Red Energy has landed itself at the top of our Victorian electricity provider ratings for the first time scoring a notable five stars for its customer service, ease of sign-up and overall satisfaction.
This year, over 2,000 electricity bill-payers in Melbourne and across Victoria have had their say on their power companies of choice, which have been rated on factors including bill and cost clarity, online tools and advice, customer service and value for money. With so much competition between retailers, the idea is to give you as much information as possible about the 12 brands compared, as well as the others that operate in the state, to help you make the best decision for your needs. If you’ve always been with one of the ‘big three’ energy companies – AGL, Origin and EnergyAustralia – you may find these results particularly interesting given the research highlights a notable divide in satisfaction between customers of the big and some smaller providers. Keep in mind though that, while our ratings include 12 of the most prominent electricity retailers in Victoria, you may find others operating in your area.
Canstar Blue surveyed 2,065 Victorian households for their feedback on their energy retailer. Respondents had to live in Victoria, have an electricity account and pay the bills for their response to be eligible.
Respondents rate their satisfaction with their electricity supplier 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 VIC Electricity Providers:
Red Energy has topped the table for the first time in our Victorian electricity provider ratings this year. A fan-favourite with NSW customers, it seems Red Energy’s popularity has moved further south this year, with the retailer taking out five stars for overall satisfaction and ease of sign-up. It was also the only retailer to earn five stars for its customer service in Victoria.
In second place, Tango Energy stood out this year, striking four stars for overall satisfaction and a notable five stars for its bill and cost clarity. GloBird Energy, Lumo Energy, Alinta Energy, Momentum Energy and Powershop also took out four stars overall, while Simply Energy, Dodo, AGL, EnergyAustralia and Origin Energy all settled on 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 Citipower network in Melbourne but prices may vary depending on your circumstances. This comparison assumes general energy usage of 4000kWh/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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16% Less than VDO |
$1,318 Price/year (estimated) |
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15% Less than VDO |
$1,335 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†. Costs are based on the Citipower network in Melbourne but prices may vary depending on your circumstances. This comparison assumes general energy usage of 4000kWh/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†. Costs are based on the Citipower network in Melbourne but prices may vary depending on your circumstances. This comparison assumes general energy usage of 4000kWh/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 Victoria. These are products from a referral partner†. These costs are based on the Citipower network in Melbourne but prices may vary depending on your circumstances. This comparison assumes general energy usage of 4000kWh/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 Victoria. These are products from a referral partner†. These costs are based on the Citipower network in Melbourne but prices may vary depending on your circumstances. This comparison assumes general energy usage of 4000kWh/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 Victoria. These are products from a referral partner†. These costs are based on the Citipower energy network in Melbourne but prices may vary depending on your circumstances. This comparison assumes general energy usage of 4000kWh/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 came in first place this year, earning five stars for overall satisfaction, as well as ease of sign-up. It was also the only retailer to earn five stars for its customer service. For value for money, bill and cost clarity and online tools and advice, Red Energy received four stars.
The highest-rated electricity provider in our NSW comparison for nine years running, Red Energy has now also topped our Victorian electricity provider ratings. The retailer keeps things fairly simple with three market offers for prospective customers to consider. Red Energy’s biggest selling point however, is its partnership with Qantas, with one plan coming with the added benefit of Qantas Frequent Flyer points upon sign up and for paying on time. Red Energy’s traditional offer comes with variable rates, with the Qantas deal throwing in two points for every $1 spent on bills. All plans come with no contract terms or exit fees. Red Energy alongside its sister company, Lumo Energy, is owned by renewables company Snowy Hydro.
Tango Energy has climbed the ranks to second place in this year’s Victorian electricity provider ratings, achieving four stars for its overall satisfaction, value for money and customer service. It was also one of the only three retailers to score a notable five stars for its bill and cost clarity. As for ease of sign-up and online tools and advice, Tango Energy earned just three stars.
Tango Energy is a Melbourne-based provider and the retail arm of renewable power generation company Pacific Hydro. Tango Energy was previously branded Pacific Hydro, but its name was changed in 2018. Founded in 1992, the company was acquired by China’s State Power Investment Corporation after being floated on the ASX in 2016. When it comes to its presence in Australia, Tango primarily operates in Victoria with two market offers. The plans come with variable rates and don’t include any conditional discounts. Tango Energy is generally up there with the cheaper priced companies and its back-to-basics approach has made it a hit with locals.
