Gridly
The 10 Cheapest Electricity Providers in Adelaide (July 2026)
The cheapest electricity provider in Adelaide right now is Kogan Energy, whose Kogan Energy with free FIRST plan costs about $1,951 a year for a typical home using 4,000 kWh - roughly $266 less than the median Adelaide plan. We ranked every current residential market offer published by all 78 licensed retailers under the government's Consumer Data Right, priced at the official reference usage for the SA Power Networks network zone.
Prices last updated 7 July 2026. All figures include GST. Cheap electricity in Adelaide changes month to month, so we refresh this table from the regulator's data feed monthly.
Adelaide's 10 cheapest electricity plans compared
| # | Provider | Plan | Est. annual cost | Usage rate | Daily supply | Solar feed-in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kogan Energy | Kogan Energy with free FIRST | $1,951 | 40c/kWh | 96.2c/day | 1c/kWh |
| 2 | Powershop | Power House | $1,951 | 40c/kWh | 96.2c/day | 1c/kWh |
| 3 | Flipped Energy | Anytime Switched On 2.2! + conditional discount available | $1,984 | 37.7c/kWh | 130.6c/day | 2c/kWh |
| 4 | Lumo Energy (SA) | Lumo Basic | $2,072 | 40.8c/kWh | 121c/day | 1c/kWh |
| 5 | ENGIE | SA _ ENGIE Home Business- GreenPower Elec | $2,077 | 41.9c/kWh | 180c/day | 1c/kWh |
| 6 | Energy Locals Retail | Home Energy Classic | $2,100 | 37.7c/kWh | 162c/day | 0c/kWh |
| 7 | Red Energy | Red Wildlife Saver | $2,109 | 41.7c/kWh | 121c/day | 2c/kWh |
| 8 | EnergyAustralia | Flexi Plan | $2,170 | 41.9c/kWh | 180.1c/day | 3c/kWh |
| 9 | 1st Energy | 1st Quartz - Single Rate | $2,212 | 39.7c/kWh | 170.9c/day | 1c/kWh |
| 10 | Tango Energy | Home Select | $2,212 | 45.4c/kWh | 108.9c/day | 0c/kWh |
Estimated annual cost at 4,000 kWh/year on a single-rate tariff, the regulator's reference usage for the SA Power Networks network. One plan per retailer (each retailer's cheapest). Conditional discounts are not included in costs or ranking.
How we ranked these plans
Every retailer must publish its plan pricing in machine-readable form under the Consumer Data Right, via the Australian Energy Regulator's Energy Made Easy platform. We surveyed all 78 retailer brands in the register; 21 sell in the SA Power Networks zone, and we priced 48 current single-rate residential market offers at 4,000 kWh a year - the AER Default Market Offer 2026-27 reference usage for this zone. Rankings use unconditional prices: guaranteed discounts are applied, pay-on-time and direct-debit discounts are not.
We excluded 18 wholesale-price plans (their published rates are estimates, not guaranteed - see our Amber Electric review for how those work) and 39 plans restricted to seniors, members, or specific hardware. No retailer pays for placement. The full method lives on our Electricity Plans hub.
How electricity pricing works in Adelaide
Every home in Adelaide is on the same poles and wires, owned by SA Power Networks. Retailers do not build networks; they buy electricity in the wholesale market and package it into plans. That is why switching is purely paperwork - nothing at your property changes, and supply is never interrupted.
Your bill has two levers. The usage rate is what you pay per kilowatt-hour consumed, and in Adelaide it is steep: most plans in our table charge 37 to 42c/kWh. The daily supply charge is a fixed cost for being connected, currently around $1.00 to $1.80 a day depending on the plan. Low-usage households should weight the supply charge more heavily; big consumers should chase the lowest usage rate. Our ranking at 4,000 kWh balances both, but the cheapest plan for a one-person flat and a six-person house can differ.
South Australia's rates are among the highest in the country, which cuts both ways: bills hurt more, and every kWh you avoid importing is worth more. It is the main reason solar and battery payback periods in Adelaide are among the shortest in Australia.
Watch the conditional discounts
A conditional discount is a discount you only receive if you do something: pay on time, set up direct debit, or receive bills by email. Retailers advertise the discounted price, but the moment you miss one payment you are billed at the full rate - and on some plans that full rate is above the market average. The Australian Energy Regulator has repeatedly flagged pay-on-time discounts as functioning like late-payment penalties.
