AusgridSydney (east, inner west, north), Central Coast, Hunter
- Flat rate, a year
- $1,899
- Change vs 2025-26
- -3.4% (-$66); time of use -3.7%
- Time of use, a year
- $1,893
- Free-power plan, a year
- $1,893
- Usage assumed
- 3,900 kWh
Compare electricity in NSW
Start with your network's reference price: $1,899 a year on Ausgrid, $2,328 on Endeavour Energy and $2,604 on Essential Energy for a flat-rate home in 2026-27. Any plan worth switching to should beat that comfortably at your own usage, and the free government comparator shows every plan available at your address.
NSW reference prices and feed-in benchmarks checked
-3.4% to -5.0%change in the NSW flat-rate reference price for 2026-27
3.4-6.5cIPART's voluntary feed-in benchmark, per kWh
11am-2pmfree power on the Solar Sharer Offer, every network
NSW reference prices 2026-27
Set by the AER, 26 May 2026| Network | Flat rate, a year | Change vs 2025-26 | Time of use, a year | Free-power plan, a year | Usage assumed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AusgridSydney (east, inner west, north), Central Coast, Hunter | $1,899 | -3.4% (-$66); time of use -3.7% | $1,893 | $1,893 | 3,900 kWh |
| Endeavour EnergyWestern Sydney, Blue Mountains, Southern Highlands, Illawarra | $2,328 | -3.4% (-$83); time of use -3.8% | $2,320 | $2,320 | 4,900 kWh |
| Essential EnergyRegional and rural NSW | $2,604 | -5% (-$137); time of use -7.7% | $2,530 | $2,530 | 4,600 kWh |
Endeavour EnergyWestern Sydney, Blue Mountains, Southern Highlands, Illawarra
- Flat rate, a year
- $2,328
- Change vs 2025-26
- -3.4% (-$83); time of use -3.8%
- Time of use, a year
- $2,320
- Free-power plan, a year
- $2,320
- Usage assumed
- 4,900 kWh
Essential EnergyRegional and rural NSW
- Flat rate, a year
- $2,604
- Change vs 2025-26
- -5% (-$137); time of use -7.7%
- Time of use, a year
- $2,530
- Free-power plan, a year
- $2,530
- Usage assumed
- 4,600 kWh
Annual prices assume the AER's usage for each network and no controlled load. The free-power plan price assumes you move nothing into the free hours, which is why it equals the time-of-use price.
The rates behind those prices
Maximums for standing offers; c/kWh unless stated| Network | Flat: supply (c/day) | Flat: usage (c/kWh) | Time of use: supply (c/day) | Time of use: usage (c/kWh) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AusgridNSW | 166.23 | 33.14 | 176.41 | Off-peak 24.04c (all other hours) Peak 60.20c (3pm-9pm, Nov-Mar and Jun-Aug only) |
| Endeavour EnergyNSW | 185.13 | 33.73 | 185.13 | Peak 46.57c Nov-Mar, 47.14c Apr-Oct (4pm-8pm working weekdays) Off-peak 35.69c (all other hours, and weekends) Solar soak 12.35c (10am-2pm) |
| Essential EnergyNSW | 272.22 | 35.01 | 272.22 | Off-peak 24.14c (all other hours) Peak 42.12c (7am-10am and 3pm-10pm) |
AusgridNSW
- Flat: supply (c/day)
- 166.23
- Flat: usage (c/kWh)
- 33.14
- Time of use: supply (c/day)
- 176.41
- Time of use: usage (c/kWh)
- Off-peak 24.04c (all other hours)
Peak 60.20c (3pm-9pm, Nov-Mar and Jun-Aug only)
Endeavour EnergyNSW
- Flat: supply (c/day)
- 185.13
- Flat: usage (c/kWh)
- 33.73
- Time of use: supply (c/day)
- 185.13
- Time of use: usage (c/kWh)
- Peak 46.57c Nov-Mar, 47.14c Apr-Oct (4pm-8pm working weekdays)
Off-peak 35.69c (all other hours, and weekends)
Solar soak 12.35c (10am-2pm)
Essential EnergyNSW
- Flat: supply (c/day)
- 272.22
- Flat: usage (c/kWh)
- 35.01
- Time of use: supply (c/day)
- 272.22
- Time of use: usage (c/kWh)
- Off-peak 24.14c (all other hours)
Peak 42.12c (7am-10am and 3pm-10pm)
The finding: your network sets the price more than your retailer does. The same flat-rate home pays $705 a year more on Essential Energy than on Ausgrid at the reference price, before any retailer discount. Compare plans for your network, not for "NSW".
