{"id":49859,"date":"2021-05-24T14:43:58","date_gmt":"2021-05-24T04:13:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/?p=49859"},"modified":"2021-05-24T14:43:58","modified_gmt":"2021-05-24T04:13:58","slug":"compare-regional-qld-electricity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/compare-regional-qld-electricity\/","title":{"rendered":"Regional Queensland Has Electricity Retailer Choice. But Which Is Cheapest?"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-50538 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/qld-retailer-choice.jpg\" alt=\"Comparing electricity retailers in regional Queensland\" width=\"1200\" height=\"628\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/qld-retailer-choice.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/qld-retailer-choice-300x157.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/qld-retailer-choice-1024x536.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/qld-retailer-choice-768x402.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/p>\r\n<p>Do you live in regional Queensland? \u00a0Do you think your only choice of electricity retailer is Ergon Energy? Then I have exciting news for you. \u00a0You can choose who bills you for electricity.<!--more--><\/p>\r\n<p>This is not a new thing.\u00a0 But many people aren&#8217;t aware of it.\u00a0 Until recently, this included me and &#8212; after talking to my father &#8212; I&#8217;ve discovered it includes people who have been living there longer than I&#8217;ve been alive.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n<p>Luckily I&#8217;m a fast learner, and I can now tell you all about:<\/p>\r\n<ol>\r\n<li>\u00a0What retailers you can choose from in regional Queensland.<\/li>\r\n<li>\u00a0How much money &#8212; if any &#8212; you&#8217;re likely to save by switching to them.<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n<p>Most homes won&#8217;t be able to save much by changing retailers, but switching is easy, so it can be worthwhile &#8212; provided you don&#8217;t get screwed over by your new electricity retailer.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n<p>This is a reasonable concern because electricity retailers have been known to screw over their customers at least once or twice in Australia&#8217;s history.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n<h2>Regional Queensland Is The Ergon Energy Area<\/h2>\r\n<p>By regional Queensland, I specifically mean the Ergon network area.\u00a0 It covers Toowoomba and everything west and Kilkivan and everything north.\u00a0 Here&#8217;s a map:<\/p>\r\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-49328 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/ergon_map.jpg\" alt=\"Queensland Ergon Energy area map\" width=\"800\" height=\"1003\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/ergon_map.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/ergon_map-239x300.jpg 239w, https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/ergon_map-768x963.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/p>\r\n<p>Ergon is the Distributed Network Service Provider or DNSP in this area.\u00a0 This means they&#8217;re in charge of the local poles, power lines, and substations that provide power to farms, homes, and businesses.<\/p>\r\n<p>Ergon Energy is also an electricity retailer.\u00a0 This means they&#8230;<\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>Read meters.<\/li>\r\n<li>Send people their electricity bills.<\/li>\r\n<li>Offer electricity plans, and&#8230;<\/li>\r\n<li>Answer customer questions.\u00a0<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p>For a long time, they were the only retailer in regional Queensland, but since 2007 other retailers have been allowed to operate in the area.<\/p>\r\n<h2>It&#8217;s Almost A Secret<\/h2>\r\n<p>I was surprised to learn that retailer choice existed in the Ergon area.\u00a0 However, I think you can excuse my ignorance because I don&#8217;t live there.\u00a0 But my parents have lived in the Ergon area for longer than I&#8217;ve been alive, and they also didn&#8217;t know.\u00a0 None of their friends apparently knew about it either.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n<p>Well, one of their friends said he knew, but he also claims to have wrestled Idi Amin to stop him feeding a child to a crocodile, so take that with a bucket of salt.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n<div id=\"attachment_50332\" style=\"width: 1190px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-50332\" class=\"size-full wp-image-50332\" src=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/idi_amin.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1180\" height=\"663\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/idi_amin.jpg 1180w, https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/idi_amin-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/idi_amin-1024x575.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/idi_amin-768x432.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1180px) 100vw, 1180px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-50332\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">&#8220;I have never met the man. We have certainly never wrestled. But if we did, I would have won.&#8221; (Image: Associated Press)<\/p><\/div>\r\n<p>When I spoke to one of the retailers on the phone, they practically begged me to tell my friends and relatives about them.\u00a0 So it looks like the problem may be regional Queensland-wide and not just that my parents happen to live in the middle of Thicktopia.<\/p>\r\n<h2>Ergon Retailing No Longer Being Phased Out<\/h2>\r\n<p>When regional Queensland introduced retailer choice, a rule prohibited people from returning to Ergon Energy if they ever left.\u00a0 This reduced the number of people switching. The possibility of returning to Ergon&#8217;s warm, reassuring clutches gave comfort.\u00a0 After all, retailer choice had often turned out to be less-than-wonderful in other places. \u00a0<\/p>\r\n<p>Fortunately, since 2018, people can\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ergon.com.au\/retail\/business\/account-options\/return-to-ergon-retail\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">return to Ergon<\/a><sup class='endnote'><a href='https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/compare-regional-qld-electricity\/#en-49859-1' id='enref-49859-1' onclick='return hhEndnotes_show(49859)'>1<\/a><\/sup> if they try a different retailer, switching carries less risk these days.