Cheapest Electricity NSW 2026: Plans Compared by Network

The cheapest electricity in NSW on 14 November 2026 was a single-rate plan costing about A$1,440 a year in Ausgrid areas (3,900 kWh), A$1,769 in Endeavour Energy areas (4,900 kWh) and A$2,021 in Essential Energy areas (4,600 kWh), roughly 22% to 24% below the Default Market Offer. The cheapest plan changes often and depends on your network, usage and solar.

This is a dated snapshot, not a permanent ranking. We read current plans from the Australian Energy Regulator’s public Energy Made Easy product data and worked out each bill ourselves.

Key facts

• On 14 November 2026 the lowest single-rate residential bill we found in Ausgrid areas was A$1,440 a year (Tango Energy Everyday Easy, 3,900 kWh), against an AER Default Market Offer of A$1,899.
• In Endeavour Energy areas the lowest single-rate bill found was A$1,769 a year (Tango Energy Everyday Easy, 4,900 kWh), against a Default Market Offer of A$2,328.
• In Essential Energy areas the lowest single-rate bill found was A$2,021 a year (1st Energy Emerald, 4,600 kWh, after a 4% guaranteed discount), against a Default Market Offer of A$2,604.
• Across the 15 retailers we compared, the gap between the cheapest and dearest single-rate plan was A$274 a year in Ausgrid, A$373 in Endeavour Energy and A$551 in Essential Energy areas.
• For a solar home exporting 3,650 kWh a year, the ranking changed: GloBird Energy SOLARPLUS was cheapest in Ausgrid areas at about A$892 a year, because its 10c/kWh feed-in tariff applies to the first 8 kWh exported each day.
• The IPART benchmark solar feed-in range for NSW is 3.4 to 6.5c/kWh for 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027, and most plans we read paid 3c/kWh or less.

Cheapest electricity in NSW for a typical home

The cheapest generally available single-rate plans cost about A$1,440 to A$2,021 a year before conditional discounts, depending on the network. The table shows each retailer’s lowest-cost generally available plan at the AER’s assumed usage for the network (3,900, 4,900 and 4,600 kWh), GST inclusive.

Every plan in the chart sits below the regulated reference price, and the same retailer can be cheap in one network and dear in another.

Table: lowest annual bill per retailer on 14 November 2026, Solar Cobber calculation. Amber is excluded because its wholesale-linked rates are estimates, and Lumo Energy returned no NSW plans.

Conditional discounts can reorder the top. GloBird lists a 1% direct debit and 2% pay-on-time discount on GLOHOME. Taking both would lower its Ausgrid figure to about A$1,409, below Tango. We do not apply them because they depend on how you pay.

How the cheapest plans compare with the Default Market Offer

The cheapest plans win on both parts of the bill: a lower daily supply charge and a lower usage rate. The table compares the cheapest plan in each network with the AER’s 2026-27 tariff caps (GST inclusive).

Solar Cobber calculation. Spread over the AER’s assumed usage, the cheapest plans work out at 36.9c/kWh (Ausgrid), 36.1c (Endeavour Energy) and 43.9c (Essential Energy), against 48.7c, 47.5c and 56.6c for the Default Market Offer. See our guide to the Default Market Offer and Victorian Default Offer for how those reference prices are set.

Which NSW network are you on?

Your network sets your supply charge and the plans you can choose, and it is printed on your bill. Ausgrid covers Sydney’s inner suburbs and north, among other areas. Endeavour Energy covers Greater Western Sydney and the Illawarra. Essential Energy covers most of regional NSW.

In the plan data, postcodes 2000, 2074 and 2300 returned Ausgrid plans, 2148, 2150, 2500 and 2560 returned Endeavour Energy plans, and 2480, 2650, 2830 and 2870 returned Essential Energy plans. Postcodes such as 2250 and 2200 span two networks, so use the network on your bill. Essential Energy’s rates are the highest of the three: its Default Market Offer is A$2,604 against Ausgrid’s A$1,899.

Cheapest electricity for a NSW home with solar

Solar homes pay for grid imports and earn feed-in credits for exports, so the cheapest plan is often a different one. The table assumes the household imports 60% of the benchmark usage and exports 3,650 kWh a year (10 kWh a day), which are our assumptions, not statistics.

GloBird Energy was cheapest in all three networks on these assumptions, and plans with high feed-in tariffs can beat the plans with the lowest usage rates.

Table: Solar Cobber calculation, 14 November 2026. Each extra 1,000 kWh exported is worth A$100 on GloBird SOLARPLUS (up to 8 kWh a day), A$30 at 3c and nothing on Tango or Nectr, so heavy exporters should favour the high feed-in plans and light exporters the low usage rates.

Feed-in tariffs on NSW plans

NSW has no minimum feed-in tariff. IPART’s benchmark range is a guide only, and the highest flat rate we read on a standard plan was 3c/kWh. The chart shows the rate on the first tier and beyond it.

Higher feed-in rates carry caps and conditions, and some retailers also list time-of-day options such as Red Energy’s 6.7c from 4pm to 9pm on an Ausgrid plan. Our best solar feed-in tariff NSW guide has the full rates, and network export charges can change the real value of exports.

IPART’s benchmark range was 3.4 to 6.5c/kWh for 2026-27, down from 4.8 to 7.3c in 2025-26 and 7.7 to 9.4c in 2023-24 (IPART, read 14 November 2026). See also the NSW solar rebate guide.

