The short answer
There is no crowded "cheapest provider" list in Tasmania, and that is the point
Search for the cheapest energy provider in Tasmania and you will not find a crowded leaderboard, because the market is genuinely thin. A couple of retailers compete on a single network, so the answer comes down to your usage and which of the few plans suits it. This page explains how the Tasmanian market really works, then ranks the plans on offer by what they would actually cost your home.
To put a number on it: on the TasNetworks network (the single distribution business that delivers every Tasmanian home), at 5,000 kWh/year, the lowest single-rate plan in our live data is Energy Locals (Local Member) at about $1,465/year, built from 20.9 c/kWh usage and 115 c/day supply. Run a smaller household and a different plan can edge ahead, but with only a handful of plans the gaps are small.
So the right question in Tasmania is not "who tops the list?" but "is Aurora or 1st Energy cheaper for my usage, and am I even on my best Aurora tariff?" Everything below explains how the Tasmanian market is built, and why a thin market changes the playbook.
Reframe the assumption: on the mainland the lever is choosing between dozens of retailers. In Tasmania the market is thin, so the bigger lever is often your tariff type and concessions, not your brand. A "cheapest providers Tasmania" leaderboard barely exists, because only a couple of retailers actually compete.
Live energy comparison TAS
Compare the Tasmanian electricity plans on your usage
These are the cheapest single-rate plans on the TasNetworks network right now, costed on 5,000 kWh a year. With one network and few retailers the list is short, so hit Compare all offers to do a full energy compare TAS on your real kilowatt-hours.
The blind spot
Why most "cheapest energy Tasmania" content gets it wrong
Most articles paste in the same template they use for the mainland: "the five cheapest energy providers in Tasmania." That format is wrong for Tasmania, because there are not five competing retailers, and pretending otherwise misleads people about how much choice they actually have.
First, it invents competition that is not there. Tasmania has been contestable since 2014, but the residential market is thin. Aurora Energy serves the overwhelming majority of homes, with 1st Energy as the main alternative and Energy Locals also present. A "top ten" list is padding when the real field is two or three names.
Second, it treats the standing offer like a mainland DMO. Tasmania does not use the Australian Energy Regulator's Default Market Offer. The Office of the Tasmanian Economic Regulator (OTTER) sets the regulated standing-offer price instead. Content that quotes "the DMO" is simply describing the wrong state.
Third, it oversells the savings. Because competition is thin and OTTER anchors the standing offer, the spread between the cheapest and dearest plan is small. The honest message is that switching brand saves a modest amount, and the bigger wins usually come from being on the right tariff and claiming your concessions.
How the Tasmanian market actually prices power
Expert analysis: the mechanism behind your Tasmanian bill
One distribution network: TasNetworks
This is the single fact that makes Tasmania simpler than the mainland. Every Tasmanian address sits on one distribution network, TasNetworks, the business that owns the poles and wires and physically delivers your power. You cannot choose it and you never need to pick a region, because there is only one. TasNetworks earns regulated network revenue regardless of which retailer bills you, so switching retailer never changes your reliability, your wires or your meter. The network charge is the same baseline for everyone, which is part of why the retail spread is so narrow.
The players: Aurora Energy, 1st Energy and Energy Locals
Aurora Energy is the government-owned standard retailer and the default for most Tasmanian households, which is why so many people are simply with it without ever having chosen. 1st Energy is the main alternative residential retailer and the one genuine like-for-like comparison most homes can make. Energy Locals also operates in the state. That is broadly the field. Behind all of them sits TasNetworks. When you read "energy providers Tasmania", this short list is what it really means.
The reference price: OTTER, not the AER DMO
Here is where Tasmania diverges from NSW, south-east Queensland and South Australia. Those states use the Australian Energy Regulator's Default Market Offer. Tasmania does not. The Office of the Tasmanian Economic Regulator (OTTER) sets the regulated standing-offer price for the state. That standing offer is the anchor the whole thin market sits around. It is not the cheapest possible deal, but with so few competitors it functions as a strong reference point, and any market plan is really being judged against it.
