Infographic text alternative: New South Wales retail energy market 2015-16

Performance indicators

23 retailers marketing to residential electricity customers, with the biggest three – AGL, Origin Energy and EnergyAustralia – supplying 89 per cent of customers. These three retailers supply 96 per cent of the gas market.
Electricity switching activity generally remained flat while gas switching decreased slightly over the year

74 per cent of electricity customers are on market retail contracts (up 5 per cent from 2014/15)
80 per cent of gas customers are on market retail contracts (up 4 per cent)

2.6 per cent of non-hardship electricity customers are repaying a debt (down from 2.8 per cent in 2014-15)
The average electricity debt per customer is $553 (down $78 from 2014-15)
3.8 per cent of non-hardship gas customers are repaying a debt (down 4 per cent from 2014-15)
$453 is the average gas debt (up $10 from 2014-15)

0.8 per cent of electricity customers are repaying debt under a retailer’s hardship program (up from 0.74 per cent in 2014-15)
$914 is the average electricity debt upon entry to a retailer’s hardship program (down $88 from 2014-15)
$1221 is the average electricity debt (up $163 from 2014-15)
0.6 per cent of gas customers are repaying debt on a hardship program (up from 0.36 per cent in 2014-15)
$614 is the average gas debt upon entry to a retailer’s hardship program (down $122 from 2014-15)
$842 is the average gas debt (up $83 from 2014-15)

The number of residential electricity customers who were disconnected for non-payment decreased by 6 per cent (from 31 979 in 2014-15). This represents almost 1.0 per cent of total electricity customers.
The number of gas customers who were disconnected decreased by 15 per cent (from 7555 customers in 2014-15). This represents 0.51 per cent of total gas customers.

Energy bills for a low income household (consuming 4,300kWh of electricity and 24,000MJ of gas)

The annual electricity bill on the median market offer with a concession is $1008, (down 1.6 per cent) from 2014/15. Without a concession, the same bill would be $1283 (down 1.2 per cent)
The annual electricity bill on a median standing offer was $1085 with a concession (down 6.0 per cent), or $1360 without (down 4.8 per cent).
For electricity, the median market offer is about 6 per cent cheaper than the standing offer.

The annual gas bill on the median market offer was $845 (down 8.5 per cent) without a concession. With the new gas concession, the annual bill on a market offer is $746.
The annual gas bill on the median standing offer is $901 (up 3.9 per cent) without a concession. With the new gas concession, the annual bill on a standing offer is $802.
For gas, the median market offer is about 6.2 per cent cheaper than the standing offer.

A low income household on the median market offer and receiving an energy concession would spend:

3.8 per cent of its disposable income on electricity (or 4.8 per cent without a concession) and
2.8 per cent of its disposable income on gas (or 3.2 per cent without a concession)

The benefits of comparing offers on Energy Made Easy and switching (from median standing to lowest market offer at 30 June 2016)

757 residential EME electricity offers.
70 residential EME gas offers.
A resident of the Sydney area switching from the median standing offer to the lowest market offer could save up to $454 (electricity) and $205 (gas).
A resident of the Wagga Wagga area switching from the median standing offer to the lowest market offer could save up to $574 (electricity) and $68 (gas).