1st Energy Review and Rates

1st Energy is a small electricity company that operates in New South Wales, Victoria and South East Queensland. But perhaps most significantly, it became the first residential retailer to move into Tasmania to challenge the monopoly of the state-owned Aurora Energy in early 2019.

1st Energy pitches itself as a customer-focused retailer, promising its customers excellent levels of service, quick solutions and peace of mind that their energy company cares about them. 1st Energy also claims to offer a price that “actually reflects the real cost of doing business”. The retailer is also one of few that doesn’t charge its customers a credit card fee for paying their bills.

So, is all this just a sales pitch, or does 1st Energy truly offer a valuable service and good value? In this article, Canstar Blue details what’s on offer from 1st Energy and whether this retailer could be right for you. You can also jump straight into our comparison tool to check the latest pricing for 1st Energy compared to other providers.

• Jump to Tasmania prices

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1st Energy Prices

Based on typical energy usage statistics for three-person households in each state, the tables below show estimated annual costs for 1st Energy’s current published electricity products. Prices will vary depending on your circumstances. Use our comparison tool above for a specific comparison in your area.

NSW

Here are the current prices on our database for a typical three person household on the Ausgrid network in Sydney. Use our comparison tool for a specific quote in your area.

Brand	Features	Benefit Period	Annual Cost**
Basic Plan Information	Easy Saver 25% pay on time discount off usage charges, email billing	2 YearsBenefit Period	$1,650.67Annual Cost**
Basic Plan Information	1st Saver 22% pay on time discount off usage charges	2 YearsBenefit Period	$1,701.94Annual Cost**
View all electricity plans listed on Canstar Blue			**^^View important information

Victoria

Here are the current prices on our database for a typical three person household on the Citipower network in Melbourne. Use our comparison tool for a specific quote in your area.

Brand	Features	Benefit Period	Annual Cost**
	1st Saver 20% pay on time discount off usage charges	OngoingBenefit Period	$1,248.34Annual Cost**
View all electricity plans listed on Canstar Blue			**^^View important information

Queensland

Here are the current prices on our database for a typical three person household on the Energex network in Brisbane. Use our comparison tool for a specific quote in your area.

Brand	Features	Benefit Period	Annual Cost**
Basic Plan Information	1st Saver 24% pay on time discount off usage charges	OngoingBenefit Period	$1,671.68Annual Cost**
View all electricity plans listed on Canstar Blue			**^^View important information

Tasmania

Here are the current prices on our database for a typical three person household on the TasNetworks network in Tasmania. Use our comparison tool for a specific quote in your area.

Brand	Features	Benefit Period	Annual Cost**
Basic Plan Information	1st Saver 5% pay on time discount off usage charges	1 YearBenefit Period	$2,051.44Annual Cost**
Basic Plan Information	1st Solar Bonus No conditional discount 13.54c/kWh feed-in tariff Available to solar customers only	1 YearBenefit Period	$2,141.18Annual Cost**
View all electricity plans listed on Canstar Blue			**^^View important information

1st Energy Plans

1st Energy’s electricity deals may seem rather difficult to get your head around at first sight. In addition to its required standing offer, 1st Energy has one or two market offers depending on where you live – the ‘1st Saver’, the ‘Easy Saver’ and the ‘Direct Saver’. Note that not all of these products will be publicly available all the time.

The 1st Saver and Easy Saver products are relatively similar. They usually apply for a two-year contract period and include some of the largest conditional discounts that you are likely to find (not necessarily as good as it sounds). The only difference is that the Easy Saver includes a ‘bonus’ discount for customers that agree to receive their bills via email. These products are available in Victoria, NSW and Queensland.

In Victoria, 1st Energy also previously offered a plan called the Direct Saver. This came with a smaller discount than the two other plans mentioned above, but the difference was that the discount did not expire after two years. Once again customers needed to pay their bills on time and receive bills via email to benefit from the discount.

To give you some idea of what 1st Energy might cost you, we have estimated the annual costs of the retailer’s plans across each state. These figures assume a typical three person household on a single-rate plan at selected postcodes in each state. Use our comparison tool above for specific pricing in your area.