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n<h2>A SolarQuotes Tool (Not Me!)<\/h2>\r\n<p>Discovering which local electricity retailers offer the lowest cost plan is tedious.\u00a0 At least it is if you don&#8217;t use the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/energy\/\">SolarQuotes Electricity Retailer comparison tool<\/a>.\u00a0 With that, it&#8217;s easy.\u00a0 You can also use the Government <a href=\"https:\/\/www.energymadeeasy.gov.au\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Energy Made Easy<\/a> comparison site, but it&#8217;s not as good.\u00a0 The SolarQuotes one is designed for solar homes, and I know it cost a hell of a lot less to make than the government one.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n<p>To use our comparison tool, you enter your&#8230;<\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>Solar power system size and&#8230;<\/li>\r\n<li>Postcode<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p>Into boxes that look exactly like this:<\/p>\r\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-50500 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/qld_postcode.jpg\" alt=\"Electricity plan comparison inputs\" width=\"1023\" height=\"130\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/qld_postcode.jpg 1023w, https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/qld_postcode-300x38.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/qld_postcode-768x98.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1023px) 100vw, 1023px\" \/><\/p>\r\n<p>After entering your postcode, two sliders appear set at typical values for your location and solar system size.\u00a0 They are for&#8230;<\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>Solar energy self-consumption &#8212; the percentage of solar generation your home consumes itself.<\/li>\r\n<li>Total electrical energy use per day &#8212; a combination of grid and solar electricity consumption.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p>You can change the value of these sliders, and this is what they look like:<\/p>\r\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-50501 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/qld_sliders.png\" alt=\"Electricity plan comparison self consumption and total energy usage\" width=\"1023\" height=\"509\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/qld_sliders.png 1023w, https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/qld_sliders-300x149.png 300w, https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/qld_sliders-768x382.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1023px) 100vw, 1023px\" \/><\/p>\r\n<p>Below these, you&#8217;ll see retailer plans in order from cheapest to most expensive.\u00a0 Here&#8217;s what they look like for Bundaberg, postcode 4670, for an 8 kilowatt solar home with the sliders at their default values:\u00a0<\/p>\r\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-50504 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/qld_tool.png\" alt=\"Compare electricity plans - regional Queensland results\" width=\"1043\" height=\"727\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/qld_tool.png 1043w, https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/qld_tool-300x209.png 300w, https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/qld_tool-1024x714.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/qld_tool-768x535.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1043px) 100vw, 1043px\" \/><\/p>\r\n<p>There are 5 different retailers in Bundaberg, and the first four plans give our 8 kilowatt home an annual credit. \u00a0 The lowest cost plan is from LPE.\u00a0 They&#8217;ll be the cheapest for the majority of solar homes in regional Queensland.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n<h2>SQ Retailer Comparison Tool Advanced Option<\/h2>\r\n<p>You can also click on a box that says &#8220;Advanced&#8221; to get a more accurate result:<\/p>\r\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-50507\" src=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/qld_advance.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"554\" height=\"120\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/qld_advance.jpg 554w, https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/qld_advance-300x65.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 554px) 100vw, 554px\" \/><\/p>\r\n<p>This will let you enter the following details from your electricity bills:<\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>Billing period<\/li>\r\n<li>kWh imported &#8212;\u00a0 How many kilowatt-hours of grid electricity your home used.<\/li>\r\n<li>kWh exported &#8212; How many kilowatt-hours of solar electricity your home sent into the grid for a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/systems\/feed-in-tariffs\/qld\/\">feed-in tariff<\/a>.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p>This will give a precise answer to which retail plan will be the cheapest, but the simple option will almost always give the right answer.<\/p>\r\n<h2>Our Comparison Tool Is A Work In Progress<\/h2>\r\n<p>The SQ Retailer Comparison Tool is still under development and runs on the smell of an oily rag. We can&#8217;t be completely certain the results it gives will be correct for every single plan, as it notes here:<\/p>\r\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-50509\" src=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/qld_beta.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1023\" height=\"157\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/qld_beta.png 1023w, https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/qld_beta-300x46.png 300w, https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/qld_beta-768x118.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1023px) 100vw, 1023px\" \/><\/p>\r\n<p>As I will explain below, I have discovered it gives an incorrect result for people using a Globird Energy standard tariff if they consume more than 487 kilowatt-hours a month.