Why did my bill go up when my usage didn't?

Usually rate drift: sign-up discounts expire and retailers reprice plans, typically around July 1. Compare the c/kWh and daily supply charge on your current bill against one from a year ago — the usage can be identical while the cost climbs.

What are the most important numbers on my bill?

Five: the usage rate (c/kWh), the daily supply charge, your tariff type (flat or time-of-use), the solar feed-in tariff if you export, and any concession line. Together they decide whether you're overpaying.

Does a bigger bill mean I used more power?

Not necessarily. A bill can rise from rates alone, from losing a discount, from a meter reading catch-up after estimated reads, or from seasonal usage like heating. Check the kWh figure and the rate separately before assuming either.

Guide · High bills

Why is my electricity bill so high?

Before blaming the heater — most Australian bill pain traces to three quiet mechanisms, and all three are visible on the bill itself if you know where to look.

1. The loyalty tax (rate drift)

Sign-up deals fade: discounts expire, plans get repriced (July 1 is the big repricing date), and the plan you chose two years ago is rarely the plan you’re effectively on now. The regulator’s own default-offer system exists precisely because loyal customers drift onto worse rates. Check: find your usage rate (c/kWh) and daily supply charge on page 2–3 of the bill and compare them with a year-old bill. Same usage, higher cost = rate drift.

2. The wrong tariff shape

A flat rate suits people home all day; time-of-use suits households that can push laundry, dishwashing and charging into off-peak windows. Being on the wrong shape quietly costs hundreds a year — a TOU plan punishes a 6pm-everything household, and a flat plan wastes a flexible one. Check: your bill names the tariff (single rate / time of use / demand). If your routine doesn’t match the shape, that’s money.

3. The concession you never registered

Every state runs energy concessions worth hundreds a year, and none of them apply automatically — the card has to be registered with your retailer. Check: if anyone in the household holds a Pensioner Concession Card, Health Care Card or DVA card, look for a concession line on the bill. No line, and you hold a card? See our state-by-state concession guide.

And sometimes, yes — it's usage

Electric heating in winter, a pool pump on the day rate, hot water heating at peak times, an EV charging at 6pm. These show up as a kWh jump, not a rate jump — which is why checking the kWh figure and the rates separately matters. Setup fixes (timers, off-peak windows, controlled load) usually claw a chunk back without changing how you live.

The 30-second version

All three culprits — and the setup fixes — are computable from the bill itself. Upload yours and the counsellor reads the rates, checks every plan in your area against your actual usage, flags the concession pathway, and ranks the lot by dollars. The file is deleted the moment it’s read (here’s exactly how).

Stop guessing. Your bill already knows why.

Check my bill — free

Bill deleted after reading · No retailer kickbacks