Compare electricity in Victoria

Which zone are you in?

Victoria has five electricity distribution zones. Your address decides yours:

• CitiPower: Melbourne CBD and inner suburbs.
• Jemena: Melbourne's north and north-west.
• United Energy: Melbourne's south-east and Mornington Peninsula.
• AusNet Services: Eastern and northern Victoria, Melbourne's outer east.
• Powercor: Western Victoria and Melbourne's west.

Victorian Energy Compare works it out from your address. Our eligibility checker asks for it too, because the free-power rates differ by zone.

How to use the VDO when you compare

Victorian retailers must show their prices against the VDO, as a percentage above or below it. The VDO itself is an annual bill at an assumed 4,000 kWh a year, so treat the percentage as a filter, not an answer. A plan 10% below the VDO for an average home may not be 10% below for yours, especially if you use much more or much less, or use most of it in the evening.

Then cost your shortlist at your real usage, from your last four bills or your smart meter data. Count the daily supply charge, which on the VDO runs from 119.12 c/day to 138.05 c/day, and do not count a conditional discount you may not keep. Our general method is in how to compare electricity plans.

Victoria's new time-of-use windows

From 1 July 2026 the residential time-of-use VDO moved to three periods, to match new network tariffs: solar soak 11am-4pm, peak 4pm-9pm and off-peak 9pm-11am. In CitiPower the soak rate is 16.59 c/kWh against a peak of 38.31 c/kWh. The ESC's reference home uses 18% of its power in the soak window and 29% in the peak. If you can beat that split, time of use is worth a look; our time-of-use guide explains how.

Free electricity: the Midday Power Saver

Victoria runs its own scheme rather than the federal Solar Sharer. Since 1 October 2026, retailers with 1,000 or more domestic customers must offer the Midday Power Saver, under that name: free power 11am-2pm daily, up to 24 kWh, with a smart meter. Almost every Victorian home already has one.

The rates outside the window are higher than the VDO time-of-use plan. In CitiPower the peak is 2.05c, off-peak 2.05c and solar soak 2.05c per kWh higher. The Premier's office says the rates are 12-19% cheaper on average than equivalent free-power offers in SA, NSW and Queensland. The free-power plans in our register pay 0-1.5c for solar exports in CitiPower. Test it against your current plan in the savings calculator, and read free electricity in Victoria for the rules.

Solar feed-in tariffs in Victoria

There is no minimum. The ESC no longer sets one; the last minimums applied until 30 June 2025, and retailers now choose their own rate, as long as it is not below zero. That makes the feed-in tariff one of the most important lines to compare if you have solar, and one of the easiest to overlook. See feed-in tariffs by state.

Switching in Victoria

Victorian retailers are banned from putting exit fees in small customer contracts, apart from rare fixed-term, fixed-price contracts. The ESC penalised Origin $5 million in 2021 for charging prohibited exit fees to small business customers. Victorian Energy Compare says the cooling-off period is usually 10 business days, and to check with your retailer. When you switch, the new retailer handles it and your supply is not interrupted. Have your concession card details ready if you hold one. More in how to switch electricity provider.

We do not compare every plan. Victorian Energy Compare does, free, and earns nothing from your choice.

Common questions

What is the Victorian Default Offer for 2026-27?

It is the regulated price set by the Essential Services Commission for customers who are not on a market plan, and the reference price retailers must compare against in their ads. For a home using 4,000 kWh a year it ranges from $1,481 (CitiPower) to $1,748 (AusNet Services), and averages $1,591.

What is the best way to compare electricity in Victoria?

Use Victorian Energy Compare, the free Victorian Government comparator, which lists every generally available offer at your address. Then check the shortlist against the VDO for your zone.

Is there free electricity in Victoria?

Yes. Since 1 October 2026 retailers with 1,000 or more domestic customers must offer the Midday Power Saver: free power 11am-2pm every day, up to 24 kWh, if you have a smart meter. See free electricity in Victoria.

Is there a minimum feed-in tariff in Victoria?

Not any more. The ESC stopped setting minimum feed-in tariffs; the last minimums applied until 30 June 2025. Retailers now set their own, and the only floor is that a feed-in tariff cannot be below zero.

Sources

1. ESC, Victorian Default Offer 2026-27 final decision paper, checked 17 October 2026
2. ESC, Victorian Default Offer 2026-27 price determination (flat and time-of-use tariffs), checked 17 October 2026
3. Victoria Government Gazette S 498, Midday Power Saver Pricing Order 2026, checked 17 October 2026
4. ESC, minimum feed-in tariff, checked 17 October 2026
5. AER Energy Made Easy and Victorian Energy Compare plan data (CDR product feed), free-power plan rows, checked 17 October 2026
6. Victorian Energy Compare, how to switch energy offers, checked 17 October 2026
7. ESC, Origin Energy pays $5 million penalty for allegedly charging exit fees, checked 17 October 2026
8. Victorian Premier, best midday power offer in the country (28 May 2026), checked 17 October 2026
9. Energy Networks Australia, smart meter rollout (Victorian remote-read meters), checked 17 October 2026
10. Victorian Energy Compare (Victorian Government), checked 17 October 2026