What the better offer message on your energy bill leaves out
At least every 100 days, your retailer must put a box on page one headed 'Could you save money on another plan?'. It only compares that retailer's own plans. Here's how to check everyone else's.
The better offer message only checks one retailer
Your retailer compares your plan with the other plans it sells. It doesn't look at any other retailer's prices, so a cheaper plan elsewhere won't show up in that box.
That's what the AER Better Bills Guideline asks of it, and the message is still useful. If it says you could save, your retailer has a cheaper plan for you right now.
But the cheapest plan with your retailer can still cost more than a plan from another retailer. The only way to know is to put the same usage against plans from every retailer that publishes them.
What we check that the box on your bill can't
The better offer message tells you about one retailer. These free tools show you the rest, using the plans retailers must publish under the Consumer Data Right.
Electricity plan comparison
Enter your postcode and usage, or figures from your bill. Published plans come back ranked by estimated yearly cost, including GST, supply charges and usage.
Gas plan comparison
Plans from the same Consumer Data Right feed, ranked by yearly cost at your own gas usage. Run it straight after electricity while your bills are out.
Price change tracker
Every recorded change to a plan's price, with the old value, the new value and the date. Useful when your bill goes up and you want to see when it happened.
Free My Household account
Save a comparison and run it again later. We email you when your saved plan's price changes or a cheaper match appears. Covers one household and five alerts.
How to check other retailers' plans, using the same bill
You already have everything you need on the bill in front of you. This takes the better offer message as a starting point, not the final word.
Find the box on page one
Look for the heading 'Could you save money on another plan?'. Retailers must show it on the first page of a residential bill at least every 100 days.
Note what it says
Write down any plan or saving it mentions. That's your retailer's best answer for you, and it becomes the figure to beat.
Pull your usage off the same bill
You need your usage in kWh, the billing period and your postcode. Our line-by-line bill guide shows where each one sits.
Compare published plans for your postcode
Enter those figures in our comparison. You'll see plans from every retailer that publishes to the feed, ordered by estimated yearly cost at your usage.
Check the plan, then decide
Every plan links to the retailer's own plan page, so read it before you sign. If you switch, the new retailer arranges the transfer and your power is not cut.
Could you save money on another plan?
Questions people ask about the better offer message
Frequently Asked Questions
- If the message says I could save, should I just take my retailer's offer?
- It's a reasonable first step, because it's the cheapest plan your retailer found for you among its own plans. Before you accept it, compare the plans other retailers publish for your postcode. If nothing beats it, you've lost a few minutes and gained certainty.
- If the message says I can't save, am I on the cheapest plan in my area?
- Not necessarily. The message only compares your plan with your retailer's other plans. A plan from a different retailer could still cost less at your usage, and the better offer message won't tell you about it.
- Why can't I compare electricity in WA or the NT?
- Retailers there do not publish their plans through the national feed we use, so we can't show a complete, current list. The household, electricity, solar and battery calculators still work.
- Do providers pay you to rank higher?
- No. Results are ordered by estimated cost at your usage. We may be paid when you choose some plans, and any sponsored placement is labelled, but payment never changes the order. See How we make money at /tools/how-we-make-money/.
- Do I need an account to compare?
- No. Enter your postcode and usage, or figures from a recent bill, and see the published plans for your area by yearly cost. An account is only for saving comparisons, recording bills and alerts.
- Where does this guide get its facts?
- From the AER Better Bills Guideline, published by the Australian Energy Regulator at aer.gov.au/about/strategic-initiatives/better-bills-guideline. This guide was written by The HouseholdBills team, and the last checked date sits at the top of the page.
See what every other retailer would charge you.
Use the usage from the bill with the better offer message on it, and see published plans for your postcode by yearly cost.
Free. No sign-up to compare.