Understand your energy bill – and save money

Kempsey Shire Council partnered with Adam Corrigan from Your Energy Friend to present a three-part webinar series on sustainable energy use.

Read on for insights from the third webinar in the series.

Webinar three: Understand your energy bill

The third webinar in the series, held on 15 November 2023, focused on understanding your energy bill to save you money, which could add up to hundreds of dollars over 12 months.

Bills can look complicated so here are a few key things to check and understand:

• Don’t get overwhelmed and take 5 to understand your bill. If taking time to check and compare saves you $100 it’s definitely worth it!
• Your NMI is your National Meter Identifier – this is linked to your meter and will be on your bill. You will need to this to compare energy plans.
• Check to see if you have a ‘time of use’ plan or a ‘flat rate’. Time of use will generally save you money and you will have this if you can see peak, off peak and shoulder rates on your bill. If you are on a flat rate, talk to your retailer to see if you can change to a time of use plan.
• Once you have your bill handy, go to energymadeeasy.gov.au, enter your postcode and your daily consumption data and you will be able to see available plans for different prices.
• Things to keep an eye on when you are comparing your energy plans:
  • Make sure you look at the GST – some plans give you prices with GST and some leave the GST off.
  • Check your daily supply charge – this may be the largest part of your bill so it might be the best to go with a plan with a smaller supply charge yet a higher peak energy charge for example (**this depends on your household)
  • Compare plans regularly! Your energy plan is not locked in for a period of months or years and prices can creep up. It’s best practice to have a look each time you get your bill.