For the ninth year in a row, Red Energy has topped Canstar Blue’s customer satisfaction ratings for electricity providers in NSW. Red Energy achieved a near clean sweep of five stars across the research categories this year, with top marks for bill & cost clarity, customer service, ease of sign-up, online tools and advice and overall satisfaction.
This year, more than 2,200 bill-payers across the state have given us feedback on their electricity provider, based on factors including customer service, bill and cost clarity, online tools and advice, ease of sign-up, and value for money. The idea is to give you as much information about the compared providers as possible, to help you make a more-informed decision. Keep in mind though that, while our ratings include seven of the most prominent electricity retailers in NSW, you may find others operating in your area.
Canstar Blue surveyed 2,247 New South Wales households for their feedback on their energy retailer. Respondents had to live in NSW, have an electricity account and pay the bills for their response to be eligible.
Respondents rate their satisfaction with their electricity provider from zero to ten, where zero is extremely dissatisfied and ten is extremely satisfied. Provider satisfaction was rated by respondents on the following criteria:
The winning brand is the one that receives the highest Overall satisfaction rating once all the scores from the Overall satisfaction criteria are combined and averaged.
Brands must have received at least 30 responses to be included, so not all brands available in the market have been compared in this survey. The brands rated in this survey are listed below in order of best overall satisfaction.
Best NSW Electricity Providers:
Red Energy tops the table for the ninth year in a row – that’s a remarkable endorsement of the company and a great sign that it generally gets things right by its customers. Remember, this is not to suggest that Red Energy is the cheapest provider, but that its customers are the most satisfied with the overall level of service that they receive. Alinta Energy trailed closely behind when it came to overall satisfaction, earning four stars, followed by AGL, Origin Energy and EnergyAustralia. Simply Energy and Dodo scored three stars overall.
Find more detailed information on our ratings methodology.
Here are some sponsored deals from the retailers on our database that include a link to the retailer’s website for further details. These are products from referral partners†. These costs are based on the Ausgrid energy network in Sydney but prices may vary depending on your circumstances. This comparison assumes general energy usage of 3911kWh/year for a residential customer on a single rate tariff. Please use our comparison tool for a specific comparison in your area and to see other products in our database that may be available. Our database may not cover all deals in your area. As always, check all details of any plan directly with the retailer before making a purchase decision.
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12% Less than reference price |
$1,608 Price/year (estimated) |
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12% Less than reference price |
$1,606 Price/year (estimated) |
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21% Less than reference price |
$1,442 Price/year (estimated) |
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Here are some of the cheapest published deals from the retailers on our database that include a link to the retailer’s website for further details. These are products from referral partners†. These costs are based on the Ausgrid network in Sydney but prices may vary depending on your circumstances. This comparison assumes general energy usage of 3911kWh/year for a residential customer on a single rate tariff. Please use our comparison tool for a specific comparison in your area and to see other products in our database that may be available. Our database may not cover all deals in your area. As always, check all details of any plan directly with the retailer before making a purchase decision.
Here are some of the cheapest published deals from the retailers on our database that include a link to the retailer’s website for further details. These are products from referral partners†. These costs are based on the Ausgrid network in Sydney but prices may vary depending on your circumstances. This comparison assumes general energy usage of 3911kWh/year for a residential customer on a single rate tariff. Please use our comparison tool for a specific comparison in your area and to see other products in our database that may be available. Our database may not cover all deals in your area. As always, check all details of any plan directly with the retailer before making a purchase decision. The next three tabs feature products exclusively from AGL, EnergyAustralia and Origin.
Here are the AGL Energy plans on our database for NSW. These are products from a referral partner†. These costs are based on the Ausgrid network in Sydney but prices may vary depending on your circumstances. This comparison assumes general energy usage of 3911kWh/year for a residential customer on a single rate tariff. Please use our comparison tool for a specific comparison in your area and to see other products in our database that may be available. Our database may not cover all deals in your area. As always, check all details of any plan directly with the retailer before making a purchase decision.