\u00a0 But, because I went to all the retailer sites to check the other results, I&#8217;m confident they&#8217;re right.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n<p>We will fix the problem with the Globird plan and make sure it gives the correct result, but I&#8217;m not sure how long that will take because I don&#8217;t know the first thing about programming.\u00a0 I can&#8217;t even program my <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=HOjihnduq9U\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">VCR<\/a>. I still have a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=esbzwG79KzM\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">VCR<\/a>, which is probably a good indicator I don&#8217;t have enough technical ability to program anything.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n<p>If our tool gives any other incorrect or odd results please let us know, and we&#8217;ll get it fixed by someone who doesn&#8217;t think that a USB port is on the coast of the United States of Brazil.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n<h2>5 Regional QLD Retailers<\/h2>\r\n<p>There are five electricity retailers in regional Queensland:<\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>Ergon Energy<\/li>\r\n<li>LPE &#8212; Short for Locality Planning Energy, so no wonder they go by the abbreviation&#8230;<\/li>\r\n<li>Bright Spark Power<\/li>\r\n<li>QEnergy<\/li>\r\n<li>Glowbird Energy<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p>There may be others that do a damn good job of hiding because I haven&#8217;t been able to find them.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\r\n<p>Ergon is available everywhere. Availability of the others depends on location.<\/p>\r\n<h2>Little Choice For Some<\/h2>\r\n<p>This <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ergon.com.au\/retail\/help-and-support\/about-us\/the-electricity-industry\/choosing-your-electricity-retailer\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Ergon page<\/a> says retailer choice isn&#8217;t available in the following places:<\/p>\r\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-50348\" src=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/qld_no_choice.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1000\" height=\"69\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/qld_no_choice.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/qld_no_choice-300x21.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/qld_no_choice-768x53.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/p>\r\n<p>But it appears to be out of date because both LPE and Globird Energy claim to be in Mount Isa.\u00a0 But if you are on a tiny microgrid without any electrical connection to the rest of Queensland, you&#8217;re not going to have a choice.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n<p>Most people in regional Queensland get to choose between 4 or 5 electricity retailers. \u00a0<\/p>\r\n<h2>Retailer Plan Details<\/h2>\r\n<p>I&#8217;ve put the details of the retailers most commonly used plans below.\u00a0 These are for flat tariffs &#8212; also known as standard tariffs &#8212; which charge the same flat rate for every kilowatt-hour used.\u00a0 People with smart meters also have the option of getting a time-of-use tariff or a demand tariff, but most solar homes are better off with a standard tariff.\u00a0 (But solar homes with a battery can be better off with a time-of-use or a demand tariff.)\u00a0<\/p>\r\n<p><strong>Ergon Energy:\u00a0<\/strong> By far the most common retailer in regional Queensland<\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>Daily supply charge: 99.74 cents.<\/li>\r\n<li>Per kilowatt-hour charge:\u00a0 23.93 cents\u00a0<\/li>\r\n<li>Solar feed-in tariff:\u00a0 7.86 cents<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p><strong>LPE:<\/strong>\u00a0 Very similar to Ergon but slightly cheaper, so you&#8217;ll always save a little by switching from Ergon to LPE.<\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>Daily supply charge:\u00a0 99.66 cents<\/li>\r\n<li>Per kilowatt-hour charge:\u00a0 23.09 cents\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/li>\r\n<li>Solar feed-in tariff:\u00a0 7.865 cents\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p><strong>Globird Energy: <\/strong>The per kilowatt-hour charge has two rates depending on how much has been used in the month<sup class='endnote'><a href='https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/compare-regional-qld-electricity\/#en-49859-2' id='enref-49859-2' onclick='return hhEndnotes_show(49859)'>2<\/a><\/sup>.\u00a0 It also has the highest supply charge.<\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>Daily supply charge:\u00a0 $1.76\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/li>\r\n<li>Per kilowatt-hour charge:\u00a0 First 486.67 per month are 17.82 cents each.\u00a0 Each additional kilowatt-hour is 23.1 cents<\/li>\r\n<li>Solar feed-in tariff:\u00a0 7.861 cents<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p><strong>Bright Spark Power:<\/strong> This has a high supply charge but a low per kilowatt-hour charge.<\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>Daily supply charge:\u00a0 $1.70<\/li>\r\n<li>Per kilowatt-hour charge:\u00a0 19.99 cents\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/li>\r\n<li>Solar feed-in tariff:\u00a0 8 cents<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p><strong>QEnergy:<\/strong>\u00a0 At 5.5 cents, this retailer offers the lowest solar feed-in tariff by a significant margin.<\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>Daily supply charge:\u00a0 99.73 cents<\/li>\r\n<li>Per kilowatt-hour charge:\u00a0 23.93\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/li>\r\n<li>Solar feed-in tariff:\u00a0 5.5 cents<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-50570 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/daily-charge.png\" alt=\"Electricity daily charge comparison - Ergon area\" width=\"512\" height=\"384\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/daily-charge.png 512w, https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/daily-charge-300x225.