Residential Usage Rates Comparison

Last Updated on July 6, 2025 by David Hiley

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Listed below are electricity retailer’s latest usage rates for households in the ACT, NSW, NT, QLD, SA, TAS, VIC and WA.
What are Usage Rates? Usage Rates are the amount you pay per kWh for the electricity you consume in your home. This includes lighting, appliances, air conditioning, ovens etc.
Usage rates are charged one of two ways.
1. Anytime rates have the same cost whether power is used day or night. Anytime rates may change once you use a set amount of energy.
2. Time of Use (TOU) also referred to as Flexible rates are charges that reflect what time power is consumed. Peak rates apply during daytime periods when demand is greater so the cost is higher. Off Peak rates apply to nighttime when demand is lower so the rate is cheaper. Depending on your Time of Use plan, a Shoulder rate may apply to the period between Peak and Off Peak. View the time of use hours by electricity network. You’ll need an interval meter that measures when your power is consumed to be eligible for a Time of Use plan. Rates for controlled loads such as electric off-peak hot water systems are covered in our controlled load comparison.

Usage Rates vary depending on;
1. The electricity network region you are connected to. There are 15 major electricity networks in Australia.
2. The electricity retailer who you buy power through.

Looking to switch between tariffs?
Depending on your network and meter type you may be able to change your tariff type – but it’s not always easy. See WATTever’s How to Switch Tariff Guide for a rundown on the rules plus practical advice.

Here’s how to find the best deal.
A low usage rate is important, but to find the best deal you also need to consider daily charges, controlled load rates and feed-in tariffs if you have solar. We make it easy to get it right when you compare with WATTever’s comprehensive electricity comparison. You’ll see a personalised cost ranking of all publicly listed electricity plans, based on your energy use to help you make serious savings. We include all retailers, tariff types, discounts, solar feed-in tariffs, input for concessions and more. For extra tips check out our essential guide to comparing electricity properly.

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WATTever compares over 45 energy retailers including AGL, 1st Energy, ActewAGL, Alinta Energy, Amber, Ampol Energy, Blue NRG, CovaU, Diamond Energy, dodo, Energy Australia, Energy Locals, ENGIE, loBird Energy, Kogan Energy, Lumo Energy, nectr, Origin Energy, OVO energy, Powershop, ReAmped Energy, Red Energy, Sumo Power and Tango Energy.

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Note: Usage Rates shown are per kWh and include GST and all available discounts.
“Market-linked plans” that have their rates tied directly to the wholesale market spot price are not included in the tables above because these rates vary every day and cannot be compared like-for-like with most plans where the published rate is the rate you pay. To view indicative rates and feed-in tariffs published for market-linked plans, please see WATTever’s rates pages for Amber.

Banner Elec Compare all retailers and save with WATTever
Click to Compare all retailers
WATTever compares over 45 energy retailers including AGL, 1st Energy, ActewAGL, Alinta Energy, Amber, Ampol Energy, Blue NRG, CovaU, Diamond Energy, dodo, Energy Australia, Energy Locals, ENGIE, loBird Energy, Kogan Energy, Lumo Energy, nectr, Origin Energy, OVO energy, Powershop, ReAmped Energy, Red Energy, Sumo Power and Tango Energy.