.³

The above list is the current license holders to retail gas in Western Australia. Information accurate as of December 2024.

ATCO operates three gas distribution systems across WA and provides gas to thousands of homes and businesses across the state. These distribution systems are the Mid-West and South-West Gas Distribution Systems, the Kalgoorlie Gas Distribution System, as well as the Albany Gas Distribution System.⁴ Through over 14,000km of pipeline, ATCO already services parts of Perth, Geraldton, Kalgoorlie, Albany and Bunbury.

Gas providers sell this gas to homes and businesses across the state and manage your gas account.

In most cases, you won’t have a choice of energy supplier. There are a few electricity providers available in Perth and other parts of the region, but you need a contestable meter to choose your own provider and energy plan.

A contestable meter means energy companies can see you’re available as a potential customer, and you can choose your energy provider. To become contestable, you must live outside the South West Interconnected System (SWIS), where electricity is primarily distributed by Western Power. Or, if you do live within this area, you must use more than 50 MWh of electricity per year, which generally excludes residential and small business customers.⁵

As such, residential customers in the SWIS seldom get to choose their electricity provider. Businesses, however, are a different story, as they use much more electricity and account for virtually all contestable SWIS electricity consumers.

If Western Power is your distributor and you are a contestable consumer, you may be able to choose electricity plans from the following companies (availability can differ depending on your exact location and eligibility):

• Advanced Energy Resources Retail
• Alinta Energy
• Amanda Energy
• Change Energy
• Horizon Power
• Kleenheat
• Perth Energy
• Rottnest Island Authority
• Synergy.⁶

Information accurate as of September 2024 and subject to change.

To supply electricity to customers, providers purchase electricity from the Wholesale Electricity Market (WEM) rather than the National Electricity Market (NEM), which operates in most other states and territories except the Northern Territory.

Non-contestable customers within the Western Power electricity network are supplied by Synergy and electricity prices are regulated by the Western Australian Government.⁵

Typically, in a functional and competitive market, there are benefits to energy deregulation. It gives consumers the power of choice, and competition between electricity retailers that can help drive prices down.

However, there is no getting around the vast distances in WA. These would normally drive up the cost of the supply charge on your electricity bill. However, since the market is regulated, you can experience similar prices whether you’re in Perth, Broome or further afield. This means Western Australians aren’t penalised based on where they live.

Western Power is the WA electricity distributor that manages the network of powerlines within the SWIS region of the state. The distribution zone extends all the way from Kalbarri in the north, to Albany in the south and Kalgoorlie in the east.

In the SWIS region, electricity is generated by Synergy, transferred along the network operated by Western Power and then sold to customers by Synergy or other providers.

Outside of the SWIS region, Horizon Power is responsible for generating, distributing and selling energy for consumers in the North West Interconnected System (NWIS).

The Western Australian state government has some concessions available to help with the cost of energy bills (accurate as of December 2024):

• Energy Concession Extension Scheme (ECES). This payment is designed to reduce the overall cost of electricity. It applies to concession cardholders with an electricity provider that’s not Synergy or Horizon Power. There are three potential rebates within the scheme:⁷
  • Energy Assistance Payment (EAP). Concession cardholders who are not billed directly by Horizon Power or Synergy may be eligible for an annual payment that’s deposited directly into their nominated account.
  • Dependent Child Rebate (DCR). This is available to concession cardholders who have children living at home and is a rebate to cover their child’s energy needs.
  • Air Conditioning Rebate. Eligibility includes concession cardholders, those eligible for the DCR and those who live in a nominated town. This rebate helps cover air conditioning costs during the hot summer months, depending on where people live.

• Hardship Utility Grant Scheme (HUGS). This concession is for consumers experiencing financial hardship who have exhausted other strategies and payment options to pay overdue bills.⁸
• Cost of Living Rebate. WA Seniors Cardholders can apply for a payment to assist with the cost of living. Each July, the Western Australian Government deposits the payment into approved applicants’ bank accounts.⁸
• Life Support Equipment Electricity Subsidy Scheme. To receive the concession, applicants must have a Pensioner Card, Health Care Card or a Health Care Interim Voucher and need life support equipment, or be the guardian/primary caregiver of a patient in need of life support equipment in their home.⁸

Yes, solar feed-in tariffs are available for those with a solar system at home who meet the eligibility requirements and want to export their solar energy to the electricity grid. Western Australia has the Distributed Energy Buyback Scheme (DEBS) to encourage households to install solar panels and generate electricity later in the day when demand and wholesale costs are higher.

The solar feed-in tariff rate may vary depending on where you live and the time of day you export electricity.