Start with the right comparison tool
Energy Made Easy is a free government comparison site run by the Australian Energy Regulator. It covers small business energy plans in New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania and the ACT, for businesses that use less than a set amount of energy each year. It estimates an annual bill for each offer and lets you compare up to three offers side by side.
You will get a better estimate if you enter your meter number (NMI) or your real usage from recent bills. Guessing your usage can leave you on the wrong plan. Victoria has its own comparison site, so check your state first.
Know the benchmark: the Default Market Offer
The Default Market Offer, or DMO, is a price ceiling for standing offers. It is set each year by the regulator and applies to households and small businesses in New South Wales, South East Queensland and South Australia. It also works as a reference price when you judge a market offer.
The 2026-27 final determination was released on 26 May 2026 and took effect on 1 July 2026. Reports on it show small business standing offer prices falling in all three regions. The ranges were 9.0 to 20.9 per cent in New South Wales, 10.4 to 14.0 per cent in South East Queensland and 6.8 to 12.1 per cent in South Australia, depending on the tariff type.
Treat the DMO as a yardstick, not a target. If a market offer sits above the DMO for your tariff, ask why. If it sits well below, check what is traded away, such as a short discount period or a higher supply charge.
Compare the numbers that make up your bill
Most offers have two main charges. One is a daily supply charge that you pay even if you use nothing. The other is a usage rate per kilowatt hour. A low usage rate can hide a high supply charge, and the reverse is also true.
- Check the usage rate for peak, off-peak and shoulder times if you are on a time-of-use tariff.
- Check the daily supply charge and multiply it by 365.
- Check any discount, and ask what it applies to and for how long. A discount on the usage rate alone is smaller than it looks.
- Ask about metering, paper bill and late payment fees.
Use your own annual usage to turn each offer into one yearly dollar figure. That is the fair way to compare plans with different mixes of charges.
Read the term, the exit fee and the price rules
Some contracts run for one year and some for two or three. A longer term can lock in a price, but it can also lock you in when the market falls. Ask what happens at the end of the term. Many plans roll over onto new rates unless you act.
Before you switch, the regulator suggests you check with your current retailer whether you will pay fees to end your contract. Then ask how and when the retailer can change prices during the term. A retailer must also notify you of any change to a contract, including the price.
Small customers are also entitled to a written offer summary when they sign up. Keep it. It is the short version of what you agreed to, and it is the first thing to check if a bill looks wrong. A 10-day cooling-off period applies, so you can cancel at no cost during that time.
Know your rights under consumer law
Most retail energy contracts are standard form contracts, which means they are take-it-or-leave-it. The Australian Consumer Law bans unfair terms in standard form contracts with small businesses. Since 9 November 2023, penalties apply to anyone who proposes, uses or relies on an unfair term.
A business is covered if it has fewer than 100 employees or makes less than $10 million in annual turnover. A term is unfair if it causes a significant imbalance, is not reasonably necessary to protect the retailer, and would cause harm if enforced. An exit fee that is far out of line with the retailer's real cost is the kind of term worth questioning.
If a problem is not fixed by the retailer, ask for a senior officer, keep a record of each call, and then contact your state or territory energy ombudsman. The service is free.
A short checklist before you sign
- Enter your real usage or NMI into Energy Made Easy.
- Compare the yearly cost, not just the usage rate.
- Check the offer against the DMO for your region and tariff.
- Ask about the exit fee and the price change rules.
- Get the written offer summary and save it.
The limit of this check: an estimate is only as good as the usage you enter, and future prices can change what the best contract looks like.