Performing well this year is GloBird Energy, earning four-stars for overall satisfaction, customer service, ease of sign-up and online tools and advice. It was the only provider that scored five stars for value for money this year, while it also received five stars for its bill and cost clarity.
GloBird Energy has emerged as one of the main ‘second tier’ challengers to the state’s power giants, AGL, Origin and EnergyAustralia. While some retailers promote their green credentials, helpful tools, or great customer service, GloBird is all about promoting cheap prices and big savings, which it mainly does through low rates and conditional discounts. In addition to supplying electricity, the retailer now also offers natural gas in the state, as well as the other eastern states. GloBird is claimed to be 100% Australian-owned, and is often one of the most competitive brands around.
Lumo Energy settled on four stars across most research categories this year. It did manage to score a notable five stars for its bill and cost clarity, however.
While Lumo Energy once offered Victorians a diverse range of products, it has since reverted to only promoting two market offers. The first of these plans offers variable rates and waives standard connection and disconnection fees for those moving homes. Another big draw to Lumo is its referral program. With this, customers can score an eGift Card for switching their mates over. Lumo Energy may not be the best-rated in this review, but it has historically ranked well in our annual review of SA electricity providers.
Alinta Energy has been ranked fifth in this year’s electricity comparison. It achieved four stars across almost all research categories, including overall satisfaction, value for money, customer service and bill and cost clarity. It scored three stars apiece for ease of sign-up and online tools and advice.
Alinta Energy is one of the largest dual fuel providers in the southern states of Australia, as well as a major gas supplier in Western Australia. It is also now partnered with the Queensland government to supply homes in the Brisbane area. The retailer is headquartered in Sydney and has a strong presence in Perth, but is now owned by a Hong Kong-based conglomerate company. When it comes to Victoria, Alinta offers competitive rates and no conditional discounts. The retailer also brings savings on various activities such as movie tickets and eating out to its customers through the Alinta Energy rewards program.
Momentum Energy was rated four stars for overall satisfaction, value for money, bill and cost clarity and ease of sign-up in this year’s ratings. Its value for money and online tools and advice however, scored just three stars.
Owned by Hydro Tasmania, Momentum Energy is a champion of renewable generation – even earning itself one of Canstar Blue’s inaugural Green Excellence Awards in 2022. It was one of the first retailers to make moves to help simplify the retail market in Australia by keeping its products free from conditional discounts. Melbourne-based Momentum Energy markets itself as the brand with great rates but no confusing discounts. The retailer has three residential market offers with varying rates but no exit fees. This approach seems to have its fans, with Momentum rating consistently well in our ratings over the years.
A previous winner of our ratings, this year Powershop has come in at seventh place, with four stars for its overall satisfaction, value for money and bill and cost clarity. While no longer topping the ratings, the retailer did still manage to earn an impressive five stars for its ease of sign-up and online tools and advice. Its customer service, however, received just three stars.
As well as competitive prices, Powershop focuses on offering customers the helpful tools they need to monitor and act on their power usage, including an online platform and Powershop smartphone app. Once a provider allowing customers to pre-purchase energy, Powershop now offers a simplified approach to billing, where Victorians are billed for the power they consume.
This year, Simply Energy rated three stars for overall satisfaction and for customer service. It did however, receive four stars for its value for money, bill and cost clarity, ease of sign-up and online tools and advice.
Simply Energy is typically a price-competitive brand, offering a range of unique products to choose from. The company is now owned by French utilities giant Engie, but remains based in Melbourne where it offers a couple of price-effective plans with unconditional discounts attached. Simply Energy’s main selling point is its partnership with local motoring clubs, where it offers discounts to eligible members. It also offers a unique plan to Victorians that allows them to earn points towards movie tickets. All plans come with variable rates, no lock-in contracts and carbon offset options.
Dodo has scored three stars in almost all research categories this year, including overall satisfaction, customer service, bill and cost clarity and ease of sign-up. For its value for money however, it snagged four stars.
