Fact Checked

Origin Energy takes the lead in South Australian gas ratings

Natural gas is a pretty basic power source, but finding the right gas deal for your needs can be anything but simple. The gas market in South Australia has become quite competitive, and while this is good news for customers shopping around for cheaper megajoules, it means there are more providers and plans that you need to navigate. However, Canstar Blue aims to make the process of finding better value a little easier with our annual customer satisfaction review. We’ve surveyed hundreds of bill-paying customers across Adelaide and the surrounding areas to find out what they think about their gas supplier in respect of its customer service, bill & cost clarity, and the value for money it provides. Finding the right deal for you is about more than just the cheapest price – but getting a good deal certainly helps. So, which gas supplier has come out on top?

This year, we’ve seen Origin take back the crown, which comes as a slight surprise as in the last few years we’ve seen Simply Energy and EnergyAustralia dominate. We only really say surprise as the big retailers are often seen as the ‘bad guys’, with a track record of having a hard time in our customer reviews. Despite this, we confidently report that this year, Origin has the happiest natural gas customers in South Australia, according to our research. We’ll shed some light on the specific factors that made this win possible below. Plus, read on for our up-to-date gas price comparison for SA.

Best Gas Suppliers in SA

Here are the best gas suppliers in South Australia as rated by customers in Canstar Blue’s latest satisfaction survey:

1. Origin Energy
2. Simply Energy
3. EnergyAustralia
4. AGL

This year’s outcome points to major developments from the ‘big three’ energy retailers, as we’ve now seen a market dominating retailer win our ratings three years consecutively. Origin received five stars for overall satisfaction, with Simply Energy and EnergyAustralia not far behind on four stars. AGL falls behind with an almost-sweep of three stars in our latest ratings.

Find out if the same is true in our customer ratings for electricity providers in South Australia, and if you’re keen to compare electricity and gas prices, you can do so with our comparison tool below. Or keep scrolling for a snapshot of cheap gas deals from our database.

Cheap Gas Prices SA – quick comparison

SA Gas Suppliers

Origin Energy

Energy giant Origin has four gas market offers for South Australians, some with varying conditions based on personal preferences, while others come with value-add incentives. Prospective customers can choose between gas plans with variable rates or a plan which features fixed rates and Everyday Rewards points. These products all come with benefit periods of either 12 months or ongoing, depending on the plan. There are no exit fees with Origin’s plans nor are there any lock-in contracts. Customers will need to contact Origin to check eligibility on certain plans this retailer has to offer.

• Origin has won top gong this year with a five star rating overall. It also scored five stars on customer service and ease of sign-up. For all other categories, including value for money, focus on environmental sustainability, bill & cost clarity and online tools & advice, Origin rated four stars.

Origin Gas Prices

Here are the Origin gas plans on our database for SA. These estimated annual costs are based on the Australian Gas Network in Adelaide and yearly gas usage of 11,875MJ, but prices will vary depending on your circumstances. These are products from a referral partner†. Our database may not cover all deals in your area, and please check retailer websites for up to date information.

Simply Energy

Simply Energy‘s gas plans in South Australia mirror the retailer’s electricity products, with two different options to consider. These include an exclusive deal for RAA members in SA that comes with a decent guaranteed discount, with the other offer also coming with a guaranteed discount, although it is more modest. All plans come with variable rates. Simply Energy may offer an additional bill credit for combining electricity with gas when you join, however this may not be available at all times.

• Simply Energy rated four stars for overall satisfaction, in addition to ease of sign-up. It did however end up with five stars in two important categories, value for money and customer service. Its environmental sustainability, bill & cost clarity and online tools and advice earned this retailer three stars.

Simply Energy Gas Prices

Here are the Simply Energy gas plans on our database for SA. These estimated annual costs are based on the Australian Gas Network in Adelaide and yearly gas usage of 11,875MJ, but prices will vary depending on your circumstances. These are products from a referral partner†. Our database may not cover all deals in your area, and please check retailer websites for up to date information.

EnergyAustralia

As one of the biggest electricity and gas companies in the country, you would expect EnergyAustralia to have plenty of offers for South Australians – and you’d be right. Fixed rates and guaranteed discounts are the order of the day, with personal preferences definitely coming into the decision-making process. The retailer’s flagship offer comes with fixed rates for 12 months and no conditional discounts. EnergyAustralia’s also offers a variable rate and a  second fixed rate gas plan, both of which that come with a guaranteed discount. Keep in mind though that this doesn’t automatically make it the retailer’s cheapest plan. Much like the electricity plans it has on offer, this provider also offers a ‘Basic’ deal, with an ongoing benefit period and slightly higher rates. EnergyAustralia certainly gives South Aussies plenty to think about, including the potential for online sign-up credit on some plans.

• In our latest SA gas review, EnergyAustralia earned four stars overall, as well as for focus on environmental sustainability, customer service and online tools & advice. This ‘big three’ retailer was scored five stars for bill & cost clarity and ease of sign-up, but only three stars for value for money.

EnergyAustralia Gas Prices

Here are the EnergyAustralia gas plans on our database for SA. These estimated annual costs are based on the Australian Gas Network in Adelaide and yearly gas usage of 11,875MJ, but prices will vary depending on your circumstances. These are products from a referral partner†. Our database may not cover all deals in your area, and please check retailer websites for up to date information.

AGL

AGL usually offers two gas plans in South Australia, the main difference being that one has fixed rates and the other variable. AGL’s fixed rate gas offer comes on a 12-month energy plan period, whilst its variable rate product offers a no contract term period with no lock-in contract. AGL has a habit of changing its plans fairly often, so keep an eye out for product changes and online sign-up credit which may be available at certain times. You’ll also gain access to AGL Rewards when signing up to a gas plan.

