Performance indicators

Market overview and customer engagement

  • Three retailers marketing to residential electricity customers, with the biggest retailer, ActewAGL supplying 93 per cent of customers. ActewAGL also supplies 93 per cent per cent of the residential gas market.
  • Electricity switching activity generally increased from 0.4 per cent to 0.5 per cent  while gas switching decreased from 0.6 per cent to 0.1 per cent over the year
  • 24 per cent of electricity customers are on market retail contracts (no change from 2014-15)
  • 27 per cent of gas customers are on market retail contracts (no change from 2014-15)

Debt levels (non-hardship)

  • 2.7 per cent of non-hardship residential electricity customers are repaying a debt (down from 2.8 per cent in 2014-15). This is the second highest rate of residential electricity debt nationally.
  • The average electricity debt per customer is $833 (up $6 from 2014-15). This is the highest average electricity debt per customer nationally.
  • 7.2 per cent of non-hardship gas customers are repaying a debt (down from 7.4 per cent in 2014-15). This is the highest rate of residential gas debt nationally.
  • $442 is the average gas debt (down $6 from 2014-15)

Hardship

  • 0.37 per cent of electricity customers are repaying debt under a retailer’s hardship program (down from 0.42 per cent in 2014-15). This is the lowest rate of electricity customers participating in hardship programs nationally.
  • $1293 is the average electricity debt upon entry when entering a retailer’s hardship program (up $457 from 2014-15)
  • $1091 is the average electricity debt (up $12 from 2014-15)
  • 0.68 per cent of gas customers are repaying debt on a hardship program (up from 0.50 per cent in 2014-15). This is the second highest rate nationally.
  • $1106 is the average gas debt upon entry when entering a retailer’s hardship program (down $317 from 2014-15)
  • $1817 is the average gas debt (up $283 from 2014-15). This is the highest nationally.
  • The ACT has the lowest rate of gas hardship customers successfully completing hardship programs.

Disconnections

The number of residential electricity customers who were disconnected for non-payment increased by 12 per cent (from 345 in 2014-15). This represents 0.24 per cent of residential electricity customers. This is the lowest residential electricity disconnection rates nationally.

The number of residential gas customers who were disconnected remained static (from 1,403 in 2014-15). This represents 1.19 per cent of residential gas customers.

Energy affordability

Energy bills for a low income household (consuming 5,600kWh and 48,000MJ)

Electricity

  • The annual electricity bill on the median market offer with a concession is $1004, (up 0.3 per cent) from 2014-15. Without a concession, the same bill would be $1203 (up 0.3 per cent) 
  • The annual electricity bill on a median standing offer was $1045 with a concession (down 8.8 per cent), or $1244 without (down 7.4 per cent).
  • For electricity, the median market offer is about 3.3 per cent cheaper than the standing offer.

Gas

  • The annual gas bill on the median market offer was $1533 (up 0.1 per cent) without a concession. With a gas concession, the annual bill on a market offer is $1334 (up 0.1 per cent).
  • The annual gas bill on the median standing offer is $1688 (up 4.7 per cent) without a concession. With the new gas concession, the annual bill on a market offer is $1489 (up 5.3 per cent).
  • For gas, the median market offer is about 9.2 per cent cheaper than the standing offer.

Bills as percentage of income

  • A low income household on the median market offer and receiving an energy concession would spend:
  • 3.0 per cent of its disposable income on electricity (or 3.6 per cent without a concession) and
  • 4.0 per cent of its disposable income on gas (or 4.6 per cent without a concession)

Text box: The benefits of comparing energy offers

The benefits of comparing offers on Energy Made Easy and switching (from median standing to lowest market offer at 30 June 2016):

  • 48 residential electricity offers.
  • Four residential gas offers.
  • A resident of the Canberra area switching from the median standing offer to the lowest market offer could save up to $184 (electricity) and $207 (gas).