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Origin Energy vs Simply Energy: Compare Providers

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Origin Energy and Simply Energy are two of the largest energy providers in Australia. But, how do they stack up to the competition? – And, which company is cheaper? In this guide we compare Origin Energy and Simply Energy to see their lowest rates, plans and offers as well as which one has better customer service. Read on to learn this and more.

Simply Energy vs Origin Energy: Where do they retail?

Origin Energy and Simply Energy are available in most places within the National Electricity Market, including Western Australia for natural gas.

However, Simply Energy is not available in the ACT and does not sell gas in Queensland, while Origin Energy is available in both.

As not all services are available in every state, we have compiled a chart below to help you understand what services are available in your area.

Here is a table showing where Simply Energy & Origin Energy operate:

Where do Simply Energy and Origin Energy retail?
  Simply Energy Origin Energy
  Electricity Gas Electricity Gas
New South Wales        
ACT        
Victoria        
Queensland        
South Australia        
Western Australia        
Tasmania        
Northern Territory        

Simply Energy vs Origin Energy Plans and Offers

A major positive point of both Simply Energy and Origin Energy is that they sell gas and electricity and also offer several different plan options to suit various types of households.

This means that depending on where you are located in Australia, you have the option of being a dual fuel customer and can receive your gas and electricity from the same supplier.

In the following section, we detail the energy plans offered by each supplier and explain their differences. If you want to jump ahead and see which supplier came out cheapest when we compared prices, you can click here to skip ahead.

Origin Energy Gas and Electricity Plans

Origin Energy offered 5 different electricity and gas plans which includes 2 solar energy plans.

If you are looking for the best deal, Origin Energy's cheapest plan is the Origin Go plan.

Here is a list of all the Origin Energy plans available:

Origin Energy Plans
Origin Energy plan name Origin Energy plan description
Go (+ Everyday Rewards) The biggest discount off the reference price with fixed-rates for 12 months with optional Origin Everyday Rewards
Go Variable Variable rates on a 12-month benefit period with a discount off the reference price
Solar Boost No additional discounts, but a higher-than-average solar feed-in tariff
Solar Boost Plus Get the highest solar FiT on the market by purchasing a solar PV system though Origin Energy
Basic The default market offer with no discounts, benefit period, or exit fees

Simply Energy Electricity and Gas Plans

Simply Energy also has many great offers including a specific plan for seniors.

Simply Energy also has plans for people with memberships to certain rewards programs which allows you to save even more money on top of their already low energy rates. However, Simply Energy's cheapest plan is their Simply Energy Saver.

Here is a list of all the energy plans offered by Simply Energy:

Simply Energy Plans
Simply Energy plan name Simply Energy plan description
Simply Movies Get rewards every month, along with a discount on your energy
Simply Blue, NRMA, and RAA Members Get discounted energy if you have one of these memberships (Varies by state)
Simply Energy Saver A simple plan offering low rates
Simply Seniors Exclusive for Seniors Card and Senior Savers Card members

Cheapest Electricity Plan: Simply Energy vs Origin Energy

Choosing the cheapest electricity plan is usually top of everyone’s mind when comparing and switching energy providers. For this reason, we rounded up the cheapest electricity plans offered by Simply Energy & Origin Energy and put them to the test. Below you will find a state-by-state break down of energy offers with the cheapest plan marked in green.

Here is a table comparing Simply Energy vs Origin Energy and their cheapest electricity plans:

Compare Simply Energy and Origin Energy Electricity Rates
State Simply Energy
(Simply Energy Saver)
Origin Energy
(Origin Go)
New South Wales 19% discount
$1,128 / year
16% discount
$1,143 / year
ACT N/A $1,740 / year
Victoria 11% discount
$1,130 / year
12% discount
$1,120 / year
Queensland 15% discount
$1,237 / year
14% discount
$1,252 / year
South Australia 10% discount
$1,255 / year
14% discount
$1,476 / year

Source: Origin Energy and Simply Energy websites. Valid July 2021. Discounts and annual cost based on the reference price for each capital city in the available states. Comparison does not include all offers available.

  • Who Has The Cheapest Electricity?
  • In New South Wales, Simply energy offers cheaper electricity than Origin Energy
  • In ACT Simply Energy doesn't offer electricity.
  • In Victoria, Origin Energy offers cheaper electricity than Simply Energy.
  • In Queensland, Simply Energy offers cheaper electricity than Origin.
  • In South Australia, Simply Energy offers cheaper electricity than Origin.

Compare Gas Rates Origin Energy and Simply Energy

As with most energy providers, both Origin Energy and Simply Energy offer gas services you can subscribe to individually or bundle with your electricity.