Perhaps best-known as a phone and internet provider, Dodo completes the set of home services by also selling power and natural gas. A fairly no-frills retailer, Dodo operates with a single variable rate market offer, usually competitively priced. This is a no contract agreement with no exit fees. But Dodo would rather have you sign up for multiple services, claiming notable savings and a monthly discount for those who buy their power and internet together. The Dodo brand is owned by Vocus Communications – the company behind lots of other phone and internet companies, including iPrimus. Dodo’s main selling point is that customers have the convenience of dealing with the same company for all of their home services, however it should be cautioned that it may become harder to compare plans when you start bundling them together.
In our Victoria electricity provider ratings, AGL received almost a clean sweep of three stars across the research categories, with the exception of online tools and advice, where it scored four stars.
Utilities giant AGL has undertaken a major review of its plans, moving away from conditional discounts and fixed rates and replacing these with reasonably low variable rates instead. It offers two plans in Victoria, both of which come with access to AGL Rewards, the retailer’s loyalty program that delivers various value-add benefits. AGL is also one of few retailers to offer specific deals for seniors and solar customers.
EnergyAustralia has scored a majority of three-star reviews, including overall satisfaction and value for money.
EnergyAustralia provides a fairly concise range of products. Rates vary between its plans, and one includes a modest guaranteed discount applied to the whole bill. The company helpfully publishes estimated monthly costs for all its plans online so you’ll have an idea of what you’ll pay before signing up. Additionally, EnergyAustralia offers carbon offset options from its Go Neutral opt-in program.
Ranked last in our VIC comparison, Origin earned three stars for overall satisfaction and all other research categories with the exception of four stars when it came to online tools and advice.
Previously offering one of the most diverse product ranges around, including large conditional discounts that expired after a year, Origin Energy now promotes a much easier-to-understand line-up of plans. The first of these is its Basic plan with VDO pricing, alongside three variable rate options, some of which bring modest savings off the VDO. These plans come with no contract terms or exit fees. Origin also has some specific deals for customers with solar panels.
There is no simple answer to this question because it depends on a multitude of factors, from the type of contract you have, to your discount, electricity tariffs, and where you live. But to give you an idea of where to find the cheapest rates, Canstar Blue has a Victorian electricity cost comparison page, showing plans from the providers mentioned in this report. Being the cheapest provider doesn’t automatically make them the ‘best’, but if it’s purely the bottom line you are concerned about, be sure to check out the details. Also be sure to use our comparison tool for specific offers in your area.
To make sure that you get a better deal, be sure to consider and ask the following questions:
You will find the answers to these questions and more in the energy price fact sheets of each provider you compare. However, these documents can be quite difficult to understand, so don’t be afraid to pick up the phone and get the answers you need. It’s also a good idea to contact your existing provider and ask if your current deal is the best they can offer. And remember that the retailers should be working hard to keep you happy, so if you’re not completely satisfied with the price you’re paying or the service you’re receiving, you now know what you can do about it.
Simply Energy and OVO Energy are consistently some of the cheapest electricity companies in Victoria. Nevertheless, it’s best to frequently compare retailers as electricity prices change all the time given there are more than 20 brands to choose from.
Aside from which supplier is cheapest, it’s also important to look into what value a plan can give you through other features like customer service, billing options and rewards programs. Although cheaper prices will generally sway most Victorians when making a purchase decision, don’t discount the energy providers that will go the extra mile for your business.
It should only take two business days to switch energy providers in Victoria, meaning the old retailer must transfer you to your new retailer within this time period.
It’s important to know that the retailer you’re looking to switch to will usually update you once your account has been successfully transferred. Also, you can expect a final bill from your old retailer which will still need to be settled.
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 Victoria.
There are five electricity distribution networks in Victoria, with numerous energy providers operating throughout. Canstar Blue’s electricity comparison tool includes pricing from all of these providers. Please note, other providers may be available in your area.
The other factor that could impact the size of your next bill is where you live. Victoria has five different electricity distribution networks and the cost of supplying power to your home can be different depending on which network you live on. While electricity retailers are the customer-facing business, it’s the distributors who manage the infrastructure (i.e. poles and wires) that transports energy to your living room. The five electricity distributors in Victoria are:
As the retailers pass on distributor costs to their customers, the suburb you live in will impact your energy costs. For example, an Origin customer living in north Melbourne would pay a different rate to an Origin customer in south Melbourne, even if they have the same product and identical usage habits. Distributor costs can account for up to 50% of your overall bill. If you are a homeowner, there is nothing you can do about this, but if you are renting a home or considering where to buy, this is worth looking into. Choosing one suburb over another could save you hundreds of dollars a year in energy costs.
