Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, our comparison service supports Government concessions. We also support the different treatment of usage and supply discounts either before or after concessions are applied to provide a more accurate total cost estimate.

Yes, our comparison service supports both retailer and premium feed-in tariffs. We also support the different treatment of usage and supply discounts either before or after feed-in tariff credits are applied to provide a more accurate total cost estimate.

The Add Solar feature uses the average estimated daily solar generation for the capital city in your state based on the PVWatts calculator. This number varies between 3.4-4.5kWh per day for each 1kW of solar panels (across Australian capital cities). This estimated output assumes no shading, north facing roof, 20′ roof pitch and 14% system losses (these are the default PVWatts assumptions).

We then multiply that daily solar generation estimate by the size of the additional solar selected and multiply that by the solar self-consumption to determine the reduction in your electricity usage (grid import). That reduced usage total (in kWh) is then multiplied by each plan’s electricity usage rates to determine the reduced usage charges. If GreenPower is added, the GreenPower cost will also reduce as it is based on the new, lower electricity usage. On the solar export side, the amount of solar that you don’t consume is multiplied by the solar feed-in tariff to determine the total solar feed-in. Supply charges are unchanged by adding solar. Where the combination of additional solar and self-consumption exceeds current electricity usage, no further savings on usage charges can be made and usage charges will be reduced to zero. In this case, to better reflect reality, the solar self-consumption input “slider” should be set to effect a low usage charge of ~$2 per day to reflect that without energy storage (eg. batteries) it is not feasible to eliminate all usage charges with solar (night time and cloudy days).

Note: where Time Of Use rates apply we split the reduction in usage from solar self-consumption as follows:
– Two Rate (5 day) Time Of Use – 60% peak and 40% off-peak usage
– Three Rate Time Of Use (aka Flexible) – 40% peak and 60% shoulder

The Add EV feature simulates the addition of an electric vehicle by including the additional energy required to charge an EV for the selected amount of kilometres driven per year.

The different EV models – sedan, hatchback, SUV etc – have a pre-defined fuel consumption and electricity consumption (based on WLTP) and that consumption is used to determine the amount of fuel and electricity required to drive the nominated annual kilometres driven.

For the fuel savings the amount of fuel consumed is then multiplied by the cost of fuel per litre to come up with an estimated annual fuel saving.

For the additional electricity consumption, for anytime (aka flat) tariffs the usage is added to the existing consumption and charged at the applicable anytime usage rate. For Time Of Use tariffs, the usage is added to off-peak usage and charged at the off-peak rate ie. it is assumed that the vehicle will be 100% charged from the off-peak tariff.

Note that each EV owner’s circumstances are different and that each owner will use a mix of home, work, free and paid public charging. Those who need to use more public paid charging will likely see a higher cost whereas those who can take advantage of charging from their own solar, free public or workplace charging will likely see a lower cost.

1. Usage and supply rates shown for each plan INCLUDE all available discounts and GST. Discounts may include pay on time, direct debit, e-billing, guaranteed discounts etc. WATTever displays all rates AFTER discount to enable easy comparison between plans and retailers.
2. The usage and supply rates in the Energy Price Fact Sheets may differ to those shown on the plan details page. This is because Energy Price Fact Sheets rates are BEFORE discount
3. One-off credits offered by retailers (e.g. $100 welcome credit applied to the first bill), are included in full where we show an annual cost. Where we show a plan cost for another time period e.g. 91 days, to allow comparison with your existing bill, these credits are excluded.
4. The value of rewards offered by WATTever (e.g. eGift Cards) or exclusive partner credits for signing up via our website links are included in 1 year cost estimate (and also shown in the Cost Summary breakdown of each plan).
5. Connection/disconnection fees are not included.
6. Exit fees from current plans are not included in the plan cost (but are shown in the plan details).
7. All dollar amounts shown include GST where applicable. Note there is no GST on feed in tariffs.
8. Retailer feed in tariffs are used unless you indicate that you are eligible for solar bonus scheme tariffs.
9. Future plan price may be subject to change at the retailer’s discretion. The process for plan price changes for each plan is detailed in the Energy Price Fact Sheets.
10. Costs are estimated based on entered/past usage. Future usage which may be different.
11. Combination plans that require you to purchase gas from the retailer as well as electricity are excluded. It may be possible that combined gas and electricity plans offer a less expensive electricity deal than the cheapest electricity only plans, however our experience is that this is rarely the case.
12. If you tell us you have an EV, and select/input a level of home charging, we assume that households charge at the cheapest time. For EV plans, this is the super off-peak period, which is typically overnight. Where you select a pre-set home charging level, we apply charging as follows; 5,000km/year @ 840kWh, 10,000km/year @ 1,680kWh or 20,000/year @ 3,360kWh. In this case, we reallocate general usage to the lower-cost super off-peak period based on your selection. We assume a maximum 6kWh/home charging rate. Where the required level of charging exceeds the length of the super off-peak period, we allocate this to the next cheapest period/general usage.