Before you compare electricity plans, find these figures on a recent bill: the billing days, kWh used, usage rates, daily supply charge and any solar credits.
Written by Alex BPublished 20 October 2026 · Reviewed 20 October 2026
Money Detective is built around practical household money tools for Australians.
When your electricity bill arrives, the amount owing is usually the first thing you notice. But if you are thinking about comparing electricity plans, the total on its own does not tell you much.
Two households can receive bills for a similar amount while using electricity very differently. One may use a lot of electricity at a low rate, while the other uses less electricity but pays higher rates and a larger daily supply charge.
Before comparing your current plan with another one, it helps to find a few figures from a recent bill. Those figures give you a clearer picture of how your household actually uses electricity and what you are currently paying for it.
Use a recent electricity bill, ideally one that covers a normal period for your household. A bill from summer or winter can still be useful, but it may reflect seasonal heating, cooling or appliance use.
Your bill can tell you:
You do not need to understand every line on the bill to make a useful comparison. The main aim is to identify the numbers that describe your own usage and current pricing.
Look for the billing period, usually shown as a start date and end date. Your bill should also show the number of days in that period.
This matters because electricity usage and charges are often shown over different timeframes. A bill covering 90 days cannot be compared directly with one covering 60 days unless you account for the different number of days.
The billing period also helps you work out your average daily electricity use. That can be useful when comparing plans, because some plans are easier to understand on a daily-use basis while your bill may show total usage for the whole period.
A kilowatt-hour (kWh) is the unit used to measure how much electricity you use. Your bill might show, for example, that your household used 1,800 kWh during the billing period.
Look for the total electricity usage for the period. It may appear as:
Your bill may also show average daily usage. If it does not, you can divide the total kWh by the number of billing days.
For example, if you used 1,800 kWh over 90 days, your average use was 20 kWh per day.
This number matters because electricity plans do not affect every household in the same way. A plan with a lower usage rate may suit a household that uses a lot of electricity. A household using much less electricity may be affected more by the daily supply charge.
Your usage rate is what you pay for each kilowatt-hour of electricity you use. It is usually shown in cents per kWh, or c/kWh.
On a single-rate plan, you pay the same usage rate no matter what time of day you use electricity. Energy Made Easy explains that electricity usage charges are shown in cents per kilowatt-hour (c/kWh).
Not every bill has one simple usage rate. Some plans charge different rates depending on when electricity is used.
With a single-rate tariff, your usage charge is the same throughout the day. Your bill may show one rate in c/kWh, applied to your total general electricity usage.
With a time-of-use tariff, the rate depends on the time of day. These plans commonly have peak, shoulder and off-peak periods, although the exact periods and rates are set by the retailer.
If your bill shows separate usage amounts for peak, shoulder and off-peak, write down each rate and the kWh used in each period. Comparing only one rate would miss part of the picture.
Some homes also have a controlled-load rate, often for things like electric hot water. If yours does, you'll usually see that usage and rate listed separately on your bill. Keep those figures separate when comparing plans.
The daily supply charge is a fixed charge for having electricity supplied to your property. You may see it called a supply charge, service charge, service-to-property charge or fixed charge.
This charge applies whether you use a little electricity or a lot. Energy Made Easy explains that it is the cost of getting electricity to your home, even if you do not use any, and it may be shown in cents per day or as a total for the billing period.
This is why comparing only the usage rate can be misleading. A plan with a slightly lower c/kWh rate may still cost more overall if its daily supply charge is higher, particularly for a household with modest electricity use.
For now, simply find the daily supply charge and note whether it is shown per day or as a total for the billing period.
Some bills include more than usage and supply charges. Depending on your retailer, plan and location, you may see items such as:
The ACCC's June 2026 report on the National Electricity Market notes that bill credits, such as solar feed-in credits and government rebates and concessions, reduce the total bill.
You do not need to become an expert in every charge. But if your bill includes a recurring discount or credit, check whether it is guaranteed for the life of the plan or only available for a limited time. A discount that ends after a few months can change the value of a comparison.
If you have solar panels, your bill may include a solar feed-in credit. This is a credit for electricity your system exports to the grid.
A solar feed-in tariff is the rate your retailer pays for exported electricity, usually shown in c/kWh.
When comparing plans with solar, do not focus only on the feed-in rate. The highest feed-in credit does not automatically mean the lowest overall cost.
Your total cost depends on how the plan treats:
The Australian Government's guide to electricity pricing plans makes a similar point: the best plan depends on all the rates together, including fixed and variable charges and feed-in tariffs, and the plan with the highest feed-in tariff is not necessarily the best.
Here is a simplified example. The rates are illustrative only and are not a real retailer offer.
Billing period: 90 days
Total electricity used: 1,800 kWh
Usage rate: 30 c/kWh
Daily supply charge: 100 c per day, or $1.00 per day
Usage cost: 1,800 kWh × 30 c = 54,000 c, or $540
Supply charge: 90 days × $1.00 = $90
Before any other charges, discounts or credits, that comes to about $630.
This example is deliberately simple. It does not include solar credits, controlled load, time-of-use periods, demand charges or other items that may appear on a real bill. Its purpose is to show which figures matter: how much electricity you used, what you paid for each kWh, and what you paid each day just to have electricity supplied.
Once you have found your usage, usage rate or rates, daily supply charge, billing period and any relevant solar credits, you have what you need to compare plans using your own household's usage.
The key is to apply the same usage to each plan you are considering. That way, you are comparing what each plan would cost for your household, rather than reacting to one advertised rate.
A lower usage rate can look appealing, but it may not help much if your household uses little electricity and the daily supply charge is high. Likewise, a high feed-in rate may not make up for higher usage or supply charges if you export only a small amount of solar electricity.
If you want to compare your current bill with another plan manually, the Free Electricity & Gas Bill Comparer lets you enter your own bill figures and plan rates to see estimated costs side by side. It does not search the market or retrieve plan rates for you, but it is useful once you have the numbers from your bill.
If you have solar, the Free Solar Plan Comparer is the better starting point. It compares usage charges, daily supply charges and solar export or feed-in credits using the figures you enter.
If you would rather avoid copying every plan rate manually, Energy Plan Check is an optional paid shortcut for electricity. It uses postcode, retailer and AER-published plan data so you can select plans to compare. It covers electricity only, not gas, and is not a whole-market comparison service. Its solar feed-in handling is simple rather than designed for complex or tiered solar tariffs.
Once you have your usage, rates and daily supply charge, you can estimate what another plan could cost using your own household usage.
Compare Plans Using Your Bill →This article provides general information only. It does not take into account your personal objectives, financial situation or needs, and it is not financial advice. Money Detective's tools provide estimates and planning information. Electricity plans and rates change, so check your current bill and plan documents, and seek independent advice if you need it, before making financial decisions.