South Australia Energy Providers

How to compare energy rates in South Australia

If you live in South Australia or are planning to move to the festival state, you have plenty of energy providers to choose from. Instead of being stuck with high energy bills, you have the power to switch to a more cost effective plan whenever you want.   

Every energy plan in South Australia are made up of two key charges:

• Supply charge: this is the cost that an energy provider will charge you to supply your home with electricity or gas. This is usually a fixed daily charge. 

• Usage charges: as the name suggests this is the rate that you pay for every kwh of energy you use. This is a variable cost as you can use more or less energy depending on your habits or home’s requirements. 

Mozo exists to make comparing energy plan rates easier. We can help you shortlist energy plans in your SA suburb with just a click of a button. All you need to do is enter your postcode into our free comparison tool and tell us a bit about your usage habits and preferences and we’ll be able to give you a listing of some of the plans that are available in your area.  

To compare energy rates between energy providers, it is a good idea to have a recent energy bill handy. This will mean that you can enter in your exact usage and we’ll then be able to give you a more accurate rate quote for each plan to compare against. 

Checklist to help find a good SA energy plan 

All energy providers in South Australia will offer a number of incentives to attract you to their energy plans. Here is a quick checklist that you can consider when you are picking a new energy provider.  

• Sign up offers. Many energy retailers will have ‘sign up’ offers for new customers such as “get $50 off your first bill” or “10 free movie tickets”. But you need to make sure the continuing tariff is also the best because there is no use of getting a one time discount and then paying extra every subsequent quarter.

• Conditional discounts. Often energy providers have conditional discount offers such as a pay on time discount for every bill that is paid on time or a discount when you pay by direct debit. You need to weigh up these offers to ensure that you can meet these on an ongoing basis, otherwise you could be better off with a standard plan.   

• Sustainable energy. There are a number of energy providers in South Australia that have green energy plans or options for you to pick a plan that generates some or all of the energy using renewable sources. 

• Bill smoothing. If you find it difficult to pay one large chunk of money every quarter to cover your energy bill, some energy providers in SA have the option of splitting your bills in even instalments through the year. Just keep in mind that these instalments are often ‘estimated’ at the beginning of your plan so you should keep a check just in case there is a gap between the predicted amount and your actual spending. 

Who is the cheapest energy provider in South Australia?

There isn’t one provider that is the cheapest for every South Australian because every home is different and so is our energy habits and preferences. 

Here at Mozo, we understand that while we all want cheaper energy bills, sometimes there are other factors that are also important when choosing a new electricity supplier, like whether they have good customer service or a commitment to renewable energy generation. We collect energy customer reviews of South Australian energy providers, so you can read these before you make your choice.

Is it cheaper to use the same provider for gas and electricity in SA?

There are many energy retailers servicing South Australia, and while you can often get discounts for having your gas and electricity with the one energy provider, this might not necessarily be the cheapest option. 

We can help you to compare bundled energy plans and also stand alone gas and electricity plans, so get a recent bill handy and punch in your postcode into the tool to get started. 

Who is the best energy provider in South Australia?

Just as there isn’t a cheapest energy plan for every South Australian household, there also isn’t  one best energy provider. The best provider for you and your home will depend on a number of factors including your household usage, the time of usage, type of usage and your location. 

There are also other factors that you should weigh up when choosing an energy plan. If price is your biggest consideration, then the best plan will be the cheapest one. But these days, more Australians are placing importance on social and environmental factors and choosing an energy provider based on whether they generate energy via renewable sources or offer green energy plans.  

Each year, Mozo’s team of energy experts conduct the Mozo Experts Choice Energy Awards where they compare the plan costs of all providers in our database and award those in South Australia with the best value plans. 

Then there’s the Mozo People’s Choice Household Awards, and this is where we ask Australian consumers to rate their energy provider on a number of criteria. We tally up the results and award those energy providers that are voted best by their customers.  

Moving to SA - what you’ll need to set up a new energy plan

Moving can be stressful but you don’t want to get stuck on a dud energy plan just because you ran out of time and just called up the first SA energy provider you saw advertised. 

We realise you won’t be able to give us information from a previous energy bill, but we can still tailor our search results to give you an estimate of your energy costs and plans that will be available in your new suburb. 

For a detailed rundown of everything that  you will need when you move house, check out our moving house guide. But to get started, here are the things you’ll need to set up a new account:

• Exact property details and SA postcode

• Personal details for setting up account, including identification

If you are moving from SA to another state in Australia, you can find details of plans and key info on our site:

• Queensland Energy Providers
• New South Wales Energy Providers
• Victorian Energy Providers 

Ways to reduce your energy bill 

One of the most obvious ways for reducing your energy bill is to reduce the amount of energy you are using at home. This might take some effort on your part, but there are a number of innovative ways in which you can try to introduce more energy efficient habits in your home. 

• Power down: don’t keep computers or tvs on standby power. And when you are not using appliances like the kettle or toaster turn them off at the powerpoint. Switch off lights, fans, heaters and aircon in rooms when you are not in them.

• Fill the gaps: small cracks around windows and door frames can mean higher heating and cooling costs. Seal up any gaps and use door snakes across doorways to stop cold or warm heat escaping. 

• Do full loads: not only will this also help you to save water, but doing full loads of washing and making sure that the dishwasher is full each time you put it on can help you reduce your bill.

If you need some additional ideas, head on over to our energy savings tips hub. 

The other way to lower your gas and electricity bills is to compare the energy providers in SA and switch to a retailer that’s offering a better deal. Check out the different deals and discounts and then work out if you can save money on a more competitive deal.

FAQs on energy comparison in South Australia

Cooper Langby

Money writer

Cooper wrote across all aspects of personal finance at Mozo until his departure in February 2022. He has a double degree in Journalism and Communications & Media from the University of Wollongong.  His focus was to look for new ways to educate himself and our readers on the best ways to save money, and budget effectively.