Average electricity bills in Sydney

If you feel like your electricity bill keeps going up, you’re not alone. Average electricity bills in Sydney have increased steadily over the past few years due to an increase in wholesale electricity prices.

We report the average electricity usage and prices for households in Sydney and, tell you how you can make savings on your bill.

Table of contents:

• The average electricity bill in greater Sydney
• Average electricity bill for 1, 2, 3, 4, 5+ person households in Sydney
• The cost of electricity in Sydney
• Electricity peak hours in Sydney
• How to save on your electricity bills in Sydney
• NSW Energy rebate

The average electricity bill in greater Sydney

The average number of people per household in the Greater Sydney area is 2.7 ¹. According to data from the Australian Energy Regulator (AER) ², the average household electricity bill in Sydney is $590.11 per quarter. Average daily electricity usage in Sydney is 16.51 kWh (kilowatt-hours).

The table below shows the average electricity bill in Greater Sydney for the average size house (2.7 people):

Note: These figures include supply charges.

Average bills in Sydney by season

The table below shows average monthly and quarterly bills in Sydney according to the season:

Sources:
¹ ABS Household size data for Sydney
² AER Electricity benchmarks

Average electricity bills in Sydney for 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5+ person households

We can drill down even further on the AER data to provide average electricity bills for 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5+ person households in Sydney.

Use the table below to compare your bill against the average electricity bill in Greater Sydney according to how many people live in your house:

Average electricity bill for 1-person household in Sydney

The AER data breaks down electricity consumption in climate zones for 1-person households. Sydney falls into Climate zone 5 ³. The average electricity bill per quarter for a 1-person household in Sydney is $345.12 with daily electricity use of 8.52 kWh.

The table below shows average monthly and quarterly electricity bills for 1-person households in Sydney:

Source: ³ Australian climate zones

Average electricity bill for 2-person households in Sydney

For 2-person households in Sydney, the average daily electricity use is 14.35 kWh and the average quarterly bill is $523.97. The table below shows average 2-person bills for monthly and quarterly billing periods.

Average electricity bill for a 3-person household in Sydney

The average 3-person household in Sydney has a quarterly bill of $618.45 and uses 17.43 kWh of electricity per day.

Average electricity bill for a 4-person household in Sydney

For 4-person households in the Greater Sydney area, the average quarterly electricity bill is $698.26 and daily usage is 20.03 kWh.

The table below shows average monthly and quarterly bills for 4-person households in Sydney.

Average electricity bill for a 5+ person households in Sydney

Households of five or more people are grouped into the one category. For a 5+ person household in Sydney, the average electricity bill is $840.89 per quarter and daily usage is 24.68 kWh.

The table below also shows the average monthly bill amount.

The cost of electricity in Sydney

Electricity bills are made up of two costs: the daily supply charge (a fixed cost) and the electricity usage charge (per kWh).

Using our own data sourced from Sydney’s major electricity retailers, cross-checked with price data from the AER, the average cost of electricity per kWh in Sydney is 33.62c for single rate plans. The average daily supply charge is 91.78c per day.

Electricity prices in Sydney vary by retailer and the type of plan that you select. Electricity retailers typically provide three types of plans:

• Single rate plan
• Time of use plan
• Controlled loan plan

Each plan has varying conditions and different pricing. Retailers typically offer different versions of each of the three plan types with different rates for electricity use, the supply charge and feed-in tariffs in NSW.

Electricity prices in Sydney from major retailers

The table below shows the average current single rate electricity prices from Sydney’s most popular electricity retailers from both Ausgrid and Endeavour network regions:

How electricity prices are calculated in Sydney

Many factors influence electricity prices in Sydney, including:

• Electrical distributor
• Electricity retailer
• Default Market Offer (DMO)
• How much electricity you use
• What type of plan you select

Default Market Offer (DMO)

Each year, the AER sets the Default Market Offer (DMO). The DMO sets a price ceiling ⁴ for electricity plans that energy providers cannot exceed. The Default Market Offer considers the following factors when setting a price ceiling:

• Network costs
• Wholesale prices
• Environmental costs
• Retail costs
• Retail margin and competition

Retailers use the DMO as a starting point for calculating electricity prices according to your network provider and the electricity plan you select.

Source: ⁴ AER Default Market Offer fact sheet

How much does green power cost in Sydney?

Powering your home with green power is an option available to most residents in Sydney. Rates vary for green power, just like they do electricity. Typically, green power is charged as an additional cost per kWh of electricity you consume. The cost of green power with most retailers in Sydney is between 4.4c – 4.9c per kWh, though some charge higher rates.

Electricity peak hours in Sydney

If you select a time-of-use electricity plan, it pays to know when the electricity peak hours are, because this is when you will be paying more per kWh for your electricity.

Electricity peak hours in Sydney vary according to your electricity distributor but are typically between 3pm – 9pm daily.

The table below shows the peak and off-peak electricity times for the three electricity distributors in NSW:

* Ausgrid peak hours: Applies Nov – Mar, Jun – Aug
** Endeavour Energy peak hours: Applies Nov – Mar, Jun – Sep
*** Essential Energy: Shoulder rate 9am – 5pm and 8pm – 10pm weekdays

How to save on your electricity bills in Sydney

If you believe your bill is higher than average, there are a number of ways that you can save on your electricity bills in Sydney. Below is a list of tips to save on electricity costs:

• Contact your existing provider and ask for a better deal
• Compare rates with other electricity retailers
• Install LED lights
• Install solar panels
• Explore NSW energy rebates

Installing solar

By far the biggest reduction in electricity bills can come from installing solar panels in Sydney. For the average Sydney household, a 6.6kW solar system can deliver savings of around $1,185 per year.

Electricity bills with solar

Results from our calculator show that the new average electricity bill with solar in Sydney is $240 per quarter, a saving of nearly $300 per bill.

However, results can vary considerably depending on your electricity use and property’s suitability for solar. We recommend using our solar panel calculator to get an accurate indication of your household’s savings potential with solar.

NSW Energy rebate

The NSW government provides a number of energy rebates that can reduce the cost of your gas and electricity bills. The rebates range in value from $110 – $350. The following rebates are available with the NSW government:

• Low income household rebate
• Gas rebate
• Family energy rebate
• Life support energy rebate
• Medical energy rebate
• Seniors energy rebate

NSW solar rebate

In addition to the rebates available to reduce bills, if you’re thinking of installing solar panels, you can also take advantage of the NSW solar rebate.