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Red Energy is owned by Snowy Hydro, which acquired it in 2004, and describes itself as 100% Australian owned. Snowy Hydro is itself owned by the Australian Government. Red sells electricity and gas to households in Victoria, NSW, the ACT, south-east Queensland and South Australia, and the AER named it the fourth-largest retailer at 30 June 2025, with over 700,000 electricity and gas customers.
The AER lists Red among the retailers with the biggest customer growth since 2020–21. This page sets out its ownership, size, the plans it markets and regulator actions, from public sources. We do not rate retailers.
By Better Rate Mate Editorial Team · Last reviewed
Figures are from the Australian Energy Regulator and Red Energy's own website.
| Red Energy | |
|---|---|
| Ownership | Snowy Hydro Limited (since 2004) |
| Sells to households in | Victoria, NSW, ACT, Queensland (south-east), SA |
| Fuels | Electricity and gas |
| Size | Fourth-largest retailer, over 700,000 electricity and gas customers (AER, 30 June 2025) |
| Residential electricity customers (NECF states, 30 June 2025) | 554,567 (8.0% share) |
| Residential gas customers (NECF states, 30 June 2025) | 164,217 (7.0% share) |
| Sister brand | Lumo Energy, also owned by Snowy Hydro |
Red's current offers include a plan with five hours of free electricity a day (up to 15 kWh), plans that earn Qantas Points, and EvenPay, which smooths bills into regular instalments. Since 1 July 2026 it must also offer the Solar Sharer plan in NSW, south-east Queensland and SA. As with any retailer, a free-power window is only worth it if you can move real usage into it.
In April 2025 Red Energy paid seven AER infringement notices totalling $474,600, and the AER accepted a court-enforceable undertaking, over the alleged removal of hardship and payment plan protections from customers when they moved house.
Retailers must publish their generally available plans to the government comparators: Energy Made Easy in NSW, Queensland, SA, Tasmania and the ACT, and Victorian Energy Compare in Victoria. Each plan there has a standard fact sheet listing every rate, fee and discount condition, which is the fairest way to line Red Energy's plans up against everyone else's.
Start with how far below the reference price each plan is (the Default Market Offer in NSW, south-east Queensland and SA, or the Victorian Default Offer), then run your own annual usage from a recent bill through the shortlist. The same retailer can be among the cheapest in one network zone and not in another.
Snowy Hydro Limited, which acquired Red Energy in 2004. Snowy Hydro is owned by the Australian Government. Red Energy describes itself as 100% Australian owned.
Not for every household. Both sell a range of plans in south-east Queensland; compare the plans available for your address against the Energex Default Market Offer and your own usage.
They are separate retail brands with separate plans, but both are owned by Snowy Hydro.
The AER reported Red Energy as the fourth-largest retailer at 30 June 2025, with over 700,000 electricity and gas customers.
How the market works in each state it supplies: the distributors, the reference or regulated price, concessions and feed-in tariff rules.
