Your bill is the most important tool to understanding your service. Breaking down the jargon can help you spot problems with your service. This information applies to all jurisdictions in the National Electricity Market except Victoria.
Understanding your energy bill
Most energy retailers send bills in the post, or via email, every quarter (sometimes more regularly for your gas supply). The information on a typical bill can include confusing terms and jargon. The key parts of your energy bill are listed below.
What you should check to make sure your energy bill is accurate:
- your name, address and the date on the bill
- how much you need to pay (including any credits or money owed from previous bills) and when you need to pay it by
- your meter number – the number on your bill should match the number on your meter
- the billing period – the period in which you used the energy you're being charged for
- the meter readings that have been used to calculate the amount of energy you've used during the billing period (measured in kilowatt hours or kWh for electricity and megajoules or MJ for gas). If your bill is based on an estimate of how much you’ve used, this should be clearly marked on the bill. Please note that start/end date meter readings may not be applicable for all customer bills
- the amount your retailer is charging you for each kilowatt hour (kWh) of electricity or megajoule (MJ) of gas
- the supply charge for the billing period (this is a fixed charge for supplying your property with energy and is not based on how much energy you use)
- any other fees or charges being applied
- any amount credited to your account as part of a rebate or concession.
If you have any questions or concerns you energy retailer's customer service number should be included on your bill. Your bill should also show your customer account or reference number, which you may need to quote when you contact your energy retailer.
How energy prices are set
Your electricity and natural gas bill covers the costs of wholesale electricity and natural gas, transportation through the networks and retail services. This factsheet explains what these costs are and why electricity and natural gas prices for customers can rise: About energy bills ( DOCX 98.88 KB | PDF 150.83 KB )