An Australian electricity bill contains more information than most people realise — and most of it is useful. The problem is that the layout varies by retailer, the terminology is inconsistent, and the single most important number (whether you're paying above or below the benchmark price) is often buried in fine print. This guide takes you through every common line item, explains what it means, and shows you the two or three numbers worth acting on.
Section 1: Account and property information
At the top of every bill you'll find your name, service address, and two identifiers that are easy to confuse:
- Account number — your retailer's internal reference. Used for direct debits and customer service calls. Changes if you switch retailers.
- NMI (National Metering Identifier) — a 10- or 11-digit number that identifies your physical meter connection point in the national database. It stays the same regardless of which retailer supplies you. You'll need this when comparing offers on Energy Made Easy or switching providers.
Also note the supply period (the billing period start and end dates). Bills are typically quarterly (90 days) or monthly. Always note the number of days in the billing period before comparing costs to previous bills — a 92-day quarter costs more than an 88-day quarter even at identical daily usage.
Section 2: Usage charges line by line
Usage charges make up the bulk of most residential bills. The specific lines you see depend on your tariff type and metering.
| Line item | What it means | Typical 2025–26 rate | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Peak usage | Electricity consumed during peak hours on a time-of-use (ToU) tariff | 38–55 c/kWh | Hours vary by network; typically 7 am–11 pm weekdays in most states |
| Shoulder usage | Electricity consumed during shoulder hours on a ToU tariff | 22–33 c/kWh | Not all retailers or networks offer shoulder periods; some go peak/off-peak only |
| Off-peak usage | Electricity consumed during off-peak hours (typically overnight) | 12–22 c/kWh | High value for EV charging or overnight appliance scheduling |
| Single rate / flat rate usage | All usage charged at one rate, no time-of-use structure | 28–38 c/kWh | Simpler for households without smart meters or flexible loads |
| Controlled load (CL1 / CL2) | Usage on the dedicated hot-water circuit, billed at a lower rate | 15–22 c/kWh | Appears only if you have an electric storage hot-water system on a dedicated circuit |
| Daily supply charge | Fixed daily fee for maintaining your grid connection | 80c–$1.40/day ($290–$510/year) | Paid regardless of usage. Compare carefully — it's often where margins are hidden |
| GreenPower / renewable energy charge | Optional premium for accredited renewable energy matching | 2–6 c/kWh extra | Voluntary. Funds large-scale renewable certificates (LGCs) on your behalf |
| Feed-in tariff (FiT) credit | Credit for solar energy exported to the grid | 3–10 c/kWh (credit) | Appears as a negative figure — a reduction to your bill. Varies widely by retailer |
| GST | 10% Goods and Services Tax applied to the total before credits | 10% of subtotal | Applied after all charges are summed but before credits in most bill formats |
| Account credit / concession | Any government concession, retailer rebate or prepayment credit | Varies | State concession amounts change annually — confirm eligibility with your retailer |
Section 3: The reference price — the number you're probably ignoring
Since 2019, electricity bills in NSW, South-East Queensland and South Australia must show your estimated annual cost as a percentage of the Reference Price — a benchmark set annually by the Australian Energy Regulator (AER) for a typical household using 3,900–4,700 kWh per year (depending on the state).
If your bill says "estimated annual cost: 118% of reference price", you are paying 18% above the benchmark. That's the prompt to act. Many competitive market offers in those states are priced at 90–105% of the reference price; some basic no-frills plans are as low as 85%.
In Victoria, the equivalent is the Victorian Default Offer (VDO), set by the Essential Services Commission. The same principle applies: offers below 100% of VDO represent savings versus the default standing offer.
Bills in Western Australia, Tasmania, the NT and the ACT operate under different regulatory frameworks and may not display a reference price comparison — check your state energy regulator's website for the relevant benchmark.
Worked example: reading a typical quarterly bill
The bill below is a constructed example of a typical Sydney household for Q1 2026 (January–March, 90 days). The household has a single-rate tariff, no solar, and uses approximately 18 kWh/day.