Given that distribution costs are passed on to the electricity providers, who then pass the costs onto their customers, it makes sense that households in the most hard-to-reach places will pay the most for power as there are more poles and wires involved in transmitting the energy to them. This is the case in Victoria where electricity customers in central parts of Melbourne (on the Citipower network) generally pay lower rates than those who live on the Powercor and AusNet networks which cover huge parts of regional Victoria.
As you can see, living in one part of Victoria could see you paying hundreds of dollars a year more than an equivalent household in another part of the state, even with the same retailer. And keep in mind that it’s not only those way out in regional Victoria that pay the highest prices – as a provider’s rates are consistent across each network, you could live on the Powercor or AusNet network in an outer suburb of Melbourne and pay significantly more than your friends in a neighbouring suburb.
The sun may not shine in Victoria as often as some other states, but more and more Victorian households are choosing to invest in solar systems. While all electricity market offers come with some form of solar feed-in tariff, there are only a handful of retailers that offer specific solar plans, usually with higher rates for solar generation. These include AGL, Origin, EnergyAustralia and 1st Energy.
Simply Energy and Alinta Energy both have plans that provide incentives for sports lovers, while Red Energy customers can collect Qantas Frequent Flyer points. It’s also common for retailers 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 Victoria, bringing savings on various leisure and social activities, including eating out, accommodation and even theme park tickets.
Victoria is a hugely competitive market for the electricity providers – it’s where many invest the majority of their time, effort and money in order to attract new customers. This is important to know because it means that you have the power to find a better deal – provided that you’re willing to do your research and shop around. This hasn’t happened by chance or overnight. Victoria was the first Australian state to completely remove electricity price regulations in 2009, which means the energy companies are free to set their own plans and prices, with minimal legislative interference under the introduction of the VDO in 2019. Households had been able to switch providers several years earlier, but there was little financial incentive to do so at the time.
With a fully deregulated electricity market, Victorians now have a huge range of different providers, plans and other incentives to choose from. However, with all this choice can come confusion and there is little doubt that the prospect of picking an electricity provider is a daunting one for a great many households, which is why many will still be paying more for power than they need to.
The Victorian energy market went through a significant change in July 2019 when tough new regulations took effect, designed to cut prices, as well as make comparing plans easier. After years of big, often dodgy discounts, retailers must now compare their discounted products to a ‘level playing field’ price called the Victorian Default Offer (VDO). The idea is that, unlike before, there is now a consistent price from which plans are compared, meaning you can have greater confidence that the plans boasting the biggest savings genuinely deliver them. At the same time, the Victorian Default Offer (VDO) acts as a price cap for customers who were previously paying the highest prices on standing offers. These customers have now been switched onto the cheaper VDO price and will be saving hundreds of dollars a year. That said, there are still many plans cheaper than the VDO, so shopping around for the best deal is still hugely important.
Victoria currently has three coal-fired power stations in operation in the Latrobe Valley, Yallourn (owned by EnergyAustralia) and Loy Yang A and B (owned by AGL). The Loy Yang power stations alone are said to power approximately 30% of Victoria’s electricity generation, although all three plants are scheduled to close in the next 10-15 years.
The Hazelwood Power Station (majority owned by Engie, the company behind retailer Simply Energy) was previously supplying around a quarter of Victoria’s base load electricity before it was closed in 2017. This means the state is now heavily reliant on its numerous gas turbines and reciprocating power stations, but with the coal-fired plants getting older and becoming less reliable, Victorians are susceptible to blackouts during periods of high demand when power reserves are stretched to the limit. In fact, more than 200,000 people were left without electricity in January 2019 as Melbourne sweltered through a 42-degree day and two of the three coal-fired plants failed.
Victoria is also home to more than a dozen solar farms, wind farms and hydroelectric power generation systems, though these can currently only meet a small percentage of the state’s overall energy demands.
Here are the previous winners of Canstar Blue’s Electricity Providers – VIC Customer Satisfaction Award:
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