The words on a Queensland electricity bill, in plain English.

The annual price cap the Australian Energy Regulator sets each 1 July for standing-offer electricity contracts in New South Wales, South Australia and South East Queensland. Retailers must state their market offers as a percentage above or below it for a typical customer, which is why every plan advertises a figure like "18% less than the reference price". It is calculated for a typical household, not for you.

A standing offer is the default contract a retailer must give anyone who does not choose a plan; its price is capped by the reference price. A market offer is a plan the retailer designs itself, usually cheaper, often with conditions, and its rates can change with notice. Almost every household on a market offer would do better to compare periodically, because that is where prices move.

A fixed amount charged for every day you are connected, whether or not you use any electricity, shown in cents per day. For a low-usage home it can be a third or more of the bill, so the cheapest plan for a large household is often not the cheapest for a single person.

The price for each kilowatt-hour of electricity you use, in cents per kilowatt-hour. On a single-rate plan there is one price all day; on a time-of-use plan there are two or three; some plans also step the price after a block of usage.

The unit electricity is sold in: one kilowatt of power drawn for one hour. A 2 kW heater running for 30 minutes uses 1 kWh. A typical South East Queensland home uses somewhere between 10 and 25 kWh a day depending on size, solar and hot water.

A plan with one usage price no matter what time of day you use electricity. Simple, works with any meter, and often the best choice for homes with steady daytime use or no way to shift loads.

A plan that charges different usage prices by time of day: a high peak rate in the late afternoon and evening, a low off-peak rate overnight, and sometimes a shoulder or a cheap daytime "solar soak" rate. It needs a smart meter. It rewards homes that can move usage out of the evening peak and punishes those that cannot.

A plan that adds a monthly charge based on your single highest half-hour of electricity demand during the peak window, measured in kilowatts, on top of usage and supply charges. It needs a smart meter. One evening of running the oven, the aircon and the dryer at once can set the charge for the whole month, so it suits homes that can keep their peak draw low.

A separate circuit, usually for a storage hot water system or a pool pump, that Energex powers for only part of the day in exchange for a lower price. Tariff 31 supplies at least eight hours a day at the lowest rate; Tariff 33 supplies at least eighteen hours a day at a rate between Tariff 31 and the general rate. Each has its own supply charge and usage rate on a retail plan.

Tariff 31 and 33 explained

A meter that records your usage in short intervals, typically every 30 minutes or less, and sends the readings to the network without a meter reader. A basic (accumulation) meter records only a running total, read every quarter. Time-of-use, demand and Solar Sharer plans all need a smart meter because they depend on knowing when you used electricity.

A 10-character code, often shown with an eleventh check digit, that identifies the electricity connection at your address rather than you or your retailer. It is on the first page of the bill near your customer details, and in Queensland usually starts with two letters. You need it to switch retailers and to request your meter data.

Reading your bill

The credit a retailer pays for each kilowatt-hour your rooftop solar exports to the grid, in cents per kilowatt-hour. In South East Queensland it is set by each retailer rather than regulated, varies widely between plans and can be cut with notice. A high feed-in rate paired with a high usage rate is a common trap.

A plan every retailer with more than 1,000 customers must offer from 1 July 2026 that makes electricity free between 11am and 2pm each day in South East Queensland, up to 24 kWh a day. It is opt-in, needs a smart meter, and is open to renters and homes without solar. The free window is paid for by higher prices at other times, so it only helps homes that can move usage into the middle of the day.

The Solar Sharer Offer explained

A discount you only receive if you meet a condition, most often paying by the due date or by direct debit. Miss the condition once and that bill is charged at the full rate. We rank plans on what they cost with no conditional discounts at all, and show the conditional figure separately.

The length of time a plan's discount or introductory rate lasts, often 12 months, after which the plan reverts to undiscounted rates unless you switch again. A forecast that ignores the end of a benefit period will overstate the saving.

What a plan would cost you over a year if you never met a single discount condition: supply charges, usage at every applicable rate, controlled loads, demand charges, feed-in credits, guaranteed discounts and GST, on your own usage. It is the figure My Energy Agent ranks plans on, because a plan that punishes one late payment should be judged on that.

How we compare plans

The 10 business days after a retailer gives you the details of a new market contract, during which you can cancel it at no cost by telling the retailer. It is rule 47 of the National Energy Retail Rules and applies whether you switched online, by phone or at the door.

The two businesses that own the poles, wires and meters in Queensland. Energex covers South East Queensland, where households can choose between retailers. Ergon Energy covers the rest of the state on regulated prices with no retail competition. Your distributor sets the network tariffs and controlled-load hours; your retailer sets the prices you pay.

The Australian Energy Regulator's free, impartial comparison website, which lists every generally available plan and can use your usage history if you enter your NMI. It does not read your bill for you, forecast the year ahead or keep checking. It is a good place to start and the data behind it is the same data My Energy Agent uses.

The public data feed, run by the Australian Energy Regulator under the Consumer Data Right, into which every retailer must publish its generally available plans with their full tariff detail. It needs no accreditation to read and carries no personal data. It is where My Energy Agent's plan catalogue comes from, refreshed daily.

Where the plan data comes from

The standard file format for smart-meter interval data in the National Electricity Market, which you can request from your retailer or download from Energex's self-service portal. Twelve months of it lets a comparison price time-of-use and demand plans on your real half-hourly usage rather than an estimate.

A Queensland Government concession, currently $399.47 a year, that eligible holders of a Queensland Seniors Card, Pensioner Concession Card, Health Care Card, Veteran Gold Card or ImmiCard can have deducted from their electricity bills. You apply through your retailer, and you must be the account holder at your main home.

Concessions on your bill