EnergexSouth East Queensland (Brisbane, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, Ipswich, Logan)
- Flat rate, a year
- $1,988
- Change vs 2025-26
- -7.2% (-$155); time of use -10.7%
- Time of use, a year
- $1,914
- Free-power plan, a year
- $1,914
- Usage assumed
- 4,600 kWh
Compare electricity in Queensland
In South East Queensland, judge every plan against the Energex reference price: $1,988 a year for a flat-rate home in 2026-27, down 7.2%. Regional Queensland works differently: the state sets the prices, so there is far less to compare, but a free midday tariff is still on offer.
Queensland reference prices and feed-in tariffs checked
$1,988Energex flat-rate reference price, -7.2% on 2025-26
6.98 c/kWhEnergex time-of-use rate, 11am-4pm
6.006cregulated feed-in tariff, regional Queensland
South East Queensland reference price 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EnergexSouth East Queensland (Brisbane, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, Ipswich, Logan) | $1,988 | -7.2% (-$155); time of use -10.7% | $1,914 | $1,914 | 4,600 kWh |
The annual price assumes 4,600 kWh a year and no controlled load. The free-power plan price assumes you move nothing into the free hours.
The Energex rates
Maximums for standing offers| Network | Flat: supply (c/day) | Flat: usage (c/kWh) | Time of use: supply (c/day) | Time of use: usage (c/kWh) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EnergexQLD | 192.02 | 27.97 | 177.85 | Shoulder 25.30c (9pm-11am) Off-peak 6.98c (11am-4pm) Peak 47.79c (4pm-9pm) |
EnergexQLD
- Flat: supply (c/day)
- 192.02
- Flat: usage (c/kWh)
- 27.97
- Time of use: supply (c/day)
- 177.85
- Time of use: usage (c/kWh)
- Shoulder 25.30c (9pm-11am)
Off-peak 6.98c (11am-4pm)
Peak 47.79c (4pm-9pm)
The finding: South East Queensland already has cheap midday power. The Energex time-of-use reference plan charges 6.98 c/kWh from 11am-4pm. The Solar Sharer makes 11am-2pm free, but it lifts the evening peak to 48.9 c/kWh and the 9pm-11am shoulder to 26.41 c/kWh. Against that plan, each kWh you use from 11am-2pm saves 6.98 c/kWh, and every kWh at other times costs about 1.12 c/kWh more.
Two Queenslands: Energex and Ergon
South East Queensland (Brisbane, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, Ipswich, Logan) is on the Energex network. It has a competitive retail market, the AER sets a Default Market Offer, and you can compare and switch like anywhere in NSW or South Australia.
Regional Queensland is different. The federal Default Market Offer does not apply, and the Queensland Competition Authority (QCA) sets regulated "notified prices" each year under the state's uniform tariff policy. That policy aims for customers to pay no more, and get similar tariff structures, wherever they live; for most regional customers prices sit below the real cost of supply and the state government subsidises the difference. The QCA also caps notified prices at the South East Queensland DMO. For 2026-27 it expects a typical home on the main residential tariff (tariff 11) to pay about 6.9% less.
In practice that leaves regional households little to shop for on price. The Queensland Council of Social Service told the QCA the DMO is designed for markets with effective competition, "which is not the case in regional Queensland".
How to compare plans in South East Queensland
Every retailer must state its prices as a percentage above or below the reference price, so "20% below the reference price" means 20% below $1,988 at 4,600 kWh, for the flat-rate version. Use that to shortlist. Then price the shortlist at your own usage, counting the daily supply charge (the flat-rate cap is 192.02 c/day, the time-of-use cap 177.85 c/day) and ignoring any discount you might not keep.
Your bill helps: at least every 100 days it must tell you whether your retailer has a plan that would have saved you more than $22 a year. The full method is in how to compare electricity plans, and every region's figures are on the Default Market Offer 2026-27 page.
Flat rate, time of use or free power?
