Gridly
The 10 Cheapest Electricity Providers in Sydney (July 2026)
The cheapest electricity provider in Sydney right now is 1st Energy, whose 1st Opal - Single Rate plan costs about $1,515 a year for a typical home using 3,900 kWh - roughly $194 less than the median Sydney 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 Ausgrid network zone.
Prices last updated 7 July 2026. All figures include GST. Cheap electricity in Sydney changes month to month, so we refresh this table from the regulator's data feed monthly.
Sydney's 10 cheapest electricity plans compared
| # | Provider | Plan | Est. annual cost | Usage rate | Daily supply | Solar feed-in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1st Energy | 1st Opal - Single Rate + conditional discount available | $1,515 | 26.4c/kWh | 132.9c/day | 1c/kWh |
| 2 | Sumo | Sumo Sunrise Plus Residential Single Rate + conditional discount available | $1,553 | 30.7c/kWh | 97.7c/day | 0c/kWh |
| 3 | Flipped Energy | Anytime Switched On 2.2! | $1,557 | 28.7c/kWh | 119.9c/day | 2c/kWh |
| 4 | Kogan Energy | Kogan Energy with free FIRST | $1,591 | 31.6c/kWh | 98.8c/day | 1c/kWh |
| 5 | Powershop | Power House | $1,591 | 31.6c/kWh | 98.8c/day | 1c/kWh |
| 6 | Red Energy | Red BCNA Saver | $1,613 | 32.5c/kWh | 94.6c/day | 6.7c/kWh |
| 7 | OVO Energy | The One Plan | $1,622 | 31.5c/kWh | 108c/day | 3c/kWh |
| 8 | Alinta Energy | HomeDeal Smart - Single Rate | $1,671 | 29.2c/kWh | 146.3c/day | 3c/kWh |
| 9 | EnergyAustralia | Flexi Plan | $1,671 | 33.1c/kWh | 166.2c/day | 3c/kWh |
| 10 | Nectr | Nectr Power Perks + conditional discount available | $1,679 | 33.2c/kWh | 105.6c/day | 0c/kWh |
Estimated annual cost at 3,900 kWh/year on a single-rate tariff, the regulator's reference usage for the Ausgrid 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; 22 sell in the Ausgrid zone, and we priced 53 current single-rate residential market offers at 3,900 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 17 wholesale-price plans (their published rates are estimates, not guaranteed - see our Amber Electric review for how those work) and 44 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 Sydney
Sydney is split across two distribution networks. Ausgrid owns the poles and wires across the CBD, eastern suburbs, inner west, north shore, and up through the Central Coast to the Hunter. Greater western Sydney - roughly Parramatta out to Penrith and the Blue Mountains - sits on Endeavour Energy. Retailers publish separate rates for each zone, so a plan's price in Bondi is not its price in Blacktown. Our table ranks the Ausgrid zone; if you are in the west, use the same retailers as a shortlist and compare at your own postcode.
Your bill has two levers. The usage rate is what you pay per kilowatt-hour consumed. The daily supply charge is a fixed cost for being connected, regardless of usage. Low-usage households - apartments, couples, solar homes - should weight the supply charge more heavily; big consumers should chase the lowest usage rate. Our ranking at 3,900 kWh balances both, but the cheapest plan for a one-bedroom flat and a family house can differ.
Retailers do not build networks; they buy electricity in the wholesale market and package it into plans. Switching is purely paperwork - nothing at your property changes. If you have a roof, the bigger lever than switching is cutting what you import: check our solar savings calculator and battery payback calculator for Sydney rates.
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 Sydney
A feed-in tariff (FiT) is the credit you receive for each kWh of solar you export to the grid. Sydney retailer feed-in rates currently run from 0 to about 6.7c/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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red Energy | Red BCNA Saver | 6.7c/kWh | $1,613 |
| CovaU | Freedom Residential Single | 5.5c/kWh | $1,851 |
| Diamond Energy | Diamond Everyday - Single Rate | 3.1c/kWh | $1,899 |
| OVO Energy | The One Plan | 3c/kWh | $1,622 |
| Alinta Energy | HomeDeal Smart - Single Rate | 3c/kWh | $1,671 |
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 NSW VPP programs that pay battery owners for grid support.
How to switch electricity providers in Sydney
- 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 Sydney: FAQs
Who has the cheapest electricity in Sydney? ⌄
As of July 2026, the cheapest widely available single-rate plan in Sydney is 1st Energy's 1st Opal - Single Rate at about $1,515 a year for a home using 3,900 kWh. Rankings shift as retailers reprice, so check the current table above before switching.
What is the reference price for electricity in NSW? ⌄
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 express discounts against it. The cheapest Sydney market offers sit well below it - currently around $1,515 a year.
Is electricity cheaper in western Sydney? ⌄
Prices differ because greater western Sydney sits on the Endeavour Energy network rather than Ausgrid, and each network has its own poles-and-wires charges. The same retailer publishes different rates for each zone. Our table ranks the Ausgrid zone; Endeavour households should compare at their own postcode.
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 NSW? ⌄
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.