The energy brands that no longer exist

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Australia’s energy market has undergone huge change in recent years, meaning some of the old retail brands you may be familiar with no longer exist. This could be because they have been absorbed by other electricity and gas companies, changed their names, or just gone out of business. Some of the changes to old energy retail brands relate to the fact that most Australian states and territories have now deregulated their electricity and gas markets, with some previously state-owned energy companies now in private hands, while others may have crumbled under the pressure of rising prices during the recent wholesale market mayhem.

Depending on the circumstances of the closure, some customers may have been put through the regulators’ Retailer of Last Resort (RoLR) schemes. This is where major retailers, such as Origin and EnergyAustralia, are nominated to take new customers from defunct retailers. However, customers are also welcome to choose another retailer if they wish. Keep reading for an explanation on the old energy retailer you’re interested in and what happened to its customers.

Powerdirect

Powerdirect was an electricity retailer that was licensed to operate across New South Wales, Victoria, south-east Queensland and South Australia. The retailer was acquired by AGL in 2007 but continued to operate under its own banner until March 2, 2023 when it officially surrendered its electricity retailer authorisation to the Australian Energy Regulator (AER). 

What happened to Powerdirect customers?

All Powerdirect customers were transferred to AGL from October 15, 2022. 

Elysian Energy

Elysian Energy was an electricity provider with a unique subscription based model and heavy solar power focus. The retailer was licensed to operate in NSW, VIC, SEQ, SA, the Australian Capital Territory and Tasmania, with its headquarters based in Melbourne. Elysian Energy went into administration on August 30, 2022. 

What happened to Elysian Energy customers?

Elysian Energy customers were transferred to either AGL, ActewAGL, EnergyAustralia, Origin or Aurora Energy depending on their distribution network as part of the regulaters’ RoLR scheme.

Powerclub

Powerclub was an electricity provider that claimed to give customers access to wholesale electricity prices, in exchange for a monthly membership fee. The retailer was licensed to operate in NSW, VIC, SEQ, SA and the ACT, with its headquarters based in Melbourne. On July 19, 2022, Powerclub went into administration. 

What happened to Powerclub customers?

Powerclub customers were transferred to either AGL, ActewAGL, EnergyAustralia or Origin, depending on their distribution network, as part of the RoLR scheme. 

Enova Energy

Enova Energy was Australia’s first community-owned electricity provider, based in Byron Bay. The retailer was licensed to sell electricity in NSW and SEQ. Enova Energy had a heavy focus on renewable energy options and claimed up to half of its customers’ electricity supply came from its own customers’ rooftop solar panels. The rest was sourced from renewables-focused provider, Diamond Energy. 

Enova Energy was also awarded one of Canstar Blue’s inaugural Green Excellence Awards in 2022 for its energy sourcing strategy and general market offerings. The retailer entered voluntary administration on June 22, 2022, citing wholesale electricity prices as the main cause. 

What happened to Enova Energy customers?

Enova Energy customers were switched to either Origin or EnergyAustralia, depending on their distribution network, as part of the RoLR scheme. Customers were welcome to switch to another retailer if they wished though. Enova Energy encouraged its customers to switch to Energy Locals if they did not wish to stay with their new appointed provider. 

Amaysim Energy

Amaysim Energy was the electricity and gas retail arm of Amaysim – a budget mobile phone provider. This company operated throughout NSW, Victoria and QLD, specialising in subscription-based plans, which worked much like a pre-paid mobile plan where customers chose an amount of power for a set price. Amaysim acquired Click Energy in 2017, although these retailers operated separately.

What happened to Amaysim Energy customers?

Customers signed up to Amaysim Energy should have been switched over to AGL after the energy giant purchased it in late 2020.

Click Energy

Following suit from Amaysim’s acquisition from AGL was Click Energy – a provider bought by Amaysim in 2017. Although Click Energy was under the Amaysim banner at the time, it operated separately to now defunct Amaysim Energy. Click Energy sold electricity in NSW, Victoria, QLD and SA, while it also retailed natural gas in NSW and VIC. This brand had a reputation for changing its power plans frequently, but did offer some higher-than-average feed-in tariffs for solar customers to take advantage of.

What happened to Click Energy customers?

Customers with Click Energy should now be switched over to AGL, following its sale from parent company Amaysim in late 2020.

Sanctuary Energy

Sanctuary Energy was purchased by Mojo Power in 2019, a power retailer operating in NSW and QLD. Mojo Power is a fairly straightforward retailer without any confusing discounts or bill credits. Historically, Mojo’s plans haven’t worked out to be overly competitive.

