Compare electricity plans in SA

How to choose the right SA electricity plan for you

Canstar Blue takes the stress out of finding a good deal by comparing deals based on price, overall value and more. Our tool is easy to use, but here are some steps to help you get started.

1. Enter your postcode into our comparison tool or upload a past bill and press the search icon on the right-hand side.
2. Filter results by provider, contract length, conditional discount, billing frequency, and plan features. If you have a controlled load, edit the blue text in the white box above the tool and change your tariff type in the ‘refine your search section’.
3. Sort results by value rank, customer satisfaction or price.
4. Find your perfect plan and click the green ‘See offer’ button to sign up on the provider’s page.

Who has the best electricity rates in SA?

Generally, a good usage rate in SA is 36-37¢/kWh, with a reasonable supply charge sitting at about 95-96¢/day. Bear in mind that these figures are approximate and constantly fluctuating.

While both low usage and supply rates are ideal, they’re not incredibly common, so it pays to think strategically:

• Households with low power usage may prefer a plan with a low supply charge.
• Large families with significant usage needs might save more with a low usage rate.

What tariffs apply to South Australian electricity?

How you’re charged for electricity has an impact on your power bill. Contrary to popular belief, tariffs aren’t what you pay for power but rather how you pay for power. There are three main tariff structures in South Australia, which are:

• Single rate: Where you’re charged the same rate regardless of the time of day.
• Demand: Lower rates than a single rate plan in exchange for ‘demand’ pricing in peak usage periods.
• Controlled load: A separate meter is in place for your hot water system, with different rates.

What rebates or concessions are available in South Australia?

South Australian households that are financially vulnerable can receive assistance with their electricity bills in the form of a concession. Here are the power bill rebates and concessions available to South Australians:

• Federal Government’s Energy Bill Relief Fund extension: Australian households can claim an additional $150 off electricity bills in July 2025.
• Emergency Electricity Payment Scheme: South Australians struggling with energy bill debt may be eligible for up to $800 once every two years.
• Energy Bill Concession: Seniors, pensioners, veterans, and asylum seekers may receive up to $274.85 per year toward their electricity bill.
• Cost of Living Concession: A concession of up to $261.90 a year is available to people who hold a Pensioner Concession Card, Veterans Gold Card, Health Care Card, Commonwealth Seniors Health Card, or meet low-income provisions.
• Residential Park Resident Concession: Payment of up to $687.05 per year toward power for concession card holders and Centrelink recipients who live in a caravan park.
• Home Dialysis Electricity Concession: Households with a home-based kidney dialysis machine receive $274.85 per year toward their power bills.
• Medical Cooling and Heating Concession: An electricity bill concession of $274.85 per year is available to health care cardholders whose medical conditions make regulating body temperature difficult.

What is the Default Market Offer (DMO) in SA?

The DMO is a safety-net price for homes on standing offer plans in South Australia (SA), South East Queensland (SEQ) and New South Wales (NSW) — this price is set by the Australian Energy Regulator (AER) every July 1 annually.

If you’ve not engaged with the energy market for 12 months or more, your previous plan has likely expired and you’ve already been moved to a standing offer. The DMO protects you from overpaying for electricity on a standing offer plan.

The DMO’s secondary purpose is to serve as an easy point of reference against other market offers. It’s important to note that the DMO isn’t the cheapest plan available — market offers are typically cheaper, with unique incentives such as conditional discounts. 

The column titled ‘reference price’ in our comparison tool above shows the percentage difference in price between each market offer and the DMO in SA.

Understanding electricity in SA

In South Australia, the electricity market is deregulated, which means that consumers can choose from over 20 energy providers.

Unlike other states, South Australia has only one distribution network that runs and maintains the power supply in the state.

• SA Power Networks: Connects power to around 915,000 homes and businesses across the state.

The Australian Energy Regulator notes that some remote power systems are provided and maintained by companies other than SA Power Networks.

Most Satisfied Customers Award – SA Provider

The latest winner of our SA ratings was Lumo Energy, which earned five stars for overall satisfaction, value for money, customer service, bill & cost clarity and ease of sign-up.

Every year, we release our annual satisfaction rating for electricity providers in South Australia. In this report, providers are ranked based on value for money, customer service, bill & cost clarity, ease of sign-up, focus on environmental sustainability, online tools and advice and overall satisfaction.

Outstanding Value Award – SA Provider

In 2024, Pacific Blue was awarded for Outstanding Value in South Australia for its consistently cheap offers and excellent customer service in the state during the observation period.

Canstar Blue’s Outstanding Value Awards are based on our unique value rank methodology and highlights the electricity provider that offers superior price, value and features for consumers in each eligible state or territory.

Learn more about electricity in South Australia

Why compare SA electricity plans with Canstar Blue?

About our energy experts

Tara Donnelly, Utilities Editor

Tara Donnelly is Canstar Blue’s Utilities Editor, leading the team that focuses on energy, telecommunications and consumer technology. She has spent more than a decade covering these topics in Australia, the US and Canada, and has authored over 500 Canstar Blue articles. Her expertise has seen her appear in national media including 9 News, 7 News, Sunrise, the ABC , The Australian Financial Review, 4BC Radio and The Sydney Morning Herald.

Tara has been nominated for multiple awards for her technology reporting, including Canstar Blue’s highly commended recognition for Best Consumer Technology Coverage in 2024. She has a Bachelor of Communications from the University of Canberra and is passionate about simplifying complex subjects so consumers aren’t just informed, they’re connected and confident. You can read more of Tara’s published articles and follow Tara on LinkedIn.

Breanna Gream, Data Insights Team Lead

Bachelor of Business (Finance) with Distinction & Bachelor of Mathematics (Applied Computational Modelling) with Distinction, QUT

Breanna Gream is Canstar’s Data Insights Team Lead, responsible for developing the methodology and delivering Canstar Blue’s Value Ranking and determining Outstanding Value award winners for the energy and telecommunications sectors. Breanna completed a double Bachelor’s degree in Business, majoring in Finance, and Mathematics, majoring in Applied Computational Modelling, at the Queensland University of Technology.

Breanna enjoys using her skills to help consumers find more suitable utilities plans by transforming complex calculations into a Value Rank that provides a simpler way to compare different products. She most recently developed Value Ranking methodologies for wireless broadband plans and solar energy plans, to make it easier for households to identify plans that provide good value not just in terms of prices but also the features they offer. Breanna’s work on Value Ranking plays a key part in determining the winners of Canstar Blue’s Outstanding Value awards for electricity, gas, solar, phone and internet brands.

Many of the articles published by Canstar Blue feature calculations also undertaken by Breanna and her team, which converts pricing data into easy-to-understand cost forecasts and average price information for readers.

During her time at Canstar Blue, Breanna has developed an in-depth knowledge of product, market and regulatory changes across the electricity, solar, gas, internet and phone sectors, and particularly likes keeping Canstar Blue’s methodologies up to date and reflective of the ever-changing utilities environment. 

When Breanna’s not crunching data, she’s likely to be somewhere remote – two of her favourite things to do are hiking and mountain climbing.