Last updated: 15 October 2026
Moving house? Here's how to set up electricity at your new home
Moving house electricity is two jobs that people treat as one. The distributor owns the poles and wires and connects the address. The energy retailer sells the plan and sends the bill. You do not choose the distributor. In most of Australia you do choose the retailer, and the easiest time to choose is before the power is turned on.
If you do nothing, you can arrive to a dark house or land on a standing offer. Compare the plans available at the new address, nominate the move-in date, and the retailer lodges the connection. The comparison is free.
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How electricity connection works in Australia
The distributor (the poles-and-wires company) is fixed by the address. Ausgrid, Endeavour Energy and Essential Energy cover New South Wales between them. Victoria has five. South-east Queensland is Energex and regional Queensland is Ergon. You cannot switch distributor when you switch retailer.
The retailer is who you pay. For a standard move into a home that already has a meter, the retailer asks the distributor to energise the supply. You do not book the distributor yourself.
A house that has never had power is a new connection, not a move-in. That is a builder's job as well as a retailer's, and the fee comes from a different schedule. Cost to connect electricity to a new house.
The network is the distributor. The plan is the retailer. You cannot choose the network. You can choose the plan, and the time to do it is before you connect.
Moving house electricity checklist
- 1
When to organise it
As soon as you have a move-in date and the full street address. Do it on a business day. Life support equipment has to be registered with the retailer before you move, not after. Leave the power on at the old address until you hand back the keys.
- 2
What you need
The new address and postcode, the move-in date, a contact number, and the identification the retailer asks for. EnergyAustralia lists a passport, driver licence or Medicare number. Have concession details if you hold a concession card. On the day, the meter needs to be accessible and the main switch off.
- 3
Connection timeframes
A national "typical" number of days is Being verified. Use the notice period the retailer you choose actually publishes, and treat a new build as a different job from an existing meter. The examples below are copied from those retailers' own pages.
| Situation | Timeframe | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Existing home, meter already there | Being verified | Depends on the distributor. See the examples below for what each retailer publishes. |
| New build or first connection | Being verified | A new meter or a first connection to the network. Not the same job as a move-in. |
| Meter upgrade | Being verified | The distributor or meter provider sets the appointment. |
| Life support equipment | Contact the retailer first | Register life support before move-in day. Do not leave this to the standard form. |
What each retailer publishes, checked 15 October 2026. These are that retailer's words, not a national rule.
- AGL: One business day's notice, with clear and safe meter access, to connect on move-in day.
- Origin Energy: Same-day electricity connection is by phone, and Origin says extra fees may apply.
- EnergyAustralia: A standard connection normally takes up to three business days. Call before 1pm and a next-business-day move is often possible.
- Red Energy: At least one business day's notice. If you cannot give that, call before 12pm Monday to Saturday. Fees may apply.
- Alinta Energy: At least one full business day's notice to be connected on move-in day.
How to set up electricity when moving house
- 1
Confirm your move-in date and new address
You need the full street address and postcode before anyone can lodge a connection. The move-in date is what the retailer sends to the distributor.
- 2
Check whether the property already has a meter
Ask the agent or the landlord. An existing meter is a move-in. No meter, or a house that has never had power, is a new connection and takes longer. Do not use the move-in form for a build.
- 3
Compare plans at the new address
The retailer who connects you is the retailer who bills you. Rates follow the distributor zone, so compare with the new address, not the old one.
- 4
Pick a plan and nominate the move-in date
The retailer tells the distributor and handles the connection. You do not lodge a separate job with the distributor for a standard move-in.
- 5
Keep the old address connected until you leave
Tell your current retailer the move-out date. Billing should stop when you hand back the keys, not a week earlier.
- 6
Read the meter on move-in day
Photograph the meter, with the reading visible, on the day you move in. That is your record if the final bill from the previous account does not match.
Compare plans for the new address, then book the connection
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Electricity connection by state
New South Wales
Ausgrid covers Sydney, the Central Coast and the Hunter. Endeavour Energy covers western Sydney, the Blue Mountains, the Illawarra and the South Coast. Essential Energy covers most of regional NSW. The retail market is open, so the connection can be with any licensed retailer that sells in that zone.
Victoria
Five distributors cover Victoria: AusNet Services, CitiPower, Jemena, Powercor and United Energy. The suburb decides which one. Victorian homes already have smart meters, so an existing property does not wait on a meter install the way some other states can.
Queensland
South-east Queensland, on the Energex network, is an open retail market. Regional Queensland, on the Ergon network, has Ergon as the default retailer and a shorter list of alternatives. Check which network the new address is on before you assume you can pick any brand.
South Australia
SA Power Networks is the distributor for the state. The retail market is open. SA bills are among the highest in the country, so the plan you start on at move-in matters more here than in cheaper states.
Western Australia
Perth is not the same market as the east coast. Synergy is the main residential retailer on the South West Interconnected System. Regional WA is supplied by Horizon Power. Do not assume an eastern retailer can connect a WA address.
ACT
Evoenergy is the distributor for the territory. The retail market is open, so you choose the retailer when you connect.
Connect with a specific retailer
If you already know who you want to connect with, these pages cover that retailer's own moving process, the fee they publish (or “Being verified” where we have not copied a figure), and the notice they ask for.
Can I switch retailers and connect at the same time?
Yes. The connection and the choice of retailer are the same request. If you move in without choosing, you can be placed on a standing offer. Comparing at move-in means the first bill is on a plan you actually picked.
There is a 10 business day cooling-off period on a residential energy contract if you change your mind. No one comes to the house to “switch” you. It is an account change. Supply is not turned off while that happens, as long as the connection itself was lodged in time.
What about gas?
Not every street has gas. If the new place does, the retailer nominates the move-in date and the gas distributor does the connection, the same split as electricity. A bundled electricity and gas plan is worth comparing against two separate plans. It is not automatically cheaper.
Frequently asked questions
Set the connection up before you get the keys if you can. Compare the plan at the new address in the same step, so the first retailer you are with is one you chose.
Compare and connect electricity for your new home
Find a plan at your new address and book the connection. Free comparison, takes a couple of minutes.
Moving to a specific state?
Sources checked 15 October 2026. Connection fees that are not copied from a published schedule are marked Being verified.