That is why our table ranks on unconditional prices. Plans in the table marked with "conditional discount available" can work out cheaper than their listed cost if you reliably meet the conditions - just make the comparison with your eyes open. The same logic applies to sign-up credits: a $100 credit on a plan that costs $200 more per year is a loss by month seven.
Best solar feed-in tariffs in Adelaide
A feed-in tariff (FiT) is the credit you receive for each kWh of solar you export to the grid. Adelaide retailer feed-in rates currently run from 0 to about 5.5c/kWh. The trap: high-FiT plans usually pair with higher usage rates, so they only win for homes exporting far more than they import.
| Provider | Plan | Feed-in rate | Est. annual cost (before solar credits) |
|---|---|---|---|
| CovaU | Freedom Residential Single | 5.5c/kWh | $2,248 |
| Diamond Energy | Diamond Everyday - Single Rate | 3.1c/kWh | $2,334 |
| EnergyAustralia | Flexi Plan | 3c/kWh | $2,170 |
| Flipped Energy | Anytime Switched On 2.2! | 2c/kWh | $1,984 |
| Red Energy | Red Wildlife Saver | 2c/kWh | $2,109 |
With feed-in rates this low, exporting solar earns a fraction of what avoiding imports saves. That gap is the economic case for home batteries - store your excess instead of selling it for cents. See what low feed-in rates cost you with our solar export loss calculator, or compare South Australian VPP programs that pay battery owners for grid support.
How to switch electricity providers in Adelaide
- Grab a recent bill. You need your address, your NMI (the meter number on the bill), and your actual usage to compare accurately.
- Check the table above, then verify. Confirm the current rate on the retailer's own site - retailers reprice through the year.
- Sign up online. Takes about ten minutes. The new retailer manages the transfer; there is nothing to disconnect and no outage.
- Use the cooling-off period if needed. You have ten business days to cancel without penalty.
- Settle the final bill. Your old retailer bills you to the switch date. Check it against your meter reading.
Not sure what the line items on that final bill mean? Our guide to reading your electricity bill explains every charge. If you drive electric, plan choice matters double - overnight charging rates vary wildly, covered in our best electricity plans for EV owners.
Cheap electricity in Adelaide: FAQs
Who has the cheapest electricity in Adelaide? ⌄
As of July 2026, the cheapest widely available single-rate plan in Adelaide is Kogan Energy's Kogan Energy with free FIRST at about $1,951 a year for a home using 4,000 kWh. Rankings shift as retailers reprice, so check the current table above before switching.
What is the reference price for electricity in South Australia? ⌄
The reference price is the annual cost cap the Australian Energy Regulator sets each July for a typical customer on a standing offer, known as the Default Market Offer. Retailers must compare their discounts against it. The cheapest Adelaide market offers usually sit well below it - currently around $1,951 a year.
Why is electricity so expensive in Adelaide? ⌄
South Australia has among the highest network and wholesale costs in the country: a long, thin grid serving a small population, no coal generation, and heavy reliance on gas during low-wind periods. Usage rates above 40c/kWh are common. That also makes solar and batteries pay back faster in Adelaide than in most cities.
Should I pick the plan with the highest solar feed-in tariff? ⌄
Rarely. A feed-in tariff is the credit you receive per kWh of solar exported, and high feed-in plans usually carry higher usage rates or supply charges that cost more than the extra credits earn. Compare the whole annual cost at your usage and export levels, not the headline feed-in rate.
How do I switch electricity providers in SA? ⌄
Sign up with the new retailer online with your address and a recent bill handy - it takes about ten minutes. The new retailer handles the transfer, there are no disconnection works, and supply is never interrupted. You get a ten business day cooling-off period, and your old retailer sends a final bill.
Gridly does not endorse or recommend any particular electricity plan or retailer. Plan information is obtained from data published by the Australian Energy Regulator, whose source is provided by the energy companies themselves. Gridly does not guarantee or warrant the accuracy, completeness, or currency of the information provided. Confirm current rates with the retailer before signing up.
Data sources: Australian Energy Regulator Consumer Data Right plan data via Energy Made Easy (prices as of 7 July 2026); reference usage from the AER Default Market Offer 2026-27. All prices include GST. Gridly receives no commissions from electricity retailers and no retailer pays for placement on this page.