Here are the EnergyAustralia plans on our database for NSW. These are products from a referral partner†. These costs are based on the Ausgrid network in Sydney but prices may vary depending on your circumstances. This comparison assumes general energy usage of 3911kWh/year for a residential customer on a single rate tariff. Please use our comparison tool for a specific comparison in your area and to see other products in our database that may be available. Our database may not cover all deals in your area. As always, check all details of any plan directly with the retailer before making a purchase decision.
Here are the Origin Energy plans on our database for NSW. These are products from a referral partner†. These costs are based on the Ausgrid network in Sydney but prices may vary depending on your circumstances. This comparison assumes general energy usage of 3911kWh/year for a residential customer on a single rate tariff. Please use our comparison tool for a specific comparison in your area and to see other products in our database that may be available. Our database may not cover all deals in your area. As always, check all details of any plan directly with the retailer before making a purchase decision.
Red Energy is the best-rated electricity provider in our review for the ninth year in a row. It achieved five stars across almost all research categories this year, scoring top marks for bill & cost clarity, customer service, ease of sign-up, online tools and advice and overall satisfaction. It received four stars for value for money.
Owned by renewable energy generation company Snowy Hydro, Red Energy operates across New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia and the Australian Capital Territory, keeping things fairly simple with only two or three market offers for prospective customers to consider. Most plans come with variable rates, meaning usage and supply charges can be changed at the retailer’s discretion. However, there are no contract terms or exit fees to worry about if you decide to leave. Aside from great customer service, Red Energy’s biggest selling point is its partnership with Qantas which sees customers pocket two Frequent Flyer points for every dollar on their bill that’s paid on time.
Alinta Energy recorded four stars for its overall satisfaction, bill & cost clarity and ease of sign-up this year. It earnt top marks for its value for money, taking five stars in this research category, while its customer service and online tools and advice, were rated three stars apiece.
A major gas and electricity retailer in New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Queensland and Western Australia, Alinta Energy is one of the greatest challengers to the big three – AGL, Origin and EnergyAustralia. Alinta is owned by Hong Kong’s Chow Tai Fook Enterprises but is still headquartered in Sydney. Where previously Alinta was known for its big discounts, its current offers have scaled back to offering no discounts at all, focusing rather on competitive rates. Additionally, customers also have access to Alinta Energy’s rewards program, bringing potential savings on entertainment activities like movie tickets, as well as money off electronics from some major brands.
AGL scored four stars overall in this year’s review, with this score also stretching to bill and cost clarity, customer service, ease of sign-up and online tools and advice. For value for money, this retailer earned three stars.
AGL generally offers a couple of market contracts to households, with differing rates and conditions based on different preferences. AGL’s current line-up gives NSW customers variable rates and a range of value-add incentives. The company also offers its own rewards program called AGL Rewards which brings various discounts and savings on gift cards, plus money off movie tickets and restaurant meals. AGL also offers specific solar plans to customers with solar panels.
Origin was rated four stars for overall satisfaction this year, as well as for its customer service, bill & cost clarity, ease of sign-up and online tools and advice. It earned three stars for value for money.
Origin is a retailer that’s known to offer a comprehensive range of options for residents. It has a variety of variable rate plans, most of which come with a 12-month benefit period. One of its plans even dishes out Everyday Rewards points to customers to help them at the checkout or bowser. Most of Origin’s plans hold a modest amount off the reference price, except for Basic, which serves up the same rates as the reference price and has no conditional discounts. All plans come with no exit fees or lock-in contracts. Origin is also one of Australia’s leading solar retailers, with specific plans for customers who own solar panels.
EnergyAustralia took out four stars for overall satisfaction in our latest review, as well as for bill & cost clarity, customer service, ease of sign-up and online tools and advice. For value for money, this retailer scored three stars.
EnergyAustralia has revamped its product range to provide customers with variable rate market offers. No longer offering conditional discounts on any of its plans, EnergyAustralia has moved towards ‘simplifying’ its offerings, with its most heavily marketed plans providing reasonable usage and supply rates. Its plans avoid exit fees and lock-in contracts. The retailer also offers a ‘basic’ plan, which sits equal to the reference price, and a plan suited to customers with solar panels installed.