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \/><\/p>\r\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-50571 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/per-kwh.png\" alt=\"Per kWh charge comparison - Ergon area\" width=\"512\" height=\"379\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/per-kwh.png 512w, https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/per-kwh-300x222.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \/><\/p>\r\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-50572 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/fit.png\" alt=\"Feed in tariff comparison - Ergon area\" width=\"512\" height=\"384\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/fit.png 512w, https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/fit-300x225.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \/><\/p>\r\n<h2>Metering Charges<\/h2>\r\n<p>In addition to the daily supply charge and per kilowatt-hour charge, Queenslanders also have to pay metering fees separate from the daily supply charge.\u00a0 Here are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ergon.com.au\/retail\/residential\/tariffs-and-prices\/what-is-the-metering-services-charge\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Ergon&#8217;s daily metering fees<\/a>:<\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>Home electricity meter fee:\u00a0 11.381 cents<\/li>\r\n<li>Controlled load meter:\u00a0 3.317 cents<\/li>\r\n<li>Solar metering:\u00a0 4.455 cents\u00a0 (While solar energy exports are measured by your main household electricity meter, there is a separate charge for it.)<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p>Fortunately, all retailer&#8217;s metering fees appear to be similar.\u00a0 The amounts charged for metering may change slightly on the 1st of July.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n<h2>Lowest Cost Electricity Plans<\/h2>\r\n<p>I have used the SolarQuotes Electricity Retailer Comparison tool to find the lowest cost plans in regional Queensland.\u00a0 I&#8217;m sure the results are right because I doubled checked them by hand.\u00a0 (I was holding a calculator in my hand, but that still counts.)\u00a0<\/p>\r\n<p>To keep things simple, I&#8217;ll start by looking at the annual cost of electricity for a home with the following characteristics:<\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>A flat tariff.<\/li>\r\n<li>5,000 kilowatt-hours of annual grid electricity consumption.<\/li>\r\n<li>7,000 kilowatt-hours of annual solar exports.\u00a0 This is a typical amount for a home with a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/systems\/6kw\/\">6 kilowatt solar system<\/a>.\u00a0<\/li>\r\n<li>No controlled loads.\u00a0 (Also known as economy tariffs or off-peak hot water.)<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p>While most solar homes use less than 5,000 kilowatt-hours of grid electricity per year, this won&#8217;t change which retailer has the cheapest plan.\u00a0 Using the above assumptions gives the following annual electricity bills with each retailer&#8217;s lowest-cost plan:<\/p>\r\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-50573 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/annual-bill.png\" alt=\"Compare annual electricity bills 1 - Ergon area, Regional Queensland\" width=\"512\" height=\"384\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/annual-bill.png 512w, https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/annual-bill-300x225.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \/><\/p>\r\n<p>LPE is the winner coming out $40 a year cheaper than Ergon Energy.\u00a0 All others are more expensive than Ergon.\u00a0 With only modest savings available from changing away from Ergon, it&#8217;s not hard to see why there hasn&#8217;t been much interest in retailer choice in regional Queensland.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\r\n<h2>High Grid Consumption Homes<\/h2>\r\n<p>Which retailer has the lowest cost plan changes for homes with high grid consumption?\u00a0 If I keep all else the same but assume the home consumes 9,000 kilowatt-hours of grid electricity per year, then the annual bill for the different retailers becomes:<\/p>\r\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-50574 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/heavy-grid.png\" alt=\"Compare annual electricity bills 2 - Ergon area, Regional Queensland\" width=\"512\" height=\"384\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/heavy-grid.png 512w, https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/heavy-grid-300x225.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \/><\/p>\r\n<p>Globird Energy is the most expensive.\u00a0 Unfortunately &#8212; at the moment &#8212; our Retailer Comparison tool actually gives a different result and thinks it&#8217;s the cheapest.\u00a0 This is because it doesn&#8217;t recognize that Globird&#8217;s per kilowatt-hour charge increases after a home uses 468.67 kilowatt-hours in a month.\u00a0 This is enough to make Globird&#8217;s plan the worst for high grid consumption homes instead of the best.\u00a0 People who are better at herding ones and zeros than I am have been informed, and the problem will be fixed. But until we&#8217;re confident we&#8217;ve squashed all the bugs in it, please double-check the results from our comparison tool.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n<p>Bright Spark Power has the lowest cost plan for homes with high grid consumption because it has a high daily supply charge but a low per kilowatt-hour charge.\u00a0 This allows it to become the lowest-cost plan for homes that use around 8,000 kilowatt-hours of grid energy a year or more.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n<h2>QEnergy&#8217;s Feed-in Tariff Is Low<\/h2>\r\n<p>Bright Spark Power has the highest solar feed-in tariff at 8 cents per kilowatt-hour, but this is only around 0.14 cents more than Ergon Energy, LPE, and Globird Energy.\u00a0 That&#8217;s not much of a difference.\u00a0 The solar feed-in tariff is almost identical for these four retailers.<\/p>\r\n<p>The odd one out is QEnergy which only offers a feed-in tariff of 5.5 cents.\u00a0 This makes QEnergy a poor choice for solar households, and even households that export zero electricity to the grid will pay a little less with LPE.