Why "the best retailer" is the wrong question
People often want to be told which retailer is best, as if one company is cheapest for everyone. It does not work that way. Retailers set dozens of different plans, price them differently by network area, and change rates regularly. The retailer that is cheapest for a solar household in Adelaide might be among the most expensive for a renter in western Sydney.
The better question is: which plan is cheapest for my usage, right now, in my network area? Brand loyalty, a familiar logo, or a big advertising campaign tell you nothing about whether a plan is good value for you. The best retailer is simply whoever offers the best plan for your specific pattern of use — and that can change from year to year.
The marketing traps to avoid
- Headline discounts
- A "40% off" claim is off a reference price that varies — a smaller discount off a lower base can be cheaper. Compare dollars, not percentages.
- Conditional discounts
- Pay-on-time or direct-debit discounts only apply if you meet the condition every time. Miss one and the "discount" vanishes.
- Benefit periods
- Many market offers discount for 12 months, then step up. The plan that looked cheapest can quietly become expensive.
- Sign-up perks
- Gift cards and credits are one-offs. A slightly higher rate can erase a $75 welcome credit within a couple of bills.
- Low usage rate, high supply charge
- A cheap-looking c/kWh paired with a high daily fee can cost more overall, especially for low-usage homes.
- Paid shortlists
- Many comparison sites only show retailers that pay them a commission, so the cheapest plan for you may never appear.
How to compare properly
- Compare on total annual cost for your real usage — not on discounts, percentages or headline rates.
- Include every charge: supply charge, usage rates across all tariff periods, controlled load and solar feed-in.
- Check the whole market, not a commission-paid shortlist, so you actually see the cheapest option.
- Read the benefit period and any conditions, so a cheap first year does not become an expensive second one.
- Re-check periodically — the best plan a year ago is often not the best today.
Where EnergySorted fits
EnergySorted is built for exactly this problem. It compares 16,000-plus plans from every AER-listed retailer — not a paid shortlist — and it takes no retailer commissions. You pay a small yearly fee (around $39 at the time of writing), which means it answers to you, not to the retailers. That removes the biggest conflict of interest in energy comparison.
Crucially, it does not rank on headline rates. It costs every plan against your real usage from an uploaded bill — your peak and off-peak split, controlled load, and solar feed-in — so the "best retailer" it points you to is the one that is genuinely cheapest for your household, with a savings guarantee to back it.