The Energex time-of-use plan has three rates: 25.3 c/kWh from 9pm-11am, 6.98 c/kWh from 11am-4pm and 47.79 c/kWh from 4pm-9pm. The flat rate is 27.97 c/kWh at all hours. If your solar covers the middle of the day and you buy most of your power in the evening, flat can win. If you are home during the day, time of use usually does. Our time-of-use guide goes through it.
The free-power plan is a time-of-use plan with a hole in it. Energex rates on the Solar Sharer are 26.41 c/kWh from 9pm-11am, 48.9 c/kWh from 4pm-9pm, and 8.1 c/kWh from 2pm-4pm, and above the cap. Moving a big load such as an EV or hot water into 11am-2pm is where it earns its keep. Run your numbers in the savings calculator.
Free electricity in Queensland
In South East Queensland, every retailer with more than 1,000 residential customers must offer the Solar Sharer Offer: free power 11am-2pm daily, up to 24 kWh, smart meter required. The free-power plans in our register pay 0-5c for solar exports on Energex.
The federal rules do not reach regional Queensland, but the state does. On 30 June 2026 the QCA approved tariff 12F, a solar sharer tariff for standard contract customers in regional Queensland from 1 July 2026, for residential customers with advanced digital meters. It copies the AER's South East Queensland tariff: free 11am-2pm up to 24 kWh a day, then 7.365c (2pm-4pm and above the cap), 44.456c (4pm-9pm) and 24.011c at other times, plus 161.685c a day. The QCA publishes these excluding GST; with GST they equal the Energex maximums above. The details are on the Solar Sharer in Queensland page.
Solar feed-in tariffs in Queensland
Regional Queensland: the QCA's regulated feed-in tariff for 2026-27 is 6.006c per kWh, down 31% from 8.66c. The QCA put the cut down to lower energy costs and more export data from digital meters.
South East Queensland: there is no regulated minimum, so the feed-in tariff is one of the things you compare. A plan with a slightly higher usage rate and a better feed-in can come out ahead if you export a lot. See feed-in tariffs by state for the trade-off.
Switching in Queensland
On a market contract with no fixed term, there is no early termination fee to leave. You have 10 business days to change your mind after signing. Read how to switch electricity provider for what you need and how long it takes.
We do not compare every plan. Energy Made Easy, run by the AER, lists every generally available plan in Queensland for free.
Common questions
What is the reference price for electricity in Queensland?
In South East Queensland it is the AER's Default Market Offer for the Energex network: $1,988 a year for a flat-rate home using 4,600 kWh, down 7.2% for 2026-27. Regional Queensland has no DMO; the Queensland Competition Authority sets notified prices there instead.
Can I get free electricity in Queensland?
In South East Queensland, yes: the Solar Sharer Offer gives free power 11am-2pm every day, up to 24 kWh, if you have a smart meter. In regional Queensland the QCA added an equivalent tariff, tariff 12F, from 1 July 2026 for residential customers with advanced digital meters. See the Solar Sharer in Queensland.
What is the solar feed-in tariff in regional Queensland?
The QCA set 6.006c per kWh for 2026-27 in the Ergon Energy retail area, down 31% from 8.66c. In South East Queensland there is no regulated minimum and each retailer sets its own.
Is a time-of-use plan cheaper in South East Queensland?
Often, if you can use power in the middle of the day. The Energex time-of-use reference plan charges 6.98 c/kWh from 11am-4pm, the cheapest daytime rate of any DMO network, but 47.79 c/kWh from 4pm-9pm. A home that runs most of its load in the evening can pay more than on a flat rate.
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
- QCA, Regulated retail electricity prices in regional Queensland for 2026-27, final determination, checked 17 October 2026
- QCA, Solar sharer offer for regional Queensland, decision notice (30 June 2026), checked 17 October 2026
- QCA, regional Queensland solar feed-in tariff 2026-27 fact sheet, 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 (regions where the federal Solar Sharer applies), checked 17 October 2026
- Energy Made Easy (AER), the government plan comparator for NSW, QLD, SA, ACT and TAS, checked 17 October 2026
- AEMC, National Energy Retail Rules v20 (rule 47 cooling off, rule 49A early termination charges), checked 17 October 2026