The big picture
The part of your bill you cannot shop
Two companies share your power bill, and most people only know one of them. Your retailer sells you the electricity and sends the bill, the part you can shop and switch. Your distributor owns the poles, wires and meters that physically deliver it, a regulated monopoly fixed by your address that you cannot choose. That split matters most in a blackout: the number to call is your distributor, never your retailer. Find yours below, then see why the network slice of your bill is the one you cannot negotiate away.
The split that explains your bill: the network is a regulated monopoly, so its charges are fixed for your address whether you like it or not, and they are often the biggest single slice. The retailer's energy and supply charges sit on top, and those you can move. You cannot switch the poles and wires, but in the National Electricity Market you can switch who bills you for the power that runs through them.
Two companies, one bill
Distributor or retailer? Three things to keep straight
Mixing them up is why people call the wrong number in a blackout, or think switching plans will lower a charge it never touches.
Who delivers vs who bills
Your distributor owns the poles, wires and meter and physically delivers power to your address. Your retailer buys that power wholesale and sells it to you. One is fixed by geography, the other you choose.
Who to call in a blackout
Always the distributor, on its 24/7 faults line, never your retailer. The retailer cannot see or fix a network fault. Use the finder above to get the right number before you need it.
What you can actually change
Network charges are regulated and fixed, so no plan switch lowers them. The retail energy and supply charges on top are the negotiable part, which is why comparing retailers is the lever that works.
Every network, by state
Find your electricity distributor
Each distributor links to its full profile: service area, 24/7 faults line, power outage page, network charges and contact details.
Ausgrid
Inner, northern and eastern metropolitan Sydney, the Central Coast and the Hunter region
13 13 88Endeavour Energy
Greater Western Sydney, the Blue Mountains, the Illawarra and the NSW South Coast
13 10 03Essential Energy
Regional, rural and remote New South Wales (about 95% of the state by area), plus parts of southern Queensland
13 20 80CitiPower
Melbourne's central business district and inner suburbs
13 12 80Powercor
Melbourne's western suburbs and central and western Victoria
13 24 12Jemena
Northern and north-western Melbourne
13 16 26United Energy
South-eastern Melbourne and the Mornington Peninsula
13 20 99AusNet Services
Outer northern and eastern Melbourne and eastern Victoria
13 17 99Keep exploring
Networks are one piece of the energy puzzle
Dig into the directory, check live outages near you, or see how the network charge fits the rest of your bill.
Distributor directory
Every distributor with its overview, outages, network charges and contact pages in one index.
ExplorePower outages by area
Live and recent outages by state and city, plus what to do when the power goes out.
ExploreHow the energy market works
Where network charges sit in your bill, alongside wholesale prices and the reference price.
ExploreCommon questions
A Selectra expert answers your questions on electricity networks
An electricity distributor (or DNSP, distribution network service provider) owns and operates the poles, wires, substations and meters that carry power to your home. It connects you, reads your meter and restores supply after a fault. It is different from your retailer, which sells you the electricity and sends your bill.
There are 16 major electricity distributors: 13 in the National Electricity Market (3 in NSW, 5 in Victoria, 2 in Queensland, and one each in SA, Tasmania and the ACT), plus Western Power and Horizon Power in WA and Power and Water in the Northern Territory.
No. Your distributor is a regulated monopoly fixed by your address, so you cannot choose or switch it. In the National Electricity Market you can still switch your retailer, which is the part of your bill you control. In WA and the NT there is no retail competition for most homes either.
Your distributor is printed on your electricity bill, or you can use the finder above: choose your state and you will see the distributor for your region and the 24/7 faults line to call in a blackout. It is set by where you live, not by who you pay.
Network charges recover the regulated cost of building and maintaining the poles and wires, and they are often the single biggest slice of your bill. You cannot negotiate them, but you can still cut the retail energy and supply charges that sit on top by comparing retailers, which is the part of the bill you control.