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Price Change
Frequently asked questions
At ENGIE, we work hard to keep our prices low all year round. But like all energy retailers, sometimes we need to review our prices based on changes to things like wholesale energy prices and network charges.
Why do retailers change their prices?
Retailers update their rates to reflect the changes in the costs associated with providing customers energy.
These costs include (but are not limited to):
- Network charges: costs charged by distributors to manage and maintain the pipes, poles and wires that service your premises and your local area.
- Wholesale energy costs: the cost ENGIE incurs to purchase energy from generators and producers.
- Environmental costs: these are costs incurred by us to comply with government schemes to support renewable energy generation and energy efficiency.
- Retailer costs: these include labour, billing, IT, call centre costs, etc. all of which have gone up.
Why are my energy rates going up?
The gas and electricity we sell to our customers gets purchased from a wholesale market. We are also charged to use the transmission and distribution infrastructure (not owned by us) to get the energy to you and there are additional costs to comply with various state and federal regulations and schemes. The costs we incur in running our business are also considered and these include things like labour, billing, IT, call centre costs, etc, all of which have gone up.
We appreciate that price increases are not pleasant, and we don’t make these decisions lightly. If you’re experiencing difficulties paying your energy bills, you can also visit our support page to see how we may be able to assist you.
Depending on where you live, there may be a range of government support options available. As this support is specific to you and your personal circumstances, please click here or visit energy.gov.au/rebates to see what you may be entitled to.
Feel free to contact us to discuss the government support you may be eligible for and how you can apply.
How/when will I be notified about the price change?
We will always notify you in writing prior to any price change and you’ll receive it at least five business days before the prices change, depending on the terms of your agreement with us.
We will send it via a letter or an email, depending on the preference you have set for your energy bills from us.
How much will my electricity/gas rates change by?
This will depend on your usage, your energy plan and the distribution area you live in. Your price change notification will clearly provide your estimated annual increase or decrease amount.
Why are my new rates now higher than the electricity reference price/default market offer? What are my options?
The reference price is set by a government regulator to give you a benchmark in order to compare prices and offers between different energy providers. Each year, the regulator updates the reference price based on their assessment of a reasonable price for electricity based on retail and energy market costs.
Each individual retailer will individually set their prices for market offers at rates that may be below or above the reference price, in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations.
We encourage you to get in touch and we’d be happy to do a bill comparison for you.
If you’re experiencing difficulties paying your energy bills, you can also visit our support page to see how we may be able to assist you.
Depending on where you live, there may be a range of government support options available. As this support is specific to you and your personal circumstances, please click here or visit energy.gov.au/rebates to see what you may be entitled to.
Feel free to contact us to discuss the government support you may be eligible for and how you can apply.
What is the Reference Price indicated in the letter and what does the % above/below the reference price mean?
The reference price is set by a government regulator to give you a benchmark in order to compare prices and offers between different energy providers. Each year, the regulator updates the reference price based on their assessment of a reasonable price for electricity based on retail and energy market costs.
Each individual retailer has different costs and will individually set their prices (and any applicable discounts) for market offers at rates that may be below or above the reference price. This is what makes up the percentage above or below the reference price as outlined on your price change communication.
The Reference Price and Default Market Offer (DMO) information in our communication is something that we are required to include under the National Energy Consumer Framework (NECF) regulations. Click here to access more information from the Australian Energy Regulator (AER).
Please note that any discount you receive off your energy rates as part of your offer is not linked to the percentage above or below the reference price as outlined on your price change communication. These are two unrelated percentages.
How is ENGIE allowed to change my rates?
Rates have changed in accordance with our contract terms and conditions, energy regulations (both State and Federal), and all the requirements we have to fulfill, of which there are many. All customers agree to contract terms and conditions when signing up to our energy plans.
This is not what I agreed to in my contract
How ENGIE can make changes to rates and charges are outlined in the contract terms and conditions that were sent to you in your Welcome Pack.
My Friends/Family/neighbours are with ENGIE, why are their rates different to mine?
Energy rates vary depending on a distributor’s (the company that owns and operates the poles, wires, and pipes in your area) network costs and the network tariff associated to your meter. Basically, where you live and what type of energy load you have at the property impacts your rates.
I’ve got solar. Will my feed-in tariff change?
If your feed-in tariff is going to change, it will be clearly outlined in your price change letter where we will advise you of your current rate, as well as the new rate.
I'm a Virtual Power Plant (VPP) customer, what happens to my benefits?
If there are any changes to your rates, charges or benefits during this general price change, it will be communicated in your price change notification. However, if you are nearing the end of your benefit period or your battery is no long listed as one of our eligible Energy Storage Systems, your benefits may change. In that situation you will be given notice as per the market terms and conditions of your agreement with us and these were sent to you in your Welcome Pack.
Why is my FiT not increasing?