Supply versus usage, and why the spread stays small
Every Tasmanian plan is built from a daily supply charge (cents per day, fixed) and a usage rate (cents per kilowatt-hour). Your annual cost is the supply charge times 365 plus the usage rate times your yearly kWh. Because there is one network and a regulated standing offer anchoring the market, retailers have little room to differentiate on price. That is exactly why thin competition keeps the spread small: nobody can stray far from the OTTER-anchored baseline without losing money or customers.
Hydro power: Tasmania's genuine point of difference
Tasmania's electricity is overwhelmingly hydro, generated mostly by Hydro Tasmania's dams rather than coal or gas. That shapes pricing in a way no mainland state shares: the cost base is tied to rainfall and dam levels rather than fuel markets, and the power is renewable by default. It is a real selling point, but it does not create retail competition, so it changes the story of where your power comes from more than it changes who you can buy it from.
Interactive explainer
See how usage decides which plan wins
Drag your yearly usage and watch which of two example plans wins. This is the supply-charge trap, made visible, and it works even in a thin market.
Your yearly electricity use: kWh
The two plans cost the same at about 2,433 kWh/year. Below that, the plan with the lower daily charge (Plan B) wins. Above it, the plan with the lower usage rate (Plan A) wins. In Tasmania this often comes down to Aurora versus 1st Energy, decided only by your usage.
Illustrative example. Plan A: 22c/kWh + 120c/day. Plan B: 28c/kWh + 80c/day. Cost = (supply × 365 + usage × kWh) / 100. GST-inclusive, single rate. Use the live comparator above for real plans on TasNetworks.
What this costs real Tasmanian households
Where Tasmanians actually win and lose
In a thin market, the wins look different from the mainland. Switching brand saves a modest amount; the bigger levers are tariff type and concessions:
They overlook the right tariff
Many Tasmanian homes default to a standard Aurora tariff when a different tariff, or a time-based arrangement, would suit their usage better. Because the brand choice is so limited, getting the tariff right inside Aurora can save more than chasing the other retailer.
They miss concessions they qualify for
Tasmania runs energy concessions for eligible households, and these can dwarf the gap between Aurora and 1st Energy. A pensioner or concession-card holder who never claims is leaving more on the table than any switch would recover.
They expect mainland-sized savings
People read about hundreds of dollars saved by switching interstate and assume the same applies here. With OTTER anchoring the standing offer and only a couple of retailers, the realistic saving from changing brand is small, so it is worth doing only when the gap genuinely covers the effort.
They let a benefit period lapse anyway
Even in a thin market, a conditional discount can drop off and nudge a bill up. Re-checking once a year still pays, it just pays less than it would in Sydney or Adelaide.
The insider insight
In Tasmania, "comparison" is really Aurora vs 1st Energy
Here is the part most content will not say plainly. Because only a couple of retailers compete and OTTER anchors the standing offer, comparing energy providers in Tasmania is not the open marketplace it is on the mainland. In practice it is Aurora versus 1st Energy, with Energy Locals on the edge. The savings from switching brand are modest by national standards, which flips the usual advice on its head.
The non-obvious truth: the smartest first move in Tasmania is often not switching retailer at all. It is checking whether you are even on the right Aurora tariff before you look at changing brand. Because the brand field is so small and the standing offer anchors everyone, an internal tariff fix plus claiming your concessions usually beats the saving from moving to 1st Energy. Rank the live plans by total annual cost, but treat brand-switching as the last lever, not the first.
The practical consequence: do the comparison, because it is quick when there are only a handful of plans, but read the result honestly. If Aurora and 1st Energy come out within a few dollars of each other, the effort is better spent on your tariff and your concessions than on the switch itself.
Grounded in the analysis
What you should actually do in Tasmania
Tasmania is contestable but thin, so the moves are different from the mainland. Here is the order that pays.