Simply Energy has earned three stars for its overall satisfaction, alongside its value for money and ease of sign-up. It scored a notable five stars for its online tools and advice, and four stars for its bill & cost clarity and customer service.
Owned by French utilities giant Engie, Simply Energy is well-known for offering a wide range of products in New South Wales, including an exclusive deal for NRMA members that brings larger unconditional discounts. Rates across these plans are typically variable, coming with no exit fees or lock-in contracts. The retailer also offers carbon offset options, meaning carbon emissions associated with customers’ energy usage is offset by Simply Energy, which purchases certificates in activities that meet the standards set by Climate Active Carbon Neutral Standard’s offset eligibility criteria.
Rounding out this year’s ratings is Dodo with three stars for overall satisfaction, value for money, bill & cost clarity, customer service and online tools and advice. As for its ease of sign-up, it managed to snag four stars.
Perhaps best-known as a phone and internet provider, Dodo completes the full set of home services by also selling electricity and gas. Dodo operates across most eastern states, with a single variable rate market offer that carries rates a decent amount less than the reference price. Dodo is owned by the Vocus Group, the company behind lots of names in the telco industry, including iPrimus and Commander. Its big selling point is that customers have the convenience of dealing with just one company for all their home services. It also dishes out a $10 monthly discount to those that bundle their energy and internet services with the provider.
To get the cheapest possible deal for your household, you will need to take into consideration the following factors:
When you spell everything out like this, it’s easy to see why many consumers find the subject of energy confusing. In an effort to simplify matters, Canstar Blue’s price comparison report for NSW shows overall estimated prices for the power suppliers mentioned in this report. Based on average usage figures and market contract pricing for single rate tariff households on the Ausgrid network, we show that customers could save hundreds of dollars by switching to one of the cheapest offers available. The ‘cheapest’ doesn’t automatically mean ‘best’, but if the bottom line is all you worry about then our report is certainly worth a look.
Ultimately, it’s all about educating yourself on the options available to you. The retailers are required by law to publish all their energy price fact sheets online, so use the information gathered in this report and check out the facts and figures with your own eyes. Our customer ratings also offer you an insight into how the big brands in the state are performing in the eyes of those paying the bills, so be sure to keep these details in mind too.
While prices change all the time, the likes of GloBird Energy and Sumo are consistently some of the cheapest retailers in NSW. However, with more than 20 companies operating across the state, finding the cheapest energy provider will require some research on your behalf.
It’s also important to not overlook other features offered by electricity companies, such as customer service, billing options, value-add incentives and rewards programs. Although price will generally have the biggest influence when making a decision, it is worth knowing which brands go that little bit further for your business.
It now only takes two business days to switch energy providers and transfer your account to a new retailer. Under revised rules, your old electricity provider will have 48 hours to finalise your account using an estimated bill, before sending your details to your new provider.
The entire switching process is usually handled online or over the phone in a matter of minutes, with all the paperwork taken care of by your new retailer.
Kelseigh Wrigley covers Australia’s retail energy market, growing her industry specific expertise over the last two years. She holds a Bachelor of Journalism at the Queensland University of Technology and has contributed her skills to online publications Hunter & Bligh and local radio station 4ZZZ.
Meet the Editorial Team
Samantha Howse is Canstar Blue’s Consumer Research Specialist, coordinating the consumer research program behind our customer satisfaction awards across Canstar and Canstar Blue in Australia and New Zealand. Sam has earned a Bachelor of Business (Marketing) from Griffith University and, with seven years in market research and two years in marketing, she is experienced in survey design, implementation and analysis, coupled with an understanding of marketing principles and best practice.
Meet the Research TeamThe list below features all the electricity providers that currently list plans in NSW.
Find out which brands are available in your area by using our free comparison tool. Please note that some of these companies only operate in certain areas. Other brands may also be available in your area.
