June 16, 2025 • 7 mins
Canstar Data Insights Director Sally Tindall joins Graeme Goodings on FIVEAA.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Back in twenty twenty two. What's that? Three years ago,
Energy Minister Chris Bowen promised power prices would be coming
down soon. Three years later, millions of Australian households will
face higher electricity prices in the coming weeks. Major retailers
AGL and Origin have confirmed their price changes for customers.
Some households will see their bills increase by as much
(00:21):
as three hundred dollars next year. Joining me now is
Sally Tindall, Canstar spokesperson Sally. Good morning to you, Good
morning Graham.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
How are you. Oh?
Speaker 1 (00:30):
Look, I was good until I heard this news. Is
this is not what we wanted to hear. We want
to hear. Pray our prices going down. You're telling us
they're going the other direction.
Speaker 3 (00:39):
They are going the other direction. Back in May, the
Regulator announced that for South Australia the default prices would
be going up by three point two percent for the
average household, that's about a seventy dollars increase. And what
we always expect is that the market prices, which are
lower than the default prices, they tend to follow the
same trend. And we've had Origin and AGL con their
(01:00):
prices for the next financial year, and in Adelaide they're
actually going up on average by more Origin saying it's
going up by five point five percent ahl seven point
eight percent, although that does include small business customers. But
AGL has said for the average household, that's one hundred
and seventy two dollars increase. On top of as you've
(01:22):
said just before, you know, electricity prices have been going
up year after year after year.
Speaker 1 (01:29):
And this is the frustration for most of us. We
were told, particularly here in Southeastralia, where the home of renewables,
you know, we're heading towards being one hundred percent that
reliant on renewables, and yet the prices are heading in.
They're spiraling upwards, not downwards.
Speaker 3 (01:44):
They are and I would say though that perhaps without
such significant investment in renewables it might go even higher.
Certainly when you're talking about Sydney, they're staring down the
barrel of price heights in some cases of more than
thirteen percent. These are significant rises. Some of this is
based on aging networks, but a lot of it is
(02:06):
based on investment in renewables or a lack of investment
in renewables. It's pain across the country in many, many places.
Speaker 1 (02:15):
So when we get the letter in the mail that
says your prices are going up, what should we do?
Speaker 3 (02:22):
We'll open it for a start. That's the key. I mean,
I think that the natural instinct is to toss it
in the bin without even looking at it, or deplete
that email.
Speaker 2 (02:32):
Open it.
Speaker 3 (02:33):
Knowledge is power, and you want to be looking at
what your price plans rising by to make sure you
can afford it. Absolutely, but pay particular attention to what
your plan cost is in relation to the reference price,
because I think many of us would agree that those
elliteracity bills are incredibly difficult to read. It's just a
(02:53):
whirlwind of numbers that you really don't understand. Have a
look at what your plan name is in relation to
the price that's the default reference prices. Now we've had
a look at all the energy plans in South Australia
on our database and the average discount from the reference
price in Adelaide is two percent.
Speaker 1 (03:14):
That's the average.
Speaker 3 (03:15):
So you want to be two percent lower than the
reference price as a default, really, but you can save
based on the prices on our site. At the moment,
the biggest discount is actually sixteen percent. So there's a
stretch target for you. There are plans on our sites
that show you that you can get sixteen percent less
(03:37):
than the default price in Adelaide. Now this is important.
Prices are about to go into a state of flux
from the one July. A lot of the retailers don't
changing their prices, but doesn't happen neatly on the first
of July. So my suggestion is if you get that letter,
or when you get that letter, or even before you
get that letter in the mail or on your emails,
(03:57):
pick up the phone to your electricity provider, ask them,
am I on the cheapest plan possible for my finances
within that retailer. If you aren't, consider moving to the
cheapest plan. But then once the dust settles on all
the price changes in July, so maybe diarize it to
the end of July. That's when you go in and
(04:19):
compare prices and potentially looked switching electricity providers.
Speaker 1 (04:23):
Yeah, I think it'd be fair to say that the
year has gone by, you had an electricity provider, you're
stuck with them, and through thick and thin. It was
like in a bank loan you borrow for your housing loan,
you stick with the bank. It's only later on that
you realize that if you shop around you can get
a better deal. So is it fair to say that
you could have We're not naming a company. It could
(04:45):
be Origin or AGL or whoever. And you could be
on the best deal and you think, well, I signed
up for this twelve months ago, so it's still probably
the best deal. These deals changed, don't they?
Speaker 3 (04:57):
Oh? Daily? Sometimes? I remember I switched to electricity providers?
Speaker 2 (05:02):
Was it?