Feed-in Tariffs (FiTs) are generally following a downward trajectory. This is mostly due to the increased take-up of solar in Australia which increases the amount of available electricity in the electricity grid and reduces the value of the energy being exported.
What is ENGIE doing to help?
We offer a range of solutions and payment options to our customers. If you’re currently experiencing financial difficulty, we may be able to offer support, such as one-off bill extensions and fixed instalment payment plans.
We’re also constantly looking for ways to help our customers take control of their energy usage. A few helpful solutions include:
- MyENGIE: A great option for managing your energy account is MyENGIE. You can view your usage (if you have a smart meter), update your contact details, pay, or view your bills safely and securely. Access MyENGIE online or by downloading the MyENGIE app here or by visiting www.engie.com.au/MyENGIE.
- Tracker (only for customers with a smart meter): Tracker works with your smart meter to monitor how much electricity your household uses daily. Then it sends you weekly usage updates - straight to your inbox. Tracker helps keep your spending on track, too. You can see your projected balance for the next billing period, set monthly budgets and receive alerts when you go over your limit. Click here or visit www.engie.com.au/help-centre/tracker to find out more.
- Energy Saving Tips: View our energy saving tips on how to save energy, time and money. Click here or visit www.engie.com.au/blog/4-smart-ways-to-save-on-energy-bills-this-winter to find out more.
- Low Carbon Living: At ENGIE, we want to empower our customers to live a low carbon lifestyle. That’s why we created our Low Carbon Living hub. It’s packed full of tips and tricks to help better our daily lives, and perhaps even save on energy costs along the way. Learn more about low carbon living by clicking here or visiting www.engie.com.au/low-carbon-living.
- Blog: The best place to get all your energy info, insights and advice. Click here or visit www.engie.com.au/blog.
Are you on our best generally available offer?
We regularly compare your current offer against other offers that are generally available to you. If we have a more competitive offer available, we will let you know on your energy bills. For electricity we do this every 3 months, and every 2 months for your gas bills.
Do you know if there is any government support available?
Depending on where you live, there may be a range of government support options available. As this support is specific to you and your personal circumstances, please click here or visit energy.gov.au/rebates to see what you may be entitled to.
Alternatively, feel free to contact us to discuss the government support you may be eligible for and how you can apply.
I have a basic meter; how do you know how much energy I used before and after the price change?
There are a number of different meter types and associated tariff types out there.
Current/old rates and new rates get pro-rated by the number of days that each applies in the relevant billing period. This is done by using a daily average, and you can see your daily average usage on each energy bill you receive.
For example, if rates change 10 days into a billing period then 10 x your average daily consumptions is charged at the current/old rates and the remainder of days in that billing period are charged at the new rates.
Why are the times I am being charged (peak/offpeak etc) changing?
The times that distribution businesses (the companies that own the poles, wires, pipes, and meters) charge their different tariffs are not managed by us. If your price change notification mentions changes to the days/times that your energy rates apply, then your distributor has made the changes and this affects how they bill retailers for network costs. Subsequently, we’ve modified the times in our retail rates to better reflect how network costs will be incurred.
How can I make my home more energy efficient?
There are a variety of ways to reduce energy use and our Low Carbon Living webpage contains handy information on what extra steps you could take to reduce the amount of money you spend on energy and also reduce the amount of carbon your actions produce.
To go to this webpage, click here or visit engie.com.au/low-carbon-living.
Will my discount change?
No. Any discounts that are applied to your current/old energy rates and/or supply charges will not be changing when your energy rates change.
I’ve been advised that Minimum Demand and/or the Ratcheting Method is being removed from my electricity rates, what does this mean for me?
When Minimum Demand is applied to your electricity rates, you are billed for a minimum level of electricity demand each month, regardless of whether your actual usage falls below that level.
When the Ratcheting Method is applied to your demand rates, your demand charges may be based on your highest recorded demand over a previous period (e.g. the past 12 months), even if your current usage is lower.
By removing one or both of these from your demand calculations your electricity charges it will better reflect your actual usage each month.
More information about demand tariffs can be found on website by clicking here or visiting engie.com.au/help-centre/moving-connections-metering/demand-tariff.
We’re here to help
If you’d like to know more about how we can help, please visit our Here to help page. Or to chat to us about any of this, you can:
- Reach us through MyENGIE,
- Chat to us online by clicking here (Monday to Friday 8am-8pm, weekends 8am-5pm), or
- Call us on 13 88 08 (Monday to Friday 8am-7pm). All times are AEST.
Financial difficulty
If you’re currently experiencing financial difficulty, or think you might as a result of these price changes, visit our financial support page or give us a call on 13 88 08 and we’ll let you know how we can help you.
Other resources
Log in to MyENGIE
Need to request a payment extension or a payment plan, pay a bill or set up direct debit? These are just some of the things you can do though MyENGIE.