Cheapest electricity for an EV or battery home

Time-of-use plans can beat single-rate plans for EV owners if charging happens in a cheap window, but not in every network. The Origin Night Shift plan listed 8.0c/kWh (7.27c plus GST) from midnight to 6am and 33.1c to 35.5c at other times, depending on the network. The table compares it with Tango Everyday Easy for a household using the benchmark kWh plus 3,000 kWh of EV charging a year (our assumption), with all the base usage charged at the dearer rate.

Night Shift saved about A$134 in Ausgrid and A$136 in Essential Energy areas but cost A$32 more in Endeavour Energy areas, so check the numbers for your own network.

Other listed plans target EVs and batteries, such as GloBird EASYEV (about 6.0c/kWh to 8.0c/kWh in set windows, capped at 30 kWh a day) and Origin Battery Charge (free from 11am to 3pm for net-metered solar homes). Our EV charging cost guide and VPP explainer cover how these plans work, and wholesale-priced plans such as Amber suit different households again.

How NSW electricity prices have changed

The regulated reference price fell in 2026-27 after rising in 2025-26. The chart shows the AER’s flat-rate Default Market Offer for the three NSW networks since 2020-21.

Prices rose 20.8% to 21.4% in 2023-24, then eased: the 2026-27 flat prices are 3.4% lower in Ausgrid and Endeavour Energy areas and 5.0% lower in Essential Energy areas than in 2025-26. The Solar Sharer Offer, with free power from 11am to 2pm on regulated opt-in plans, is priced at the time-of-use Default Market Offer (A$1,893 Ausgrid, A$2,320 Endeavour, A$2,530 Essential); see our Solar Sharer Offer guide.

The Australian Energy Regulator explains how these regulated prices are set in a short video.

What it means for your solar or battery decision

A home with no solar gains most from a low usage rate, a home exporting a lot gains from a high capped feed-in tariff, and a home adding a battery or EV may gain from a time-of-use plan. Reprice your bill before and after any install, because installer savings estimates assume a tariff. Compare installers through NSW solar installers on our directory and our Sydney battery installer guide, and read peak and off-peak times and smart meters and solar before choosing a time-of-use plan. For other states see cheapest electricity provider Australia and electricity cost per kWh.

Method and sources

We pulled every residential market plan for Ausgrid, Endeavour Energy and Essential Energy from the AER’s public Energy Made Easy product data (Consumer Data Right) for the retailers listed above on 14 November 2026. We kept single-rate plans with one tariff period and no controlled load, demand charge or wholesale pricing.

• GST. The API quotes rates excluding GST. We multiplied supply and usage rates by 1.1, and did not add GST to feed-in credits. As a check, Origin Basic’s Ausgrid rates (151.1c a day, 30.12c/kWh) times 1.1 reproduce the AER’s tariff caps of 166.23c and 33.14c, and the Endeavour and Essential rates reconcile the same way.
• Usage. We used the AER’s assumed 2026-27 usage: Ausgrid 3,900 kWh, Endeavour Energy 4,900 kWh, Essential Energy 4,600 kWh.
• Excluded. We excluded third-party-only, seniors, loyalty and bank-partner plans, plans needing new or moving customers, cause-linked variants of the same rates, installer-bundle plans and Amber. We included guaranteed percentage discounts but not conditional discounts, credits or bonuses. Metering charges and exit fees are not included.
• Dates. The plan records were last updated between 30 September and 11 November 2026 (Dodo’s Essential Energy record is dated 26 July 2026). Plans change weekly and may vary by postcode.
• Solar and EV households. The household shapes are our assumptions, stated beside each table.

Check your own postcode on Energy Made Easy with your bill and meter data before switching.

FAQ

Who is the cheapest electricity provider in NSW?

There is no permanent winner. On 14 November 2026 Tango Energy had the lowest single-rate bill in Ausgrid and Endeavour Energy areas and 1st Energy in Essential Energy areas. Retailers reprice often, so check Energy Made Easy with your postcode before switching.

What is the cheapest electricity in Sydney?

In Ausgrid areas, which include much of Sydney, the lowest single-rate bill we found was about A$1,440 a year at 3,900 kWh. In western Sydney (Endeavour Energy) it was about A$1,769 at 4,900 kWh. Your result depends on your usage and meter type.

Is the cheapest plan the best plan for solar owners?

No. Solar owners pay for imports and earn export credits, so a plan with a high capped feed-in tariff can win. On our assumptions GloBird SOLARPLUS beat plans with lower usage rates in Ausgrid areas.

How much cheaper than the Default Market Offer are the best plans?

About 22% to 24% in the three NSW networks on 14 November 2026. The Default Market Offer is A$1,899 in Ausgrid, A$2,328 in Endeavour Energy and A$2,604 in Essential Energy areas.

Why is Essential Energy electricity more expensive?

Its supply charge and usage rate are higher. The AER’s Default Market Offer cap is 272.2c a day and 35.0c/kWh in Essential Energy areas, against 166.2c and 33.1c in Ausgrid areas.

Do pay-on-time and direct debit discounts count?

We left them out because they are conditional. If you reliably qualify they lower the bill, for example GloBird’s 3% would take its Ausgrid figure to about A$1,409.

Sources

• Energy Made Easy, Australian Energy Regulator product data (Consumer Data Right API), read 14 November 2026
• AER Default Market Offer 2026-27 final determination, released 26 May 2026
• IPART solar feed-in tariff benchmark, read 14 November 2026
• Australian Energy Regulator video on how prices are set

About this guide

This guide was written by the Solar Cobber editorial team from independent desk research checked in November 2026. Solar Cobber is a free directory that may earn referral or advertising fees from installers. Commercial relationships never affect our content. This is general information, not financial advice. To report a correction, contact us.