A market of two halves
Queensland is unusual because it effectively runs two different retail markets. In the south-east corner — greater Brisbane, the Gold Coast, the Sunshine Coast and their surrounds — the market is fully competitive, and households can choose from many retailers just as they would in NSW.
Everywhere else in Queensland — the vast regional and remote areas — retail competition has never really taken hold, and residential prices are regulated by the state instead. So whether you can shop around at all depends on which half of the state you live in.
South-east Queensland: choose your retailer
In south-east Queensland the network is run by Energex, and the retail market is open. Many retailers compete, and Queensland uses the national Default Market Offer as the regulated safety-net and reference price, just like NSW. That gives south-east customers a benchmark to measure market offers against.
Because it is competitive, the same logic applies as in other NEM states: headline discounts can be misleading, and the cheapest plan depends entirely on your usage pattern and whether you have solar. South-east customers have the most to gain from a genuine whole-of-market comparison.
Regional Queensland: regulated prices
Outside the south-east, the distributor is Ergon Energy and, in practice, Ergon is also the main retailer for households. Regional residential prices are set by the Queensland Competition Authority as "notified prices" rather than by competition. A state Uniform Tariff Policy is designed so regional customers pay broadly similar prices to south-east customers, even though it genuinely costs more to deliver power across long regional distances — the difference is subsidised.
For most regional households this means there is little or no retailer to switch to, so the savings levers are different: getting onto the most suitable regulated tariff, reducing usage, and making the most of solar and any concessions you are entitled to.
How to compare and switch in Queensland
If you are in south-east Queensland, switching is free and does not interrupt supply, and the DMO gives you a common yardstick. EnergySorted costs every AER-listed retailer’s plans against your real usage on the Energex network so you can see the true annual cost of each, not just the advertised discount. It runs about $39 a year and takes no commissions.
If you are in regional Queensland on regulated Ergon prices, comparison still helps — but the focus shifts to picking the right tariff and trimming usage rather than swapping retailer, since a competitive market may simply not exist where you are.