<\/p>\r\n<h2>Controlled Loads\/Economy Tariffs<\/h2>\r\n<p>So far, I&#8217;ve assumed homes don&#8217;t use a control load.\u00a0 Controlled loads are also known as economy tariffs, off-peak tariffs, or off-peak hot water.\u00a0 They supply grid energy at a lower price but not for a full 24 hours a day.\u00a0 They are most commonly used for electric hot water systems.<\/p>\r\n<p>There isn&#8217;t a large difference between retailer charges for controlled loads, so they won&#8217;t have much effect on which retailer is the cheapest for most households.\u00a0 Also, many solar households don&#8217;t have controlled loads because they are often better off shifting their electricity consumption to the day<sup class='endnote'><a href='https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/compare-regional-qld-electricity\/#en-49859-3' id='enref-49859-3' onclick='return hhEndnotes_show(49859)'>3<\/a><\/sup>.<\/p>\r\n<p>There are two controlled load tariffs in Queensland:<\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li><strong>Tariff 31:<\/strong>\u00a0 This is available for a minimum of 8 hours a day.\u00a0 Ergon Energy says this is only suitable for large electric hot water systems with at least 250 litres capacity.<\/li>\r\n<li><strong>Tariff 33:<\/strong>\u00a0 This is available for a minimum of 16 hours a day.\u00a0<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p>Retailers don&#8217;t control when devices on these tariffs get power or for how long.\u00a0 They can only change how much they charge for them.\u00a0 Unfortunately, QEnergy and Glowbird Energy give a price for a controlled load without telling if it&#8217;s tariff 31 or 33.\u00a0 I&#8217;ve put their published prices, in cents per kilowatt-hour, below:<\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li><strong>Ergon:<\/strong>\u00a0 Tariff 31 &#8212; 16.425 cents,\u00a0 Tariff 33 &#8212; 17.964 cents<\/li>\r\n<li><strong>LPE:<\/strong>\u00a0 Tariff 31 &#8212; 16.42 cents,\u00a0 Tariff 33 &#8212; 17.96 cents<\/li>\r\n<li><strong>Bright Spark Power:<\/strong>\u00a0 \u00a0 Tariff 31 &#8212; 16.42 cents,\u00a0 Tariff 33 &#8212; 17.96 cents<\/li>\r\n<li><strong>QEnergy:<\/strong>\u00a0 13.97 cents<\/li>\r\n<li><strong>Globird Energy:<\/strong>\u00a0 17.6 cents<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p>Most homes use less than 10 kilowatt-hours of controlled load per day.\u00a0 My parent&#8217;s hot water system only averages 3 to 4 kilowatt-hours controlled load consumption each day.\u00a0 This is because regional Queensland tends to be warm.\u00a0 If the average consumed by a home is 5 kilowatt-hours per day then, over a year, the difference between QEnergy&#8217;s control load price and the highest price for Tariff 31 comes to $45.\u00a0 This is not nearly enough to put QEnergy in the lead for homes with solar power systems.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\r\n<h2>Prices Change In July<\/h2>\r\n<p>Electricity prices will change in July and are expected to fall more than 10%.\u00a0 Solar feed-in tariffs are also expected to fall.\u00a0 The most cost-effective retailer may change, but I expect them to keep their relative positions.<\/p>\r\n<h2>LPE Is The Winner For Most Solar Homes<\/h2>\r\n<p>For homes that consume 8,000 kilowatt-hours or of grid electricity per year or less, LPE provides the lowest-cost plan.\u00a0 Bright Spark Power is likely to be the cheapest for homes that use more grid electricity than this. \u00a0<\/p>\r\n<p>There is a narrow band of consumption where Glowbird energy may be slightly better than Bright Spark. Still, because electricity consumption varies throughout the year, households are unlikely to regularly hit that band each pay period, so I have no problem recommending LPE and Bright Spark over them.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n<p>Shifting away from Ergon Energy and choosing the best electricity plan available can reduce bills, but only by 3-4% for most.\u00a0 While better than nothing, it&#8217;s not hard to see why many Queenslanders would prefer to stay with the devil they know.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n<p>But I will say that when I spoke to Jess from LPE, she was very nice, so that is one anecdote in their favour.<\/p>\r\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Do you live in regional Queensland? \u00a0Do you think your only choice of electricity retailer is Ergon Energy? Then I have exciting news for you. \u00a0You can choose who bills you for electricity.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":50538,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[636],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-49859","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-electricity-prices","entry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.2 (Yoast SEO v27.2) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Is Ergon The Cheapest Energy Retailer For Solar Owners?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Regional Queensland does have a limited choice of electricity retailers. But is it worth switching away from Ergon Energy? We do the maths.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/compare-regional-qld-electricity\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Regional Queensland Has Electricity Retailer Choice. But Which Is Cheapest?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Regional Queensland does have a limited choice of electricity retailers. But is it worth switching away from Ergon Energy? We do the maths.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/compare-regional-qld-electricity\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"SolarQuotes Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SolarQuotes\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-05-24T04:13:58+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/qld-retailer-choice.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"628\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Ronald Brakels\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@BrakelsRonald\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@solar_quotes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/compare-regional-qld-electricity\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/compare-regional-qld-electricity\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Ronald Brakels\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/d0ce1779b3f5cb67cb4f146732af2fc7\"},\"headline\":\"Regional Queensland Has Electricity Retailer Choice. But Which Is Cheapest?