Why SA prices have been high
South Australia has long carried some of the highest electricity prices in the National Electricity Market, and the reasons are structural. The state is at the end of the grid with limited interconnection to the eastern states, it has no local coal generation left, and it has historically leaned on gas-fired generation, which sets a high wholesale price when it is running.
A relatively small and spread-out population also means network costs are shared across fewer customers over long distances. None of this makes SA a lost cause, but it does mean the underlying cost base is higher, which makes getting onto the right plan matter more, not less.
A world-leading solar grid
South Australia has among the highest rooftop-solar penetration in the world. On mild, sunny days rooftop solar can supply a very large share of the whole state’s demand, pushing daytime wholesale prices down toward (and sometimes below) zero. The state has also added large-scale wind, grid batteries and interconnection to firm this up.
For households, this changes what a good plan looks like. Daytime power is often cheap and evenings expensive, so time-of-use tariffs, feed-in tariffs for exported solar, and shifting usage into the middle of the day can matter more in SA than almost anywhere else. A plan that suits a solar home with a battery is very different from one that suits an all-evening household.
One network, competitive retail
South Australia has a single distribution network, run by SA Power Networks, covering the whole state, so unlike NSW or Victoria there is only one set of regulated network charges to reckon with. The retail market itself is competitive and part of the NEM, so households can and should shop around.
SA uses the national Default Market Offer as its safety-net price and reference benchmark, giving you a common yardstick to measure market offers against. Because the state’s cost base is high, the gap between the cheapest and most expensive plans can be substantial.
How to compare and switch in SA
Switching is free and does not interrupt supply. The key in SA is not to be seduced by a big feed-in tariff or a large discount in isolation. A generous feed-in rate paired with high usage charges can leave you worse off overall.
EnergySorted costs every AER-listed retailer’s plans against your real usage, your solar export and the SA Power Networks charges, so the ranking reflects the net annual dollars you would actually pay. It is about $39 a year and takes no retailer commissions, so a high advertised feed-in tariff cannot buy its way up the list.
For the live picture — the plans we hold for South Australia and the 10am–3pm solar-sponge window SA Power Networks publishes — see electricity in SA.