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NSW has a competitive electricity market: you can buy from any retailer that sells in your area, and dozens do. The yardstick for comparing them is the Default Market Offer (DMO), which the Australian Energy Regulator sets for each of the three NSW network zones. For 2026–27 the residential flat-rate DMO is $1,899 a year in the Ausgrid zone, $2,328 in Endeavour and $2,604 in Essential Energy, each for that zone's standard usage. Every advertised plan must show how it compares, so a plan quoted as well below the DMO for your zone is a good starting point.
There is no single cheapest provider in NSW. Prices depend on your zone, your tariff and how much power you use, and retailers reprice often. This page explains how the NSW market works, what changed on 1 July 2026, the rebates NSW households can claim and how solar exports are valued, so you can compare plans on your own numbers.
By Better Rate Mate Editorial Team · Last reviewed
Your distributor owns the poles, wires and meter in your street and is set by where you live. It does not change when you switch retailer, but it decides which DMO applies to you and which peak and off-peak times your time-of-use plan uses. The distributor's name is on your bill.
Gas works the same way. Jemena runs the main gas network covering Sydney, Newcastle, the Central Coast, Wollongong and parts of country NSW, with smaller networks elsewhere, including Evoenergy around Queanbeyan.
| Distributor | Area | Residential flat-rate DMO | Usage assumed | Change on 2025–26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ausgrid | Eastern, northern and inner Sydney, Central Coast, Hunter | $1,899 | 3,900 kWh | −3.4% |
| Endeavour Energy | Greater Western Sydney, Blue Mountains, Southern Highlands, Illawarra, South Coast | $2,328 | 4,900 kWh | −3.4% |
| Essential Energy | Regional and rural NSW | $2,604 | 4,600 kWh | −5.0% |
The DMO does two jobs. It caps what a retailer can charge you on a standing offer, the default plan you are on if you have never chosen one or your contract has lapsed. And it is the reference point retailers must use when they advertise other plans. About 7% of NSW households were still on a standing offer when the AER set the 2026–27 prices.
From 2026–27 the AER also sets a time-of-use DMO for homes with smart meters ($1,893 in Ausgrid, $2,320 in Endeavour and $2,530 in Essential for the same usage) and, for the first time, caps each individual tariff component rather than only the annual total. That means you can hold your bill up against the regulated supply charge and usage rate for your zone.
Since 1 July 2026, retailers with more than 1,000 customers in NSW must offer an opt-in Solar Sharer plan with free electricity from 11am to 2pm every day, up to 24 kWh. You need a smart meter but not solar panels, which makes it one of the few ways renters can benefit from the midday solar glut. Outside the free window you pay time-of-use rates capped at the time-of-use DMO. It suits households that can move washing, dishwashing, pool pumps, hot water or EV charging into the middle of the day; if you cannot, a flat or standard time-of-use plan may still be cheaper.
NSW pays its energy rebates as a credit on your electricity bill. If you buy from a retailer, you apply by contacting your retailer with your concession card details; embedded network customers apply to the NSW Government online. Some rebates cannot be combined.
| Rebate | Amount each financial year | Who can claim |
|---|---|---|
| Low Income Household Rebate | Up to $285 (retail customers) | Pensioner Concession Card, Health Care Card, Low Income Health Care Card or Veteran Gold Card holders named on the account |
| Seniors Energy Rebate | $200 | Commonwealth Seniors Health Card holders; not combined with the Low Income Household Rebate |
| Family Energy Rebate | Up to $180 (retail customers) | Households that received Family Tax Benefit in the previous financial year |
| Medical Energy Rebate | Up to $285 (retail customers) | Concession card holders, or someone living with them, who cannot self-regulate body temperature because of a qualifying medical condition |
| NSW Gas Rebate | Up to $110 (retail customers) | Eligible concession card holders with a natural gas account or bottled LPG |
NSW does not set a minimum feed-in tariff. Retailers choose their own rates, and IPART publishes a non-binding benchmark of what solar exports are worth. For 2026–27 the all-day benchmark is 3.4 to 6.5 c/kWh, down from 4.8 to 7.3 c/kWh the year before.
IPART's time-of-day benchmarks show why timing now matters: exports in the middle of the day are worth around 3 to 4 c/kWh, but exports in the evening peak are worth 17 to 19 c/kWh in the Ausgrid and Endeavour zones and 27 to 33 c/kWh in the Essential Energy zone. Collecting that evening value takes a battery and a plan with a time-varying feed-in tariff. NSW networks now also charge for daytime exports above a free threshold and pay a rebate for exports in the evening peak, and IPART's benchmarks include those network tariffs.
The NSW battery installation discount for households ended when the federal Cheaper Home Batteries Program began on 1 July 2025, and the two cannot be combined. NSW instead pays an upfront incentive for connecting a battery to a virtual power plant, which can be claimed on top of the federal discount. Our solar rebates guide explains both.
NSW is under the National Energy Retail Law, enforced by the Australian Energy Regulator. Since 1 July 2026 new national rules mean a retailer can raise your prices no more than once a year, must offer at least one fee-free way to pay, and cannot charge you more than the standing offer when a plan's introductory benefits end. If you cannot resolve a problem with your retailer, the Energy and Water Ombudsman NSW (EWON) handles complaints for free.
No retailer is cheapest for everyone. Prices vary by network zone, tariff type and usage, and retailers change plans often. Rank plans by how far below the DMO for your zone they are, then check the best few against your own bill on Energy Made Easy or with a comparison service.
For a residential customer on a flat rate without controlled load it is $1,899 a year in the Ausgrid zone (3,900 kWh), $2,328 in Endeavour Energy (4,900 kWh) and $2,604 in Essential Energy (4,600 kWh), including GST. These are between 3.4% and 5.0% lower than in 2025–26.
Holders of a Pensioner Concession Card, Health Care Card, Low Income Health Care Card or Veteran Gold Card who are named on the electricity account. It is worth up to $285 a financial year for customers of a retailer.
Not as a single payment. The largest standing NSW energy rebates in 2026–27 are the Low Income Household Rebate and Medical Energy Rebate, each up to $285 a year. The federal Energy Bill Relief Fund, which paid households $150 in the second half of 2025, ended on 31 December 2025.
It depends on the plans each is selling when you compare and on your usage and zone. Both are among the largest retailers in NSW. Compare each one's best plan for your postcode, alongside smaller retailers, rather than the brands.
Yes, from your retailer, but there is no legislated minimum. IPART's 2026–27 benchmark for all-day exports is 3.4 to 6.5 c/kWh. Some plans pay more in the evening peak, which suits households with a battery.
Energy Made Easy, run by the Australian Energy Regulator, lists every generally available plan for your NSW postcode. Retailers must publish their plans to it.
Retailers we have profiled that sell to households in New South Wales. This is not the full list of retailers licensed there; the government comparator shows every generally available offer.