\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-05-24T04:13:58+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/compare-regional-qld-electricity\/\"},\"wordCount\":2669,\"commentCount\":7,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/compare-regional-qld-electricity\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/qld-retailer-choice.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Electricity Prices\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/compare-regional-qld-electricity\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/compare-regional-qld-electricity\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/compare-regional-qld-electricity\/\",\"name\":\"Is Ergon The Cheapest Energy Retailer For Solar Owners?\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/compare-regional-qld-electricity\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/compare-regional-qld-electricity\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/qld-retailer-choice.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-05-24T04:13:58+00:00\",\"description\":\"Regional Queensland does have a limited choice of electricity retailers. But is it worth switching away from Ergon Energy? We do the maths.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/compare-regional-qld-electricity\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/compare-regional-qld-electricity\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/compare-regional-qld-electricity\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/qld-retailer-choice.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/qld-retailer-choice.jpg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":628},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/compare-regional-qld-electricity\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Blog\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Electricity Prices\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/electricity-prices\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Regional Queensland Has Electricity Retailer Choice. But Which Is Cheapest?\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"SolarQuotes Blog\",\"description\":\"An independent reckoning of the Aussie solar scene\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#organization\",\"name\":\"SolarQuotes\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/solarquotes-logo.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/solarquotes-logo.png\",\"width\":592,\"height\":600,\"caption\":\"SolarQuotes\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SolarQuotes\/\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/solar_quotes\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/solarquotes\/\",\"https:\/\/au.linkedin.com\/company\/solarquotes\",\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/SolarQuotesAustralia\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/d0ce1779b3f5cb67cb4f146732af2fc7\",\"name\":\"Ronald Brakels\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0a252c73a3af84c860d5f55cb59b33133bd5403bb5c1c065d0e8ef95252f3237?s=96&d=monsterid&r=r\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0a252c73a3af84c860d5f55cb59b33133bd5403bb5c1c065d0e8ef95252f3237?s=96&d=monsterid&r=r\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0a252c73a3af84c860d5f55cb59b33133bd5403bb5c1c065d0e8ef95252f3237?s=96&d=monsterid&r=r\",\"caption\":\"Ronald Brakels\"},\"description\":\"Joining SolarQuotes in 2015, Ronald has a knack for reading those tediously long documents put out by solar manufacturers and translating their contents into something consumers might find interesting. Master of heavily researched deep-dive blog posts, his relentless consumer advocacy has ruffled more than a few manufacturer's feathers over the years. Read Ronald's full bio.\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/x.com\/BrakelsRonald\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/author\/ronald\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Is Ergon The Cheapest Energy Retailer For Solar Owners?","description":"Regional Queensland does have a limited choice of electricity retailers. But is it worth switching away from Ergon Energy? We do the maths.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/compare-regional-qld-electricity\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Regional Queensland Has Electricity Retailer Choice. But Which Is Cheapest?","og_description":"Regional Queensland does have a limited choice of electricity retailers. But is it worth switching away from Ergon Energy? We do the maths.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/compare-regional-qld-electricity\/","og_site_name":"SolarQuotes Blog","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SolarQuotes\/","article_published_time":"2021-05-24T04:13:58+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":628,"url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/qld-retailer-choice.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Ronald Brakels","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@BrakelsRonald","twitter_site":"@solar_quotes","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/compare-regional-qld-electricity\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/compare-regional-qld-electricity\/"},"author":{"name":"Ronald Brakels","@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/d0ce1779b3f5cb67cb4f146732af2fc7"},"headline":"Regional Queensland Has Electricity Retailer Choice. But Which Is Cheapest?","datePublished":"2021-05-24T04:13:58+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/compare-regional-qld-electricity\/"},"wordCount":2669,"commentCount":7,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/compare-regional-qld-electricity\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/qld-retailer-choice.jpg","articleSection":["Electricity Prices"],"inLanguage":"en-AU","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/compare-regional-qld-electricity\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/compare-regional-qld-electricity\/","url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/compare-regional-qld-electricity\/","name":"Is Ergon The Cheapest Energy Retailer For Solar Owners?","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/compare-regional-qld-electricity\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/compare-regional-qld-electricity\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/qld-retailer-choice.jpg","datePublished":"2021-05-24T04:13:58+00:00","description":"Regional Queensland does have a limited choice of electricity retailers. But is it worth switching away from Ergon Energy? We do the maths.