We chose the 2 cheapest gas plans available from Origin Energy and Simply Energy and compared them in each state:

Compare Simply Energy and Origin Energy Gas Rates
State & average usage Simply Energy
(Simply Energy Saver)
Origin Energy
(Origin Go)
New South Wales
18,542Mj / year
$630 / year $770 / year
ACT
38,544Mj / year
N / A $1,490 / year
Victoria
58,035Mj / year
$1,420 / year $1,510 / year
Qld
7,154Mj / year
N / A $640 / year
South Australia
10,987Mj / year
$690 / year $730 / year

Source: Origin Energy and Simply Energy websites. Valid July 2021. Discounts and annual cost based on the Basic Plan Information Document for each capital city. Comparison does not include all offers available.

  • Who Has The Cheapest Gas?
  • In New South Wales, Simply energy offers cheaper gas than Origin Energy
  • In ACT Simply Energy doesn't offer gas.
  • In Victoria, Simply Energy offers cheaper gas than Origin Energy.
  • In Queensland, Simply Energy doesn't offer gas.
  • In South Australia, Simply Energy offers cheaper gas than Origin.

Origin Energy vs Simply Energy: Solar Feed-in Tariffs

If you have solar panels, or want to invest in solar energy, you’ll be interested in a solar feed-in tariff.

Both Simply Energy and Origin Energy offer solar feed-in tariffs. However, you will find that Origin Energy offers a wider variety to choose from.

Origin Energy offers three solar energy plans:

  1. Origin Solar Boost: Get a higher feed-in tariff, with no discount off the reference price
  2. Origin Solar Boost Plus: Purchase your solar PV system through Origin to unlock one of the highest solar feed-in tariffs on the market
  3. Basic Standard Rate: This is a basic feed-in tariff with a standard rate.

Apart from their list of feed-in tariffs, Origin Energy is whats known as an end-to-end solar retailer and is accredited by the Clean Energy Council.

This means Origin can sell you solar panels, install them, and offer you a feed-in tariff. Another benefit of purchasing a solar PV system through Origin Energy, you’re also able to get access to a solar feed-in tariff of between 18c and 22c per kWh.

Here is a table showing the solar feed-in tariffs available through Simply Energy & Origin Energy:

Solar Feed-in Tariffs: Simply Energy vs Origin Energy (c/kWh)
  NSW ACT VIC QLD SA
Simply Energy Basic FiT 5.5c N / A 10.2c 4.5c 4.5c
Origin Energy Basic FiT 5c 7c 6.7c 5c 6c
Origin Solar Boost 14c 11c 10c 13c 13c
Origin Solar Boost Plus 22c 20c 20c 18c 21c

Valid July 2021. Valid July 2021. Must purchase solar panels through Origin Energy to get Solar Boost Plus rates.

Which is Best: Origin Energy or Simply Energy?

While there is no clear answer of who is the best electricity or best gas provider, both Simply Energy and Origin Energy offer something for every household.

If price is a deciding factor when switching energy providers, you may want to go for Simply Energy over Origin Energy.

In our comparison, Simply Energy came out cheaper for electricity in every state where they operate, except for Victoria. The same is true for gas. Simply energy was cheaper than Origin Energy in every state in which they operated. Therefore, it's safe to say that Simply Energy is overall a cheaper option than Origin Energy.

However, price is not the only deciding factor when searching for a supplier. Simply energy is a bit smaller than origin energy and this gets translated into customer service. As there are more calls to answer with a larger company, you can expect to wait on hold longer with Origin Energy.

Origin answers 53% of their phone calls in under 30 seconds. However, the overall average wait time for customers to speak to a representative at Origin Energy is over 2 minutes.

Simply Energy has an average call wait time of only 35 seconds, meaning that you are likely to be able to speak to a representative quickly at Simply Energy should a problem arise with your service.

Likewise, we can see that with Origin Energy more customers complained about their service.

However, if we look at it proportionally, complaints came from only 1% of total customers at Origin energy, while at Simply energy complaints came from 7% of total customers.

So, in total there are more satisfied customers at Origin energy than at Simply Energy.

Below you find a comparison of Origin Energy and Simply Energy, including their green energy score, and customer satisfaction, to help you decide whether Simply Energy or Origin Energy is the best energy provider for your household.

Simply Energy vs Origin Energy
  Origin Energy Simply Energy
GreenPeace Green Electricity Guide Rating 2022 1 out of 5 stars 1.5 out of 5 stars
Average wait time for customer calls* 145 seconds 35 seconds
Calls answered within 30 seconds* 53% 82%
Customer complaints: Total number and percentage of customers* 26,598 complaints
1% of total customers
9,876 complaints
7% of total customers
Solar energy Solar panels: Yes
Solar FiT: Yes
Solar panels: No
Solar FiT: Yes

*Source: AER Retail Market Report 2019-2020

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