1st Energy Electricity Prices NSW

The 1st Saver in New South Wales comes with a 22% pay on time discount off electricity usage charges, while the Easy Saver comes with a bonus 3% discount (for a total of 25%) on usage charges when customers agree to receive their bill by email. These deals are offered with both a single-rate and a time-of-use tariff with the option of controlled load.

Costs based on annual usage calculations using statistics from the AER for a three person household. Costs based on Ausgrid network in Sydney.

You can see how 1st Energy compares to other New South Wales electricity retailers here.

1st Energy Electricity Prices VIC

Victoria is home to some of Australia’s largest discounts and 1st Energy certainly steps up to the plate at times. While it currently only offers a 20% discount on electricity usage charges, it has previously offered products with up to 47% off. Though it’s worth saying that, in the case of the biggest discounts, they are generally applied to higher base rates, somewhat negating the savings on offer. Currently in Victoria, the 1st Saver has an ongoing benefit period.

Costs based on annual usage calculations using statistics from the AER for a three person household. Costs based on Citipower network in Melbourne.

See how 1st Energy compares to other electricity providers in Victoria with our price comparison page.

1st Energy Electricity Prices QLD

The 1st Saver offers a 24% discount for South East Queensland customers connected to the Energex network. This discount is ongoing and applies to usage charges when customers pay their bills on time.

Costs based on annual usage calculations using statistics from the AER for a three person household. Costs based on Energex network in Brisbane.

According to our calculations, 1st Energy is a reasonably priced electricity retailer, sitting around the middle in our price comparison table for Queensland.

1st Energy Prices Tasmania

As mentioned above, 1st Energy became the first residential challenger to Tasmania’s state-owned electricity provider, Aurora Energy, when it entered the market in February 2019. While electricity retailers have been able to enter the regulated Tasmanian energy market since 2014, 1st Energy was the first to make the move. Below are 1st Energy’s electricity rates for 1st Saver customers in Tasmania.

Prices as of February 22 2019. Visit 1st Energy for more details.

The 1st Saver in Tasmania comes with a 5% pay on time discount off electricity usage charges, with a benefit period of 12 months.

1st Energy also offers a specific deal for solar customer in Tasmania. The retailer has a solar feed-in tariff of 8.541 to 13.541 cents per kWh. A rebate of 18.541c/kWh may also be available. Contact 1st Energy for details.

1st Energy Service Guarantee

1st Energy says its goal is to be the best energy retailer and claims to put its customers first and foremost in every decision. It claims to offer competitive rates, no broken promises, and a guarantee that all emails will receive a reply within a day. 1st Energy also says it has “passionate” account managers ready to take your call.

1st Energy Price Match Guarantee

As part of its “honest pricing” ideology, 1st Energy says that if a customer finds a better price on electricity, it will match it or let them go. Presumably this means that 1st Energy will waive exit fees, however according the retailer’s energy price fact sheets, there don’t appear to be any exit fees regardless.

Account Management

1st Energy’s online My Account service provides customers with a number of tools via which they can monitor and manage their account. Via My Account, customers can:

• Pay their bill
• Check their usage
• Access their account details
• Access their latest invoices

When it comes to invoicing, 1st Energy issues invoices on a monthly basis, with customers able to make payment via:

• Credit card and MasterPass online via 1st’s payment portal
• Credit card via phone
• Direct debit
• BPay
• Cheque via mail

Is 1st Energy right for me?

1st Energy does have some great discounts, but we must stress that this is not indicative of a better price overall. Customers must compare a range of factors, including usage rates, supply charges and any additional fees. 1st Energy often isn’t the cheapest retailer in town, but it does claim to offer outstanding service. If you’re someone who values being treated like a person and not just a customer number, then perhaps 1st Energy has something to offer you. It’s all about understanding what you want from your electricity company and shopping around until you find it. To start your search, check out our customer satisfaction ratings and price comparison tool via the link below.

If you live in Tasmania, 1st Energy is certainly an attractive proposition given that it is the first challenger to the total dominance of Aurora Energy. But as above, it’s important to carefully compare usage and supply rates to ensure you know exactly what you’re getting into.

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