In short
A controlled load is a separate circuit in your home, usually for hot water or a pool pump, that Energex only powers for part of the day in exchange for a cheaper rate. Tariff 31 is the night-rate tariff: at least eight hours of supply a day, traditionally overnight and now often in the middle of the day too, at the lowest rate. Tariff 33 is the economy tariff: at least eighteen hours a day, at a rate between Tariff 31 and your general rate. Which one you have, and how much runs through it, changes which retail plan is cheapest.
What is a controlled load?
Some appliances do not need power all the time. A storage hot water system heats a tank and keeps it hot for hours; a pool pump only needs to run for part of the day. Energex, the network that owns the poles and wires in South East Queensland, will supply those appliances on a separate, separately metered circuit that it can switch off at busy times, in return for a lower price per kilowatt-hour. That circuit is a controlled load. Energex sets the minimum hours of supply for each tariff and says it can change the supply times to suit the network (Energex residential tariffs); retailers then set their own rates for it on each plan.
What is the difference between Tariff 31 and Tariff 33?
| Tariff 31 | Tariff 33 | |
|---|---|---|
| Also called | Night rate, super economy | Economy |
| Supply | At least 8 hours a day. Traditionally overnight; increasingly also in the middle of the day, when rooftop solar floods the network | At least 18 hours a day, typically off for a few hours during the morning and evening peaks |
| Price | Lowest rate available | Between Tariff 31 and the general rate |
| Suits | Large storage hot water tanks that can heat once overnight | Pool pumps, smaller tanks, larger households that run hot water short |
| Risk | Running out of hot water on a big-use day | Paying more per kilowatt-hour than you need to |
Both have their own daily supply charge on top of your main one, and their own usage rate. A retailer might offer a sharp general rate and an ordinary controlled-load rate, or the reverse, so the plan that wins for a home with electric hot water is often not the plan that wins for the same home with gas.
How do you tell if you have one?
Look at your bill for a separate section labelled Tariff 31, Tariff 33, “controlled load”, “night rate” or “economy”, with its own kilowatt-hour figure. If you have electric storage hot water in Queensland, there is a good chance you do. If your hot water is gas, a heat pump on a timer, or solar-boosted, you may not. Our bill-reading guide shows where to look.
Why does it change which plan is cheapest?
For many Queensland homes, hot water is the single largest electrical load. If a quarter or more of your electricity runs through a controlled load, then a plan’s controlled-load rate can matter more to your bill than its headline usage rate, and a comparison that ignores the controlled load will get the order of the plans wrong. That is one of the most common reasons a comparison site’s estimate does not match a real bill.
A proper comparison prices the general usage and the controlled load separately, on each plan’s own rates for each, and adds the two supply charges. That is what the pricing engine behind My Energy Agent does.
Three things to think about
- Solar homes. If you have rooftop solar and your hot water is on a controlled load, the tank heats overnight from the grid while your panels export at lunchtime for a small credit. Heating the water in the middle of the day from your own solar can be cheaper, or not, depending on your feed-in rate, the controlled-load rate and your tank. It is a real trade-off with a dollar answer, and it is one of the actions a report quantifies.
- The Solar Sharer window. The Solar Sharer Offer makes electricity free between 11am and 2pm on the plan’s general usage. A controlled-load circuit is metered and priced separately, so a hot water system on Tariff 31 does not automatically see the free window; whether moving it off the controlled load pays depends on the plan.
- Moving between tariffs. Changing what is on a controlled load, or which controlled load, is wiring work. It goes through your retailer and a licensed electrician, and it may involve a meter change. We will tell you when it is worth asking about; we will never suggest doing anything at the switchboard yourself.
Quick answers
What is the difference between Tariff 31 and Tariff 33?
Both are Energex controlled-load tariffs for appliances on a separate circuit. Tariff 31 supplies power for at least eight hours a day, traditionally overnight and increasingly in the middle of the day, at the lowest rate. Tariff 33 supplies power for at least eighteen hours a day at a rate between Tariff 31 and your general rate. Tariff 31 suits large storage hot water tanks; Tariff 33 suits pool pumps and homes that run short of hot water on Tariff 31.
How do I know if I have a controlled load?
Look for a separate section on your bill labelled Tariff 31, Tariff 33, controlled load, night rate or economy, with its own kilowatt-hour figure and supply charge. Most Queensland homes with electric storage hot water have one; homes with gas, heat-pump or solar-boosted hot water often do not.
Can I choose when my controlled load is switched on?
No. Energex decides when a controlled load receives power, within the minimum hours for the tariff, and can change the times to suit the network. You choose which tariff the circuit is on and which retailer prices it; the network chooses the hours.
Do I have to keep my hot water on a controlled load?
No. Moving an appliance on or off a controlled load is a request to your retailer and involves a licensed electrician and sometimes a meter change. Whether it pays depends on the plan: for some solar homes heating water from their own panels at midday is cheaper, and the answer has a dollar figure that can be worked out from your usage.
Sources
Official pages this guide relies on. If one of them changes, tell us and we will update the guide.
- Residential electricity tariffs · Energex
- Solar Sharer Offer · Australian Government, energy.gov.au
- Energy Made Easy · Australian Energy Regulator