Which network are you on?
NSW has three distribution networks, and you cannot choose yours: it depends on your address. Roughly:
- Ausgrid: Sydney (east, inner west, north), Central Coast, Hunter.
- Endeavour Energy: Western Sydney, Blue Mountains, Southern Highlands, Illawarra.
- Essential Energy: Regional and rural NSW.
Your bill shows your NMI, the 10 or 11 character number that identifies your connection, and Energy Made Easy uses it to tailor a comparison to your address. Our eligibility checker asks for your network first because every price on this page depends on it.
How to use the reference price in NSW
Retailers must state their prices as a percentage above or below the reference price, so an ad that says "15% below the reference price" is measuring against the table above. Two things make that number less useful than it looks. First, the reference price is an annual bill at the AER's assumed usage (3,900 kWh a year on Ausgrid, 4,900 on Endeavour, 4,600 on Essential), and your usage is probably different. Second, a discount that depends on paying on time or by direct debit only counts if you never miss.
The honest test is the annual cost at your own usage, including the supply charge. Read the full method in how to compare electricity plans, and see every network's figures on the Default Market Offer 2026-27 page.
Your bill also does some of this for you. At least every 100 days it must say whether your retailer has a plan that would have saved you more than $22 a year on your past usage. If it says "you could save", ask for that plan before you shop elsewhere.
Flat rate or time of use?
On Ausgrid the time-of-use peak rate (60.2 c/kWh) applies 3pm-9pm only from November to March and June to August. In April, May, September and October the whole day bills at the off-peak rate. That makes time of use attractive in Sydney if you can keep the oven, dryer and air conditioning away from late afternoon in summer and winter. Essential Energy's peak runs 7am-10am and 3pm-10pm every day, which is harder to avoid. Our guide to time-of-use tariffs explains the windows.
Free electricity in NSW
The Solar Sharer Offer is available on all three NSW networks: free power 11am-2pm every day, up to 24 kWh, if you have a smart meter. You do not need solar. The catch is that the other 21 hours are priced higher than the time-of-use reference plan: Ausgrid's Solar Sharer peak is 63.72 c/kWh against 60.2 c/kWh. The free-power plans in our register pay 0-3c for solar exports on Ausgrid.
It pays off when you can move real load into the window: a dishwasher, the washing, a hot water timer, an EV. It does not when you are out all day and on a well-priced market plan. Test it with the savings calculator and read the detail on the Solar Sharer in NSW.
Solar feed-in tariffs in NSW
There is no minimum. IPART's all-day benchmark for 2026-27 is 3.4-6.5c per kWh, down from 4.8-7.3c, because wholesale prices are low when solar is exporting. In May 2026 IPART found retailer flat feed-in offers from 0 to about 12c. Its time-of-day benchmarks show where the value is now:
- Ausgrid: 10am-3pm: 3.9-4c; 3pm-4pm: 4.8-8.5c; 4pm-9pm: 17.2-18.7c; 9pm-10am: 3.2-4.9c.
- Endeavour Energy: 10am-2pm: 3.1-3.2c; 2pm-4pm: 5.2-7.5c; 4pm-8pm: 16.9-19.9c; 8pm-10am: 3.2-4.8c.