You may not realise that there are three different electricity distribution networks covering NSW. This is important to know because the network you live on could have a big impact on your bills, with distribution costs accounting for as much as 50% of your overall bills. The three distribution networks are:
Retailers will have different prices for their plans on each network, meaning that the amount an Origin customer (for example) pays on the Ausgrid network will be different to what an Origin customer will pay on the Endeavour network, even if their plans are the same. As a homeowner, there is little you can do about this. However, if you are renting a home and take utility costs seriously, you could look into different prices before deciding which suburb to move to, because it could save you a significant amount.
NSW may be behind other parts of the country when it comes to the uptake of solar power, but power suppliers in the state still offer some of the most generous feed-in tariffs. Rates of up to 20c/kWh are on offer for exported energy, but be aware that the highest feed-in tariffs do not necessarily translate to the cheapest overall bills. When comparing solar plans, it’s important to pay as much attention to the usage and supply charges as the feed-in tariff being offered.
If conditional discounts don’t really appeal to you, you will find a range of other sign-up incentives offered by retailers in NSW. Alinta Energy has a plan that brings a basic subscription to Kayo Sports during the life of the contract, while those with Red Energy can collect Qantas Frequent Flyer points for paying their bills on time. It’s also common for companies to throw an occasional $50-$100 in sign-up credit at new customers, especially if they sign up online.
The following electricity providers offer some form of rewards program to customers in NSW, bringing savings on various leisure and social activities, including eating out, accommodation and even theme park tickets.
To help reduce utility costs, there are a range of different energy rebates available for households in Sydney and surrounding areas. Customers with low incomes, dependent children and certain medical conditions could be eligible for financial support towards their gas and electricity costs.
There are many power retailers in operation now, but it wasn’t long ago that households in Sydney and the rest of the state were stuck with one of the big three companies – Origin, EnergyAustralia or AGL – with no other brands able to challenge their dominance. It’s for this reason that they continue to supply almost 80% of customers in NSW, according to Australian Energy Regulator (AER) Retail Energy Market Performance Update for Quarter 1, 2022-23. If you don’t remember signing up to one of these companies, you were probably transferred over when one of them absorbed your old retailer.
The NSW electricity market began to change in 2002 when the State Government introduced ‘Full Retail Competition’, meaning that smaller retailers could provide alternative options for consumers. However, while Victoria lifted its pricing restrictions way back in 2009 – and South Australia followed suit three years later – the NSW retail market remained regulated by the state’s Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal until 2014, so there was little or no financial incentive for customers to switch before then. This was a story replicated in Queensland where price regulations were only lifted in 2016.
Electricity price deregulation means the power companies are free to set their own plans, prices and conditions – resulting in a plethora of new entrants into the market. The benefits of deregulation are still up for debate, but the fact is that households have never had so many providers to choose from, presenting the opportunity for consumers to save if they shop around, or just use new offers as leverage to negotiate a better deal with their existing supplier. However, in order to save, you must have at least a basic understanding of the different providers, contracts and plans available.
In July 2019, energy retailers in NSW had to adapt to a range of new industry regulations designed to make power more affordable and make comparing plans easier. This was when the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) stepped in to introduce a new, regulated price cap for customers who were previously paying the most. These customers, on standing offers, were switched onto a new Default Market Offer (DMO) price determined by the Australia Energy Regulator (AER). This is a consistent price across all retailers. The DMO also acts as a reference price for all market offers, including those with discounts. All plans must now be compared to the AER Reference Price, displaying a percentage ‘less than’, ‘equal to’ or ‘more than’, so consumers can see which plans really offer the best value.
NSW is home to more than a dozen solar farms, contributing significantly to the state’s power supply. Yet the state remains dependent on a handful of coal-fired power plants to meet its power demand. Most of these stations are owned by the big three companies – AGL, Origin, and EnergyAustralia – and one of the most well-known (and controversial) is ‘Liddell’ in the Hunter Valley. Owned by AGL, the aging Liddell power station has been flagged for full closure in April 2023. However, AGL had faced pressure from the state government to keep the plant open beyond its scheduled closure date to ensure adequate supply for the region. AGL, which has committed to ‘getting out of coal’, even turned down an offer from Alinta Energy to purchase the station.
Here are the previous winners of Canstar Blue’s Electricity Providers – NSW Customer Satisfaction Award:
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