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/compare-regional-qld-electricity\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-AU","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/compare-regional-qld-electricity\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-AU","@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/compare-regional-qld-electricity\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/qld-retailer-choice.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/qld-retailer-choice.jpg","width":1200,"height":628},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/compare-regional-qld-electricity\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Blog","item":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Electricity Prices","item":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/electricity-prices\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Regional Queensland Has Electricity Retailer Choice. But Which Is Cheapest?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/","name":"SolarQuotes Blog","description":"An independent reckoning of the Aussie solar scene","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-AU"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#organization","name":"SolarQuotes","url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-AU","@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/solarquotes-logo.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/solarquotes-logo.png","width":592,"height":600,"caption":"SolarQuotes"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SolarQuotes\/","https:\/\/x.com\/solar_quotes","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/solarquotes\/","https:\/\/au.linkedin.com\/company\/solarquotes","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/SolarQuotesAustralia"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/d0ce1779b3f5cb67cb4f146732af2fc7","name":"Ronald Brakels","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-AU","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0a252c73a3af84c860d5f55cb59b33133bd5403bb5c1c065d0e8ef95252f3237?s=96&d=monsterid&r=r","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0a252c73a3af84c860d5f55cb59b33133bd5403bb5c1c065d0e8ef95252f3237?s=96&d=monsterid&r=r","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0a252c73a3af84c860d5f55cb59b33133bd5403bb5c1c065d0e8ef95252f3237?s=96&d=monsterid&r=r","caption":"Ronald Brakels"},"description":"Joining SolarQuotes in 2015, Ronald has a knack for reading those tediously long documents put out by solar manufacturers and translating their contents into something consumers might find interesting. Master of heavily researched deep-dive blog posts, his relentless consumer advocacy has ruffled more than a few manufacturer's feathers over the years. Read Ronald's full bio.","sameAs":["https:\/\/x.com\/BrakelsRonald"],"url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/author\/ronald\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/qld-retailer-choice.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2FF2s-cYb","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":16142,"url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/queensland-solar-initiatives-mb0264\/","url_meta":{"origin":49859,"position":0},"title":"QLD Government To Offer No-Interest Loans For Solar And Storage","author":"Michael Bloch","date":"October 25, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Under the Palaszczuk Government\u2019s $2 billion Affordable Energy Plan, Queenslanders unable to access upfront capital will be able to apply for a no-interest loan for solar panels and battery storage. The scheme will kick off in March next year. \u201cSolar panels and batteries are a great way for households and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;General Solar &amp; Storage News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"General Solar &amp; Storage News","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/solar-battery-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Interest-free loans for solar and batteries in Queensland","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/queensland-solar-initiatives.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/queensland-solar-initiatives.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/queensland-solar-initiatives.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/queensland-solar-initiatives.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":59468,"url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/regional-queensland-electricity-mb2377\/","url_meta":{"origin":49859,"position":1},"title":"Regional Queensland Braces For Power Price Hike","author":"Michael Bloch","date":"March 2, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"A draft determination from the Queensland Competition Authority indicates regional Queenslanders will be paying more for electricity in 2022\/23 - and big business will be hit particularly hard. The QCA released its draft determination on regulated retail electricity prices for regional Queensland to apply in 2022\u201323 on Friday. While not\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;General Solar &amp; Storage News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"General Solar &amp; Storage News","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/solar-battery-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Electricity prices in regional Queensland","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/electricity-prices-regional-qld.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/electricity-prices-regional-qld.