Origin Energy app review

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In 2017, Origin Energy released its smartphone app, allowing customers to look after their account and bills from the convenience of their favourite handheld device.

In this review, Canstar Blue explores the Origin energy app’s features and online tools.

What is the Origin Energy app?

The Origin Energy app can be downloaded and used by Origin customers on mobile devices who are looking to monitor their electricity and gas usage, pay their bills, review consumption history and manage account details. The app is available to customers with Apple and Android smartphones who have a registered account with Origin.

If you do not have a smart meter installed in your household, you won’t be able to view your daily energy usage data. Instead, you’ll only have access to historical usage data for previous billing periods.

What does the Origin Energy app do?

Customers with the Origin Energy app can navigate the following functions:

• View your account balance
• Monitor energy usage data per kilowatt hour (kWh) or per megajoule (MJ)
• Make secure bill payments via a debit or credit card
• View each past bill’s usage and supply charges, discounts and set alerts for due dates
• Manage account details
• Access rewards and special offers
• Instant messaging service with energy experts

Installing the Origin Energy app on your smartphone gives you unlimited access to a range of energy usage insights that are otherwise only available through the My Account portal. So, if you’re in charge of your household energy account and like technology at your fingertips, the Origin app could save you a lot of time and effort.

Compare Origin energy plans

Origin Energy app for iPhone

Origin Energy customers who have an iPhone can download the app for free through the App Store. The Origin app is only available on devices with iOS 14 or higher. The size of the download file is 42.7MB.

Origin Energy app for Android

Users on Android operating systems can download the Origin Energy app for free via the Google Play Store. The app is best-suited for devices running Android 9 or higher.

Can I track my energy consumption using the Origin app?

The Origin app lets you track energy consumption, outlining the average usage data, through kWh or MJ. Some users may also have the ability to view their average cost per billing period. Electricity and natural gas customers can monitor their usage in daily, monthly or yearly periods under the usage tab for Android and Apple users.

However, to receive insights of daily and monthly energy usage you’ll need a smart meter. If you don’t have a smart meter, you’ll still be able to see how much electricity or natural gas you’ve used in the past year to 18 months.

How to pay your energy bill using the Origin app

Customers can pay their energy bills in full or make partial payments on the Origin app by clicking on the bills tab. Depending on your smartphone device, the bills tab should include the due date, account number, billing period, statement balance and payment method.

Does the Origin Energy app track electricity usage if I have solar?

If you have a solar system or panels, your solar feed-in tariff will be deducted from your usage costs, which is highlighted in the bar graphs under the costs or usage tab.

Compare Origin solar plans

Can I use the Origin Energy app for LPG?

While previously the Origin Energy app only supported and monitored electricity, natural gas, solar and hot water for residential customers, the app has now been extended to include broadband and LPG customers.

Redeeming fuel discounts on the Origin app

Origin Energy has teamed up with Woolworths and EG Fuel, allowing customers to earn up to 10c off a litre. This discount can be accessed by using the Origin app during relevant transactions at Woolworths and EG stations. To enable this discount, customers will need to do one or more of the following:

• Scan the barcode on their Origin app whilst purchasing fuel at an EG station. This will earn 2c off a litre, or 4c if the discount is not combined with the Woolworths supermarket discount offer below.
• Spend $5 or more in-store at an EG station whilst purchasing fuel. This will redeem a further 4c off a litre, taking the total to 8c.
• Scan your Everyday Rewards card when you spend $30 or more in one transaction at Woolworths. This will contribute another 4c off a litre and when combined with the above two steps (by showing your receipt or Everyday Rewards card), can earn customers a total of 10c off at the pump.

How to earn Everyday Rewards on the Origin Energy app

Origin customers are able to earn Everyday Rewards points by signing up to an eligible Origin electricity, natural gas or internet plan. New customers can earn up to 19,000 Everyday Rewards points by signing up to a electricity, natural gas and internet plan (each product type earns 5000 points). An additional 2000 points are available for customers who opt in to Origin’s Go Zero Electricity or Go Zero Natural Gas plan.

Existing customers can earn 2500 Everyday Rewards points for an electricity plan, plus an additional 2500 points by signing up for a natural gas plan.

Do you need a smart meter to use the Origin Energy app?

You do not need a smart meter to use the Origin Energy app. However, customers without a smart meter won’t have complete access to their daily or monthly electricity and natural gas usage data. Without these regularly updated insights, you could be missing out on identifying ways to save energy in your household.

Don’t want to miss out on tracking your daily or monthly energy usage? Read everything you need to know about getting a smart meter.

Do you need your Origin Energy login to use the app?

Once you have downloaded the Origin Energy app, you’ll need to login with your My Account details as used on the Origin Energy website. If you have not set up your My Account login, you’ll need to register online by inputting your email address or mobile number and following the prompts from there.

Is it worth downloading the Origin Energy app?

The Origin Energy app is an excellent tool for customers with smart meters looking to monitor their daily or monthly electricity and gas usage. If you don’t have a smart meter, you can still use some of the app’s functions, like updating account information, paying bills and reviewing historical usage data.

However, if you’re happy to manage your account and monitor usage online via the My Account portal, then you can probably give this app a miss, although the app may come in handy to set up alerts that remind you to pay your bills or if you need customer support.

Is Origin Energy right for me?

Origin has a massive foothold in the retail energy market in New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and Queensland. Origin offers a variety of competitive energy plans with affordable rates and generous solar feed-in tariffs. Although Origin’s electricity and gas plans may appear tempting on paper, these offers may only be applicable within a 12- or 24-month benefit period, meaning after this period has lapsed your plan may revert to higher rates or you lose your discount.

You should always read the fine print of any energy plan to avoid paying too much for energy when a better deal is right around the corner. By using our free comparison tool, you can browse a range of energy plans side by side, and filter the results best suited to your electricity or gas needs.

Original reporting by Kelseigh Wrigley
Image Source: Piotr Swat/Shutterstock