- Usage: 1,620 kWh × 31.5 c/kWh = $510.30
- Daily supply charge: 90 days × $1.10 = $99.00
- Subtotal before GST: $609.30
- GST (10%): $60.93
- Total: $670.23
- Average daily usage: 18.0 kWh
- Estimated annual cost: 112% of Reference Price
The 112% reference price flag is the signal. On Energy Made Easy, this household could find offers at 95–100% of the reference price — a saving of $150–$220 per year for zero change in behaviour, simply by switching to a lower-rate plan.
How to check your usage year-on-year
Most Australian electricity bills display a bar chart of your previous four to eight quarters of consumption, measured in kWh. This is one of the most useful pieces of information on the bill, and it's often overlooked entirely.
To diagnose a bill spike:
- Find the average daily kWh for the current bill (total kWh ÷ number of days).
- Compare it to the same quarter last year (same months, seasonal baseline).
- If daily usage is similar but the bill is higher, the issue is a rate increase — check your c/kWh rate and the daily supply charge against the previous year.
- If daily usage has risen (e.g., from 15 kWh/day to 21 kWh/day), something changed in the household — a new appliance, a person moved in, or an old appliance is running inefficiently (common culprits: ageing electric hot water systems, old split systems left running).
Controlled load: the hidden discount most households forget
If your home has an electric storage hot-water system connected to a separate "Controlled Load" or "Off-Peak" circuit, the energy used to heat that water is billed at a lower rate — typically 15–22 c/kWh versus the standard 28–38 c/kWh for general usage. Over a year, a typical 315-litre hot-water system uses around 1,200–1,800 kWh. At 20 c/kWh controlled load versus 31 c/kWh general rate, the saving is roughly $130–$200 per year.
The problem: if your controlled load circuit is not working correctly (a tripped breaker, a failed relay, or a switchboard issue), your hot-water system defaults to drawing from the general circuit at the higher rate — but nothing on your bill will obviously flag this. A sudden increase in general-usage kWh alongside a disappearance of the controlled-load line is a diagnostic sign worth investigating.
GreenPower: worth it?
GreenPower is an optional add-on where your retailer purchases accredited Large-scale Generation Certificates (LGCs) equivalent to your electricity consumption — ensuring that renewable energy matching your usage is added to the national grid. The cost varies: full 100% GreenPower typically adds 2–6 c/kWh, or around $250–$700 per year for an average household.
If you have rooftop solar, your grid imports are already partially offset by your daytime self-consumption of renewable energy. For solar households, partial GreenPower (25–50% matching) for the residual grid imports is often the more cost-effective approach. GreenPower is accredited by the National GreenPower Accreditation Program.
Feed-in tariff: what's actually happening on your bill
If you have solar, your feed-in tariff (FiT) appears as a credit — a negative charge on the usage section of the bill. It is calculated as: total kWh exported × your FiT rate (c/kWh). FiTs are set by individual retailers (not by government in most states, with the exception of Victoria's guaranteed minimum FiT of 4.6 c/kWh for 2025–26). In practice, competitive retailers offer 5–10 c/kWh, but some standing offers are as low as 3 c/kWh.
It is important to note that the FiT credit reduces your bill but does not eliminate the daily supply charge. Some solar households — particularly those with large systems — find their usage charges are almost entirely offset, leaving them paying primarily the daily supply charge ($290–$510/year) plus a small residual import amount. Use the solar payback calculator to model how your bill changes under different FiT and usage scenarios.
Sources
- Australian Energy Regulator (AER) — Default Market Offer and Reference Price methodology, 2025–26.
- Energy Made Easy — Australian Government energy offer comparison tool (NSW, QLD, SA, ACT).
- National GreenPower Accreditation Program — accredited renewable energy matching for households.
Last reviewed: — figures verified against AER Default Market Offer 2025–26 and state energy regulators.