Energy Providers in Tasmania & The Tasmanian Energy Market

Until recently, Tasmania was one of the most heavily regulated energy markets in the country but this is no longer the case. In the last few years, more energy providers have begun trickling into the market, giving residential consumers more choice than ever before when it comes to making decisions about their electricity and gas. If you’re curious about these changes happening in Tasmania and how you can benefit from choosing your energy provider, find out more by reading below.

Electricity providers in Tasmania

Historically, Tasmania has had one of the most heavily regulated energy markets in Australia, leading to little competition or choice between energy providers. Up until February 2019, Aurora Energy was the only electricity provider in the state, when 1st Energy entered the market.

Since then, three more providers have joined the Tasmanian electricity market. First, Future X Power in late 2019 and then Energy Locals and Elysian Energy in 2020. Now, with four energy providers in the state, Tasmanians have more choice than ever before when it comes to comparing and switching energy providers.

Aurora Energy Tasmania

For the longest time, Aurora Energy was the first and only energy provider in Tasmania, until the introduction of competition in 2019. Below you will find Aurora Energy’s available tariffs, and the rates associated with each. For most Aurora Energy customers, paying on time will also earn you a 5.5c/day discount on your energy bill.

1st Energy Tasmania

1st Energy offers very similar rates to Aurora Energy, as the first challenger on the market. However, 1st Energy offers different plans, with different incentives, to their customers.

• RACT Saver: Only for RACT members, get a 6% pay on time discount for your usage rates
• 1st Solar Bonus: Get an additional 3.499c/kWh solar feed-in tariff on top of the standard rate
• 1st Plus: Get a $50 bill credit after the first 6 months, and another $50 credit after 12 months

Future X Power Tasmania

Future X Power, while one of the most recent energy providers to shake up the Tasmanian energy market, offers slightly higher rates on their one energy plan. In addition, customers don’t get the option to choose a time of use tariff, and can only sign up for a single rate plan.

Energy Locals Tasmania

Energy Locals entered the Tasmanian energy market to shake things up with their wholesale electricity plans. While Energy Locals rates do appear much lower than other energy providers in the state, customers need to remember that they will need to pay a monthly membership fee of $17.99 per month in order to access these cheaper wholesale rates.

Elysian Energy Tasmania

Elysian Energy, like Energy Locals, entered the Tasmanian energy market with something a little different. Elysian Energy customers pay a flat rate every month for 250kWh of electricity, rather than traditional energy providers which charge you for your actual usage. If you use more than 250kWh per month, Elysian Energy has among the lowest usage rates in the state - 11c/kWh.

Electricity tariffs in Tasmania

In Tasmania, residents can choose between different electricity tariffs when signing up for an energy plan. Here is an explanation of each tariff, what it means, and what they’re used for.

Tariff 31 & Tariff 41 - Single rate tariff

The most common tariff types, Tariff 31 and Tariff 41 are often used together:

• Tariff 31: Lights and power points / outlets
• Tariff 41: Hard-wired heaters and hot water systems

Together, Tariff 31 and Tariff 41 make up the majority of energy plans in Tasmania, with Tariff 31 used for most basic electricity needs such as lights and outlets, while Tariff 41 is used for hard-wired (central) heating systems and hot water systems. Both these tariffs are single-rate, meaning you will pay the same rates no matter the time of day. If you have a solar PV system, it’s important to note your system can only be connected to one system which means there will be times you’ll be receiving a low feed-in-tariff but paying the higher rates.

Tariff 93 - Time of use

Tasmania most recently introduced its time of use tariff, Tariff 93. Tariff 93 has two rates, peak and off-peak, which correspond with different times of the day.

• Peak: 7-10am and 4-9pm
• Off-peak: 10am-4pm and 9pm-7am

Depending on your energy consumption habits, and other factors such as whether you have solar panels, can influence whether you should choose Tariff 31 & Tariff 41, or time of use Tariff 93​​​​​​​. If you’re someone who uses most of their electricity during these off-peak periods or have solar panels, you might benefit from switching to Tariff 93.

Controlled load

There are different controlled load tariffs available to choose from, which are generally used for things that can run during overnight or off-peak hours such as hot water systems, underfloor heating, or swimming pool heaters. Controlled load tariffs don’t operate as a primary tariff (unlike Tariff 31 and Tariff 93) and therefore need to be used in conjunction with one of the other tariffs.The exact times for the different controlled load tariffs are managed by your energy distributor.

Gas rates in Tasmania

While there isn’t much choice between electricity providers in Tasmania, there are even fewer choices when it comes to natural gas providers. Despite the price of gas not being regulated in Tasmania, the limited market means very few new gas providers try to retail in the state. Currently only Aurora Energy and Tas Gas retail residential natural gas to Tasmanians.

In terms of price, Tas Gas and Aurora Energy have little difference. While Tas Gas might have a higher daily supply charge and lower usage rates, Aurora Energy has a lower daily supply charge but higher usage rates.

Solar feed-in tariff Tasmania

The bad news when it comes to limited retail competition in the Tasmanian electricity market - if you have solar panels you don’t have a lot of options when it comes to your solar feed-in tariff. Unlike other states in Australia, where you can find different combinations of feed-in tariff and energy plan discounts, Tasmania’s limited electricity market means limited solar feed-in tariffs. Below, you’ll find the available solar feed-in tariffs in Tasmania, for each available provider in the state.

• Aurora Energy: 6.501c/kWh
• 1st Energy: 6.501c/kWh to 10c/kWh
• Future X Power: Government feed-in tariffs available for eligible customers
• Energy Locals: 6.6c/kWh

Power outage Tasmania

If you’re experiencing a power outage, or another energy-related issue, in Tasmania, you’re going to want to call your energy distributor to let them know and hopefully fix the problem. While you purchase your electricity and gas through energy providers, it's the distributor who actually manages the infrastructure and supplies your home with energy.In Tasmania, there is one electricity distributor, TasNetworks, and one gas distributor, Tas Gas Networks.