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/electricity-prices-regional-qld.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/electricity-prices-regional-qld.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/electricity-prices-regional-qld.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":21104,"url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/electricity-bill-credit-queensland-mb0565\/","url_meta":{"origin":49859,"position":2},"title":"Electricity Bill Credits Rolling Out For Queensland Households","author":"Michael Bloch","date":"April 30, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"As part of the Palaszczuk Government\u2019s $2 billion Affordable Energy Plan, 1.9 million Queensland households will see a credit on their next electricity bill. The Government announced the $50 credits will start rolling out today, with another to be issued next year. The credits will go to: home owners tenants\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;General Solar &amp; Storage News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"General Solar &amp; Storage News","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/solar-battery-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Queensland electricity bills","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/electricity-bill-credit.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/electricity-bill-credit.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/electricity-bill-credit.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/electricity-bill-credit.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":86246,"url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/smart-meters-protections-mb2991\/","url_meta":{"origin":49859,"position":3},"title":"Proposed Changes Seek To Stop Smart Meter Shenanigans","author":"Michael Bloch","date":"August 22, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Australian households getting a smart meter installed will have better protection from electricity retailers behaving badly under proposed changes from the AEMC. A smart meter measures electricity use (and exports in the case of solar homes) at regular intervals, sending this information to a household's electricity retailer for billing purposes.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;General Solar &amp; Storage News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"General Solar &amp; Storage News","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/solar-battery-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Smart meters - Australian consumer protections","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/smart-meter-protection.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/smart-meter-protection.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/smart-meter-protection.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/smart-meter-protection.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/smart-meter-protection.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":77779,"url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/solars-hidden-metering-cost\/","url_meta":{"origin":49859,"position":4},"title":"Solar&#8217;s Hidden Metering Cost &#8211; And Tips To Avoid It","author":"Anthony Bennett","date":"August 10, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Solar Electricity Meters - The Situation Is Unhinged Recently I fielded a question from a frustrated customer who couldn't believe she was given so many different opinions about what she needed to do with her retail electricity meter. It seemed that even the eight solar industry professionals had eight different\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Solar Installation&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Solar Installation","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/solar-installation\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/qld-crap-switchboard-header.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/qld-crap-switchboard-header.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/qld-crap-switchboard-header.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/qld-crap-switchboard-header.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/qld-crap-switchboard-header.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":16262,"url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/poweraccess-solar-electricity-mb0275\/","url_meta":{"origin":49859,"position":5},"title":"Call For An SA Government-Owned Electricity Retailer","author":"Michael Bloch","date":"October 30, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"A new report calls for South Australian government owned, public interest electricity retailer that could also help put low-income households on the path to acquiring solar panels. The recommendation is a part of Solar Citizens' upcoming Repowering South Australia report, written by Community Power Agency Founding Director Nicky Ison. The\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;General Solar &amp; Storage News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"General Solar &amp; Storage News","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/solar-battery-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"PowerAccess Electricity Retailer","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/electricity-retailer-sa.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/electricity-retailer-sa.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/electricity-retailer-sa.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/electricity-retailer-sa.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49859","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=49859"}],"version-history":[{"count":94,"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49859\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":50593,"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49859\/revisions\/50593"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/50538"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=49859"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=49859"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=49859"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}