Speaker 3 (05:02):
It was back in July last year? And come, oh,
even four or five months later, I wasn't yet then
on the best deal, and I've switched provided again since then. Look,
avid switches can move from provided to provider with no
real limit on it. I would suggest doing a health
check every six months. I know that that sounds like
a lot of effort, but again, if you just use
(05:24):
that reference price as your guide, that check can be
quite a quick one to see if there's a more
competitive deal out there, and there's.
Speaker 1 (05:32):
No penalty for changing providers.
Speaker 3 (05:34):
No, provided you're not in a locking contract or a
six straight contract, which are really are uncommon these days.
It's always worth checking. But the majority of customers are
had the ability to change with no extra cost attached.
Speaker 1 (05:49):
So for you just backtrack for a second when you
get your bill, or even right now today to do it.
Ring your provider and ask them if you're on the
cheapest deal possible.
Speaker 3 (05:58):
Is that right absolutely should be marked on your bill.
So if you're not on the cheapest plan within that retailer,
they have to put it on your bill every year
I think quarter or six months, I can't quite remember
the timeframe, but it should be on your bill as
a big box, probably on the first page. That's a
good clue.
Speaker 2 (06:15):
But regardless, just pick up.
Speaker 3 (06:16):
The phone, ask them if you're on the best plan.
Potentially haggle with them, see if there's any kind of
discount or incentives that they can throw your way. Show
them that you are intent on getting the best price
for your finances and for your household electricity bills, and
they might be able to swing you a deal because
they don't want to lose you as a customer.
Speaker 1 (06:35):
Well, if anyone wants any further advice, can staff provides
that free advice online.
Speaker 3 (06:41):
We certainly do so. We collect electricity plans across the
country and you can jump onto cancer blue and have
a look at all the different plan options and then
we have it listed. As I said before, in relation
to the reference price, this is something that the government
and the regulators have come through in recent years and
really tried to make more simple. I don't know, I
still think it.
Speaker 2 (07:01):
Could get even you know, I think there's still a
lot of work there to be done to be simple.
But you know that relationship reference price is a good guide.
Use it to your advantage, see what deals they are around.
There's also the government website Energy made Easy, also a
fantastic place to go. You can actually put in your
National Metering identifier which is called the NMI and they
(07:24):
can just get the computer to do with the work
for you and see, you know whether you're on a
better plan there as well, I would suggest for the
avid researchers do both.
Speaker 1 (07:34):
Excellent Sally, always great advice. So great to chat with
you today.
Speaker 3 (07:38):
Thanks for having me, Graham
Back in twenty twenty two. What's that? Three years ago,
Energy Minister Chris Bowen promised power prices would be coming
down soon. Three years later, millions of Australian households will
face higher electricity prices in the coming weeks. Major retailers
AGL and Origin have confirmed their price changes for customers.
Some households will see their bills increase by as much
(00:21):
as three hundred dollars next year. Joining me now is
Sally Tindall, Canstar spokesperson Sally. Good morning to you, Good
morning Graham.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
How are you. Oh?
Speaker 1 (00:30):
Look, I was good until I heard this news. Is
this is not what we wanted to hear. We want
to hear. Pray our prices going down. You're telling us
they're going the other direction.
Speaker 3 (00:39):
They are going the other direction. Back in May, the
Regulator announced that for South Australia the default prices would
be going up by three point two percent for the
average household, that's about a seventy dollars increase. And what
we always expect is that the market prices, which are
lower than the default prices, they tend to follow the
same trend. And we've had Origin and AGL con their
(01:00):
prices for the next financial year, and in Adelaide they're
actually going up on average by more Origin saying it's
going up by five point five percent ahl seven point
eight percent, although that does include small business customers. But
AGL has said for the average household, that's one hundred
and seventy two dollars increase. On top of as you've
(01:22):
said just before, you know, electricity prices have been going
up year after year after year.
Speaker 1 (01:29):
And this is the frustration for most of us. We
were told, particularly here in Southeastralia, where the home of renewables,
you know, we're heading towards being one hundred percent that
reliant on renewables, and yet the prices are heading in.
They're spiraling upwards, not downwards.
Speaker 3 (01:44):
They are and I would say though that perhaps without
such significant investment in renewables it might go even higher.
Certainly when you're talking about Sydney, they're staring down the
barrel of price heights in some cases of more than
thirteen percent. These are significant rises. Some of this is
based on aging networks, but a lot of it is
(02:06):
based on investment in renewables or a lack of investment
in renewables. It's pain across the country in many, many places.
Speaker 1 (02:15):
So when we get the letter in the mail that
says your prices are going up, what should we do?
Speaker 3 (02:22):
We'll open it for a start. That's the key. I mean,
I think that the natural instinct is to toss it
in the bin without even looking at it, or deplete
that email.
Speaker 2 (02:32):
Open it.
