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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 are my new rates now higher than the electricity reference price/ default market offer? What are my options?
We set our market offer rates at the level needed to enable us to recover the costs we incur in providing energy to customers and to enable us to maintain a sustainable business.
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 for market offers at rates that may be below or above the reference price.
We encourage you to get in touch and we’d be happy to do a bill comparison for you.
You can also visit our support page to see how we may be able to assist you if you are experiencing financial difficulties.
Why do retailers change their prices?
All 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: These costs are what we incur to maintain service to the customer's home. This includes the distributor costs to maintain the power poles, gas pipelines, electricity wires and the electricity/gas meters.
- Wholesale energy costs: These are the costs ENGIE incurs to purchase energy from the wholesale market to on-sell to our customers.
- Environmental Costs: As Australia continues to decarbonise, a number of federal and state obligations have been implemented in energy sector to pursue climate change and renewable energy objectives. Environmental costs are the costs of complying with these schemes that retailers pass on to end users.
- Retail costs: These are costs related to managing your accounts, billing and customer services.
How/when will I be notified about the price change?
We will always notify you in writing prior to any price change. You will receive a letter or an email at least five business days before the prices change, depending on the terms of your agreement with 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 letter will clearly provide your estimated annual increase or decrease.
How is ENGIE allowed to change my rates?
Rates have changed in accordance with our contract terms and conditions. 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.
Why are my Friends/Family rates not as expensive as 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. If your letter doesn’t mention a change to your feed-in tariffs, then your solar feed-in rates aren’t changing in this price change.
I'm a Virtual Power Plant (VPP) customer, what happens to my benefits?
Rest assured, there will be no change to your Feed-in Tariff (FiT) and you will continue to receive your VPP benefits.
Who is ETSA Utilities?
Some of our South Australian customers may have received a price change letter that references ETSA Utilities, which is now called SAPN (South Australia Power Networks). ETSA Utilities and SAPN are the same distributor.
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:
Tracker (only for customers on 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. Find out more about Tracker
Energy Saving Tips
View our energy saving tips on how to save energy, time and money. Visit our website at 4 smart and simple ways to save on energy bills this winter.
MyENGIE
Another great option for monitoring your energy usage is MyAccount, which you can access via the website or the MyENGIE app. You can view your usage (if you have a smart meter), update your contact details, or pay and view your bills safely and securely.
Blog
Simply the best place to get all your energy info, insights and advice. View our blog
Are you on our best offer? (Victoria) We regularly compare your current offer against other offers we have 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.
We have also included a comparison on the letter/email you received about changes to your energy rates.
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 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.
Why are 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. There are also additional costs to comply with various state and federal regulations and schemes. We set our market offer rates at the level needed to enable us to recover the costs we incur in providing energy to customers and to enable us to maintain a sustainable business.
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.
For the basic meter, and the price change that happens in the middle of a billing period, how does ENGIE know how much consumption to charge at the new rate and how much consumption to charge at the old rate, once the meter read is done?
There are a number of different basic meter types and associated tariff types out there. How energy rates get applied to the usage from basic meters has not changed for decades.
Current/old rates and new rates get pro-rated by the number of days that each applies in the relevant billing period. For example, if rates change 10 days into a billing period then the first 10 days are charged at the current/old rates and the remainder of days in that billing period are charged at the new rates. This is done by using a daily average, and you can see your daily average usage on each energy bill you receive.
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 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. This Fact Sheet from the Australian Energy Regulator may help in providing more information: DMO-factsheet-march-2023.pdf (aer.gov.au).
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 and why can ENGIE raise their rates higher than the regulators predicted 20-25%?
The exact size of the percentage rate increase depends on a number of factors, including your address, your meter type and your usage patterns. The increases that a regulator publishes are based on specific usage patterns and annual usage amounts that are not reflective of all customers. Retailers are permitted to set their market offer rates independently.
Why is my FiT not increasing?
The value of the solar feed-in tariff is primarily influenced by the wholesale electricity prices during solar export into the grid. The solar feed-in tariff that we set is affected by the fluctuations in wholesale electricity prices and although average wholesale electricity prices have increased, the prices during daylight hours (when solar exports occur) have actually decreased.
The decrease in wholesale prices during daylight hours is primarily attributed to the growth of rooftop and utility-scale solar installations. This has led to a higher supply of electricity on the grid during the day, resulting in a surplus of electricity. In markets where supply exceeds demand, prices tend to drop, consequently leading to a lower solar feed-in 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.