- Essential Energy: 10am-3pm: 3.3-4.4c; 3pm-5pm: 6-10c; 5pm-8pm: 26.6-33.3c; 8pm-10am: 3.3-5.3c.
Ausgrid also has two-way network pricing: 1.23c per kWh for exports 10am-3pm above about 200 kWh a month, and a 3.85c reward for exports 4pm-9pm. Ausgrid's page does not say which financial year these rates are for, and they are billed to your retailer, which decides whether to pass them on. If you export a lot, a higher feed-in can be worth more than a cheaper usage rate; see feed-in tariffs by state.
Regional NSW: Essential Energy
Essential Energy covers regional and rural NSW, and it is the most expensive NSW network on the reference price. Its daily supply charge cap is 272.22 c/day, against 166.23 c/day for a flat-rate Ausgrid customer, so the fixed part of the bill is around $387 a year higher before you use a single kWh. The flat-rate reference price fell -5% for 2026-27, the biggest cut in NSW.
Some Essential Energy areas keep South Australian or Queensland time. The Solar Sharer free window always starts at 11am local time, so it follows your clock, not Sydney's. Our register does not yet hold retailer rows for Essential Energy; the regulated maximums apply there.
Switching in NSW
Most NSW electricity contracts cannot charge an exit fee. IPART's exceptions are contracts where solar, a battery, a digital meter or other equipment was installed as part of the deal, and contracts with a fixed tariff for the full term. You have 10 business days to change your mind after signing. Read how to switch electricity provider for the steps.
We do not compare every plan. For the full NSW market, use Energy Made Easy, run by the AER. It is free and earns nothing from your choice.
Common questions
What is the cheapest electricity plan in NSW?
It depends on your network, how much you use and when you use it, so no single plan is cheapest for everyone. Put your own usage into Energy Made Easy, the free government comparator, which lists every generally available plan at your address. Then check the result against the reference price for your network on this page.
What is the Default Market Offer in NSW for 2026-27?
It is the maximum a retailer can charge a standing offer customer, and the yardstick every advertised discount is measured against. For a residential flat-rate customer it is $1,899 a year on Ausgrid, $2,328 on Endeavour Energy and $2,604 on Essential Energy, at each network's assumed usage.
Can I get free electricity in NSW?
Yes, if you have a smart meter and are not in an embedded network. Every retailer with more than 1,000 residential customers must offer the Solar Sharer Offer, with free power 11am-2pm every day up to 24 kWh. Whether it saves you money depends on what you can move into those hours. See the Solar Sharer in NSW.
Is there a minimum solar feed-in tariff in NSW?
No. IPART publishes a voluntary benchmark, 3.4-6.5c per kWh for 2026-27, down from 4.8-7.3c. Retailers do not have to match it, and IPART found offers from 0 to about 12c in May 2026.
Sources
- AER, Default Market Offer 2026-27 final determination (annual prices and tariff caps), checked 17 October 2026
- AER, Default Market Offer 2026-27 information kit, checked 17 October 2026
- IPART, solar feed-in tariff benchmarks 2026-27 (all-day), checked 17 October 2026
- IPART, time-of-day solar feed-in tariff benchmarks 2026-27, checked 17 October 2026
- Ausgrid, two-way solar pricing, checked 17 October 2026
- AER Energy Made Easy and Victorian Energy Compare plan data (CDR product feed), free-power plan rows, checked 17 October 2026
- AER, Better Bills Guideline: key obligations for energy retailers (better offer message), checked 17 October 2026
- ACCC/AER joint compliance bulletin, Electricity Retail Code v2 (Solar Sharer regions, Essential Energy local time), checked 17 October 2026
- IPART, requirements for early termination charges, checked 17 October 2026
- Energy Made Easy (AER), the government plan comparator for NSW, QLD, SA, ACT and TAS, checked 17 October 2026
- Energy Made Easy, finding your NMI, checked 17 October 2026