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The ACT has a competitive electricity market: you can choose any retailer selling in Canberra. There is no Default Market Offer here. Instead the Independent Competition and Regulatory Commission (ICRC) sets the regulated standing offer price for ActewAGL, the long-standing local retailer. From 1 July 2026 those regulated prices rose 2.7% on average, about $64 a year for a typical household using 6,500 kWh.
Fewer than 20% of Canberra customers are on that standing offer; the rest are on market offers from ActewAGL or competitors, which the ICRC says tend to be cheaper. This page explains the ACT market, the $800 rebate and what solar owners should know.
By Better Rate Mate Editorial Team · Last reviewed
Evoenergy owns the electricity and gas networks in the ACT, so it is the same whichever retailer you choose. ActewAGL, a joint venture between the ACT Government's Icon Water and AGL, holds about 72% of ACT households according to the AER, and is the retailer whose standing offer the ICRC regulates.
For 2026–27, the ICRC found that wholesale costs fell (from $163 to $143 per MWh), but network costs rose 15% and the cost of the ACT's large-scale renewable feed-in scheme rose 90%. The result was the 2.7% average increase, a real decrease of 0.5% after inflation. The ICRC expects ACT prices to move from the lower end of the national range to the middle.
| Customer | Annual usage | Change in annual bill |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential customer | 6,500 kWh | +$64 (+2.7% average price change) |
| Average non-residential customer | 25,000 kWh | +$245 |
Because the regulated price only applies to ActewAGL's standing offer, a market offer from ActewAGL itself or from another retailer is usually cheaper. The ICRC's typical Canberra household uses 6,500 kWh a year, more than the NSW and Queensland reference households, so the usage rate tends to matter more than the supply charge. Compare plans on your own annual kWh.
The ACT's main energy concession, formerly called the Utilities Concession, is worth $800 in 2026–27. It is paid as a daily credit on your electricity bill, at a higher daily rate in winter (1 June to 31 October) than in summer. Eligible cards include the Pensioner Concession Card, Health Care Card, Low Income Health Care Card, some Veteran Gold Cards and the ACT Services Access Card. Apply through your retailer or the ACT Revenue Office.
Feed-in tariffs in the ACT are voluntary and not regulated. Retailers set their own rates, so compare the feed-in rate alongside the usage rates. The old ACT premium feed-in scheme closed to new entrants in 2011.
The ACT Government's Sustainable Household Scheme offers loans of $2,000 to $20,000 at 3% interest over up to 10 years for batteries, heat pumps and other upgrades. Concession card holders can get zero-interest loans and rebates through the Home Energy Support Program.
The ACT is under the National Energy Retail Law. If your retailer does not resolve a complaint, the ACT Civil and Administrative Tribunal (ACAT) handles energy and water complaints, and does not charge a fee for them.
It depends on your usage and the plans available when you compare. ActewAGL's regulated standing offer is a ceiling rather than a benchmark for good value; most market offers, from ActewAGL or competitors, are cheaper. Compare them on Energy Made Easy using your annual kWh.
ActewAGL's regulated standing offer prices rose 2.7% on average, about $64 a year for a household using 6,500 kWh. Market offer prices are set by each retailer.
The Electricity, Gas and Water Rebate is $800 for 2026–27 for eligible concession card holders, credited daily on your electricity bill.
No. Feed-in tariffs in the ACT are voluntary and not regulated, so each retailer sets its own rate.
ActewAGL is a joint venture between Icon Water, which is owned by the ACT Government, and AGL.
Energy Made Easy lists every generally available plan in the ACT, including ActewAGL's market offers and those of competing retailers.
Retailers we have profiled that sell to households in the ACT. This is not the full list of retailers licensed there; the government comparator shows every generally available offer.
