What you’re really paying above the cheapest plan

The gap, zone by zone

Each bar runs on a shared scale. The quiet steel is what you pay on the cheapest plan we track. The gold is the gap to the regulated reference price: the money on the table.

Savings shown are the difference between the regulated reference price and the cheapest plan we track for that zone, at the AER or ESC benchmark annual usage, single rate, no controlled load, no solar export, GST included. Your own saving will differ with your usage, tariff and meter. These are not the cheapest plans in the market, only the cheapest we track.

How the gap has moved

Reference price against the cheapest plan we track, over time.

By state

The index covers the ten regulated DMO and VDO zones. Open a state to compare plans across its distribution zones.

Methodology

Common questions

What is the energy reference price?

The reference price is the regulated benchmark retailers must quote their offers against. In most of the country it is the Default Market Offer set by the AER, and in Victoria it is the Victorian Default Offer set by the ESC. It is a cap and a comparison point, not the cheapest price available.

How do you work out the cheapest plan?

For each distribution zone we take the lowest annual cost among the plans we track, calculated at that zone’s representative usage benchmark, single rate, with no controlled load and no solar export assumed. We then line that figure up against the reference price for the same zone.

What usage figure do you use?

Each zone uses its own AER or ESC representative residential usage figure, measured in kWh per year. We show the benchmark for every zone so the comparison is transparent and like for like.

How often is the index updated?

We refresh the index against the latest Consumer Data Right product data and the current DMO and VDO determinations. The last-updated date shown on the page is the real date the figures were last verified.

Does this cover every plan in the market?

No. We compare the plans we track, not every plan in the market. The gap we publish is the saving against the cheapest plan we track in each zone, which is an honest floor rather than a claim about every offer that exists.

Are wholesale or variable-rate plans included?

The cheapest-plan comparison covers fixed-price plans. Wholesale passthrough products, where your rate varies with the spot market, are excluded because their published rates are estimates rather than a set price. They still appear among the plans we track and in our plan counts; they just cannot be the cheapest plan we track.

What about plans with conditions like mandatory direct debit?

The cheapest-tracked figure reflects plans a typical customer can obtain on an unconditional basis, matching the basis of the reference price. Plans that require mandatory direct debit or bill smoothing, membership or bundling, or that are open to new customers only or closed to existing customers, are noted separately and excluded from the headline cheapest. They still appear among the plans we track and in our plan counts.

Why do prices differ between distribution zones?

Network costs vary by distribution zone, and so do the representative usage benchmarks and the wholesale and regulatory settings behind each reference price. That is why the same retailer can quote different prices in neighbouring zones, and why we report zone by zone rather than as a single national number.