Compare Aurora vs 1st Energy on your usage
Enter your real yearly kWh into the comparator above. With one network, the only variable is the plan, so the result is a clean Aurora-versus-1st-Energy answer for your home.
Check the OTTER standing offer first
The Office of the Tasmanian Economic Regulator sets the regulated standing-offer price. Use it as your reference point: a market plan only matters if it beats that anchor for your usage.
Mind your tariff and concessions
Before switching brand, confirm you are on the right Aurora tariff and claiming any energy concession you qualify for. In a thin market these usually beat the saving from changing retailer.
Switch only when the gap is worth it
Tasmania is open to competition, so you can move from Aurora to 1st Energy (or vice versa) whenever you like. But because the spread is small and OTTER anchors the standing offer, the honest rule is to switch only when a plan beats yours by a margin that justifies the paperwork. Run the comparison, claim your concessions, get your tariff right, and treat brand-switching as the final step rather than the first. That order keeps your bill at the bottom of a thin market.
Before you compare: check the Tasmania energy rebates and concessions you may be able to claim, which can cut your bill further than switching alone.
Current figures, last updated 2026-06-13
Live market rates below are pulled from the energy market, last verified 03/07/2026. The regulated standing-offer price is set by the Office of the Tasmanian Economic Regulator (OTTER); confirm the current determination before quoting a dollar amount.
The bottom line
Why this matters right now in Tasmania
Tasmania will not give you the crowded retailer market the mainland has, and pretending otherwise just wastes your time. The realistic picture is a single network, an OTTER-anchored standing offer, and a genuine choice that mostly comes down to Aurora versus 1st Energy. The households who do best are not chasing a mythical "cheapest provider" list; they run the quick comparison, make sure they are on the right Aurora tariff, claim every concession they qualify for, and switch brand only when the gap is worth it. With electricity here overwhelmingly hydro and renewable, the smart move is treating your plan as a yearly check, not a set-and-forget bill.
Common questions
A Selectra expert answers your Tasmanian energy questions
Aurora Energy Tasmania is the government-owned standard retailer, and most Tasmanians are with it by default, but "cheapest" depends on your usage. Its regulated standing offer is anchored by the price OTTER sets, and its market plans sit alongside that. On the TasNetworks network at 5,000 kWh/year, the lowest single-rate plan in our live data is Energy Locals (Local Member) at about $1,465/year. Because the market is thin, the smarter first question is often whether you are even on the right Aurora tariff before you look at switching brand. Enter your own usage in the comparator above and the lowest plan for your home sorts to the top.
1st Energy Tasmania is the main alternative residential retailer to Aurora, and it is the one genuine like-for-like comparison most Tasmanian households can make. People sometimes search "first energy tasmania" looking for the same company. Because both retailers sell on the single TasNetworks network, comparing 1st Energy against Aurora is straightforward: it comes down to the daily supply charge and the usage rate on each plan, applied to your kWh. The gap is usually modest, so check the total annual cost rather than a headline rate, and only switch if the saving is worth the effort.
The list of energy providers in Tasmania is short. Aurora Energy is the government-owned standard retailer and serves the great majority of homes. 1st Energy is the main alternative residential retailer, and Energy Locals also operates in the state. Behind all of them is TasNetworks, the single distribution business that owns the poles and wires and delivers power regardless of who bills you. The retail market has been open to competition since 2014, but it remains thin, so most "comparison" is really Aurora versus 1st Energy.
An energy comparison in Tasmania is simpler than on the mainland because there is one network, TasNetworks, so you do not need to pick a region. Pull your latest bill, find your average yearly kWh, and let the comparator apply each plan's supply charge and usage rate to your numbers, then rank by total annual cost. You can cross-check the regulated standing offer, which the Office of the Tasmanian Economic Regulator (OTTER) sets. With only a handful of plans, the comparison is quick, and the most useful outcome is often confirming you are on the best Aurora tariff.