What happened to Sanctuary Energy customers?

Customers who were originally with Sanctuary Energy should have been notified and switched to Mojo Power.

Integral Energy

Integral Energy was a large state-owned energy corporation in New South Wales, which retailed electricity across the east coast of Australia. It was seemingly a reasonably popular energy retailer, topping Canstar Blue’s customer satisfaction ratings for electricity providers in Queensland in 2010, while scoring four stars out of five for overall satisfaction in NSW the same year. At its peak, Integral Energy had more than two million customers across the east coast.

In 2011, the Integral Energy retail brand was sold by the NSW government to Origin Energy. While the energy distribution side of Integral Energy remained state-owned, it was renamed Endeavour Energy – now one of three electricity distribution companies in NSW. Its network covers south and western metropolitan Sydney and surrounding areas.

What happened to Integral Energy customers?

Integral Energy customers were switched over to Origin Energy.

Country Energy

Country Energy was an energy distribution and retail company owned by the NSW government. In addition to selling electricity to customers across NSW, Country Energy also owned Australia’s largest energy distribution network, covering NSW and small parts of Victoria and Queensland. In 2010, Country Energy was rated highest in Canstar Blue’s customer review of electricity providers in NSW.

In 2011, the NSW government sold the retail division of Country Energy to Origin Energy. The distribution side of the business was separated and rebranded as Essential Energy – now one of three electricity distribution companies in NSW, covering country and regional NSW.

The acquisition of both Integral Energy and Country Energy helped make Origin Energy the biggest electricity and gas retailer in Australia.

What happened to Country Energy customers?

Country Energy customers were transferred to Origin Energy.

TRUenergy

TRUenergy was an energy generation and retail company, operating across the eastern states of Australia. In 2010, it topped Canstar Blue’s customer satisfaction ratings for electricity providers in South Australia.

In 2011, TRUenergy acquired the retail business and brand name of the state-owned power company EnergyAustralia from the NSW government. The electricity and gas distribution side of the enterprise was renamed Ausgrid – now one of three energy distribution companies in NSW, covering central and eastern Sydney, as well as northern areas of the state. Meanwhile TRUenergy was rebranded EnergyAustralia, now one of the biggest electricity and natural gas retailers in the country.

What happened to TRUenergy customers?

TRUenergy customers were switched over to EnergyAustralia.

Australian Power and Gas

Australian Power and Gas was an electricity retailer licensed to operate across most parts of Australia, though it seemed to have a greater presence in Victoria than anywhere else. However, in 2011 it achieved just two stars out of five in Canstar Blue’s customer satisfaction survey on electricity providers in Victoria. In 2014, Australian Power and Gas surrendered its retail license with the Australian Energy Regulator (AER).

What happened to Australian Power and Gas customers?

Australian Power and Gas customers were switched to AGL as part of the RoLR scheme.

Other recent cases

In recent years there have been further examples of energy brands disappearing. This is usually the result of competitive market conditions. Other energy retailers that have recently closed:

• Mojo Power – customers were transferred to either EnergyAustralia or Origin.
• QEnergy – customers were transferred to either AGL, EnergyAustralia or Origin.
• People Energy – customers were transferred to either AGL, EnergyAustralia or Origin.
• Social Energy – customers were transferred to either EnergyAustralia or Origin.
• Pooled Energy – customers were transferred to either EnergyAustralia or Origin.
• Urth Energy – customers were transferred to either Origin or AGL
• Online Power and Gas – customers were transferred to 1st Energy

In the case of Online Power and Gas, it would appear its customers were switched to 1st Energy due to both brands being owned by the same group.

Other energy retailers to go out of business in recent years include Go Energy, Neighbourhood Energy, DC Power Co and Bright Spark Power.

Is your retailer on this list? See what you need to do when your energy provider goes out of business with Canstar Blue’s step-by-step retired power provider guide for customers.

Should you avoid smaller companies because they might go out of business?

While smaller energy companies like those mentioned above would seemingly be more vulnerable to competitive market conditions – not to mention the increasing cost of power – consumers should not be put off considering smaller electricity retailers because of this. If a small retailer goes out of business, customers will not lose power.

As mentioned above, the energy regulator has an action plan to manage this event, with customers simply taken on by another retailer. In this instance, they would not be placed on a lock-in contract and would be free to switch to a retailer of their choosing at any time.

Retailer gone bust? See if you can get a better offer with of these cheap electricity providers

Original Author: Jared Mullane