• AGL received three stars for overall satisfaction in our gas review for SA, as well as for almost every other category, including value for money and customer service. The only exception is ease of sign up, for which this retailer rated four stars.

AGL Gas Prices

Here are the AGL gas plans on our database for SA. These estimated annual costs are based on the Australian Gas Network in Adelaide and yearly gas usage of 11,875MJ, but prices will vary depending on your circumstances. These are products from a referral partner†. Our database may not cover all deals in your area, and please check retailer websites for up to date information.

Double up discounts for gas and electricity

While some gas suppliers allow you to sign up for gas only, in most cases they will encourage you to sign up for both electricity and gas together (dual fuel). Doing so could earn you an additional discount on top of the rates and discounts offered for electricity and gas individually. ‘Double up’ discounts have become fairly common – especially with the big retailers – but the percentage offered can vary from time to time. Be aware, however, that some retailers will only sign you up for gas if you also agree to switch your electricity, too. Generally, only the big three retailers will take on gas-only customers from the outset. That said, there is nothing stopping you switching both electricity and gas to a new retailer, and then switching out your electricity component again at a later date.

Standard gas contracts

In addition to the market offer gas products mentioned above, all four retailers in this year’s review also have standard gas contracts in South Australia. These are regulated contracts that you may be on if you have never switched gas suppliers, or haven’t switched in several years. According to the latest industry report from the Australian Energy Regulator, around one in ten households in SA are on a standard gas contract.

SA Gas Prices

In South Australia, natural gas typically costs 3-5 cents per megajoule (MJ) – the unit of measurement for gas. The exact price you’ll pay for gas in SA depends on a number of factors, including your gas retailer, plan and tariff. In SA, gas retailers charge for gas in ‘blocks’ of daily usage. For example, you might pay 4.2c per MJ for the first block of 30 megajoules, followed by 2.2 cents per MJ for all remaining usage. It’s important to check your energy plan information document for all rates. Some suppliers charge for gas in two daily blocks, while others charge in multiple increments. And the point at which different block rates apply can vary between plans. To put these prices into perspective, the average gas oven will use around 12 megajoules an hour.

In addition to these gas usage charges, also pay close attention to the daily supply charges in your price fact sheet. These are the costs you’ll need to pay simply for the pleasure of being connected to the gas network. These can add a significant amount to your overall bill – typically around 60c to 80c a day. It’s entirely possible that gas supply charges could contribute a higher proportion of your overall costs than gas usage charges, especially if you don’t use gas for hot water heating. So, be sure to check all the rates listed before making a decision.

Picking your gas supplier

There are lots of things to think about when it comes to picking a gas supplier for your home. We asked respondents to our survey in 2020 about their main reasons for initially picking their gas supplier. This is what we found:

• 20% shopped around and compared plans and prices
• 18% just went with a retailer name they recognised
• 18% were attracted by a big discount
• 10% picked the retailer that appealed most to them for other reasons (e.g. green credentials)
• 7% were attracted by a different sign-up incentive (e.g. movie tickets)

About 14% of respondents gave other reasons for choosing their gas supplier, with 43% simply choosing the same gas supplier as they have for electricity.

Less than half of gas customers in SA (35%) signed up to their supplier over the phone, while only 15% did so online.

This year, we found that 80% of South Aussies think they get a good deal on gas.

Where does gas come from?

If you’re worried about signing up with a small gas supplier, remember that these companies are simply the customer-facing part of your overall service. They handle your billing and general enquiries, but it’s the gas distributors that are actually responsible for your supply. In South Australia, the gas distributor is Australian Gas Networks (formerly Envestra). This is who you will need to contact in the event of a gas leak or other emergency.

The gas you use for things like your hot water system or stove cooktop comes from a number of different sources. The majority of natural gas in Australia (around 60%) is used to generate electricity and the rest is piped to households and businesses throughout the distribution network. South Australia’s gas is sourced from Victoria, Queensland and the Cooper Basin, with six transmission pipelines delivering the gas to Adelaide and major regional areas. Retailers purchase this gas and sell it onto their customers. Transmission and distribution costs account for as much as 50% of your final bill. Households who can’t access the natural gas distribution network can purchase liquefied petroleum gas (LPG).

Getting a better deal on gas in SA

Customers connected to the gas distribution network can access one of two types of contracts with their gas supplier – standard contracts and market contracts. Understanding the difference is the first step to saving money.

• Standard contracts have prices set by the retailers, but they have various conditions still set out in law, including the fact that they have no contract period or exit fees.
• Market contracts are set almost entirely by the retailers. They have varying contract lengths and conditions, but often provide the opportunity to save through discounts.

Market contracts will almost always work out cheaper than standard contracts, provided that you meet the conditions of any discounts. Market contracts can come with either variable or fixed rates. If you haven’t switched plans in recent years, you will likely save money by switching to a new offer with a conditional discount or other sign-up incentive. Ultimately though, you will need to get to know usage and supply charges, and compare rates between different suppliers. If you think you’re paying too much for gas, you probably are. It’s the same deal when it comes to electricity, so make sure you shop around.

About the author of this page

This page was written and is regularly updated by Canstar Blue’s Energy Editor, Jared Mullane. He’s an expert in all things utilities, including electricity, gas and water, helping to make complicated subjects easier to understand for consumers. A trained journalist, Jared is usually one of the first to break energy-related news, whether it’s the latest changes in the industry, price movements, or the next best deal you need to know about.

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