Speaker 3 (02:33):
Knowledge is power, and you want to be looking at
what your price plans rising by to make sure you
can afford it. Absolutely, but pay particular attention to what
your plan cost is in relation to the reference price,
because I think many of us would agree that those
elliteracity bills are incredibly difficult to read. It's just a
(02:53):
whirlwind of numbers that you really don't understand. Have a
look at what your plan name is in relation to
the price that's the default reference prices. Now we've had
a look at all the energy plans in South Australia
on our database and the average discount from the reference
price in Adelaide is two percent.
Speaker 1 (03:14):
That's the average.
Speaker 3 (03:15):
So you want to be two percent lower than the
reference price as a default, really, but you can save
based on the prices on our site. At the moment,
the biggest discount is actually sixteen percent. So there's a
stretch target for you. There are plans on our sites
that show you that you can get sixteen percent less
(03:37):
than the default price in Adelaide. Now this is important.
Prices are about to go into a state of flux
from the one July. A lot of the retailers don't
changing their prices, but doesn't happen neatly on the first
of July. So my suggestion is if you get that letter,
or when you get that letter, or even before you
get that letter in the mail or on your emails,
(03:57):
pick up the phone to your electricity provider, ask them,
am I on the cheapest plan possible for my finances
within that retailer. If you aren't, consider moving to the
cheapest plan. But then once the dust settles on all
the price changes in July, so maybe diarize it to
the end of July. That's when you go in and
(04:19):
compare prices and potentially looked switching electricity providers.
Speaker 1 (04:23):
Yeah, I think it'd be fair to say that the
year has gone by, you had an electricity provider, you're
stuck with them, and through thick and thin. It was
like in a bank loan you borrow for your housing loan,
you stick with the bank. It's only later on that
you realize that if you shop around you can get
a better deal. So is it fair to say that
you could have We're not naming a company. It could
(04:45):
be Origin or AGL or whoever. And you could be
on the best deal and you think, well, I signed
up for this twelve months ago, so it's still probably
the best deal. These deals changed, don't they?
Speaker 3 (04:57):
Oh? Daily? Sometimes? I remember I switched to electricity providers?
Speaker 2 (05:02):
Was it?
Speaker 3 (05:02):
It was back in July last year? And come, oh,
even four or five months later, I wasn't yet then
on the best deal, and I've switched provided again since then. Look,
avid switches can move from provided to provider with no
real limit on it. I would suggest doing a health
check every six months. I know that that sounds like
a lot of effort, but again, if you just use
(05:24):
that reference price as your guide, that check can be
quite a quick one to see if there's a more
competitive deal out there, and there's.
Speaker 1 (05:32):
No penalty for changing providers.
Speaker 3 (05:34):
No, provided you're not in a locking contract or a
six straight contract, which are really are uncommon these days.
It's always worth checking. But the majority of customers are
had the ability to change with no extra cost attached.
Speaker 1 (05:49):
So for you just backtrack for a second when you
get your bill, or even right now today to do it.
Ring your provider and ask them if you're on the
cheapest deal possible.
Speaker 3 (05:58):
Is that right absolutely should be marked on your bill.
So if you're not on the cheapest plan within that retailer,
they have to put it on your bill every year
I think quarter or six months, I can't quite remember
the timeframe, but it should be on your bill as
a big box, probably on the first page. That's a
good clue.
Speaker 2 (06:15):
But regardless, just pick up.
Speaker 3 (06:16):
The phone, ask them if you're on the best plan.
Potentially haggle with them, see if there's any kind of
discount or incentives that they can throw your way. Show
them that you are intent on getting the best price
for your finances and for your household electricity bills, and
they might be able to swing you a deal because
they don't want to lose you as a customer.
Speaker 1 (06:35):
Well, if anyone wants any further advice, can staff provides
that free advice online.
Speaker 3 (06:41):
We certainly do so. We collect electricity plans across the
country and you can jump onto cancer blue and have
a look at all the different plan options and then
we have it listed. As I said before, in relation
to the reference price, this is something that the government
and the regulators have come through in recent years and
really tried to make more simple. I don't know, I
still think it.
Speaker 2 (07:01):
Could get even you know, I think there's still a
lot of work there to be done to be simple.
But you know that relationship reference price is a good guide.
Use it to your advantage, see what deals they are around.
There's also the government website Energy made Easy, also a
fantastic place to go. You can actually put in your
National Metering identifier which is called the NMI and they
(07:24):
can just get the computer to do with the work
for you and see, you know whether you're on a
better plan there as well, I would suggest for the
avid researchers do both.
Speaker 1 (07:34):
Excellent Sally, always great advice. So great to chat with
you today.
Speaker 3 (07:38):
Thanks for having me, Graham
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