Why "average" is only a starting point
People ask what the average gas bill is because they want to know if theirs is normal. It is a fair question, but the average hides enormous variation. A household in cold, gas-heavy Melbourne with ducted heating can pay several times what a Brisbane household pays using gas only for cooking and hot water. Climate, the number of gas appliances, household size and how you heat all move the number dramatically.
Rather than chase a single national figure, it is more useful to understand what drives your bill and how it compares to homes like yours. Two things determine it: how much gas you use, measured in megajoules, and the rates you pay per megajoule plus the daily supply charge.
What shapes your bill
- Climate and state
- Colder southern states use far more gas for heating. Victoria and the ACT tend to have the highest gas usage; warmer states use much less.
- Number of gas appliances
- A home with gas ducted heating, gas hot water and a gas cooktop uses vastly more than one with gas cooking only.
- Season
- Winter quarters dominate the annual bill in heating climates. A cold three-month period can carry most of the year's usage.
- Household size
- More people means more hot water and more heating demand, which are the two largest gas loads.
Reading your own bill
To judge whether you are paying too much, separate usage from price. Look at your total megajoules for the year — add up four quarters or twelve months. That is your usage, and it is largely a function of your home and appliances, not your retailer. Then look at your rates and supply charge, which are entirely down to your plan and are the part you can change without renovating.
If your usage looks high for your household, the fix is efficiency: heating, hot water and draught-proofing. If your usage is reasonable but the bill still stings, the fix is your plan. Most of the time it is a bit of both, and it is worth separating them so you know which lever to pull.
Are you overpaying on rates?
Usage aside, the clearest sign of overpaying is being on an old plan. If your discount period has lapsed or you have not compared in a couple of years, you are likely on standing or near-standing rates that are well above the sharpest offers.
EnergySorted costs current plans against your actual annual megajoules, including how stepped rates apply across your usage, and shows what you would pay on each. Because it is independent and takes no commissions, the plan at the top is the one that is genuinely cheapest for you — not the one paying to be there. That turns "is my bill normal?" into a concrete answer: here is what the same gas would cost on the best plan available to you today.