Ways to save money

Reducing your energy consumption

There is plenty of advice and assistance to help you reduce energy consumption and save money

NSW Office of Environment and Heritage - Energy savings and resource efficiency

Help paying bills

Department of Industry Resources & Energy - Energy assistance fact sheets

Also see your energy retailer for payment plans and options.

Getting the best price

Energy Switch is a free NSW Government service that helps customers find a better plan on energy bills and starts the request to switch providers. The service compares and shows customers the best priced plans and features from all NSW household electricity providers, based on the activity detailed in their current bill.

The Australian Energy Regulator (AER) also operates a free electricity and gas on-line price comparison service Energy made Easy which enable consumers to compare offers from different energy retailers to find the one that best meets their needs.

Appliance efficiency

Save on your energy bills with the Energy Rating Label - Energy Rating Service

Typical household energy use

Energy use varies throughout the year and depends on the number of people per household, the type of dwelling, and the number and age of appliances in use.

IPART periodically surveys households in New South Wales to learn more about residential resource use and to collect the socio-economic, demographic and behavioural data that inform and strengthen our pricing review process.

Typical electricity use

Based on the results of our 2015 survey of households in Sydney, Hunter, Gosford, Riverina and North Coast, we know that larger households tend to use more electricity than smaller ones. Typically, if they don't use gas:

Households with 1-2 residents use about 1,300 kWh of electricity per quarter
Households with 3-4 residents use about 2,100 kWh of electricity per quarter, and
Households with 5 or more residents use at least 2,500 kWh of electricity per quarter.

Further, residents of freestanding houses tend to use more electricity than residents of semi-detached dwellings and flats, and the more energy-intense appliances a household of any type has - such as air conditioners, refrigerators, dishwashers and swimming pools - the more electricity it uses.

Typical gas use

The results of our 2015 survey also indicate that gas use varies by household size. Typically:

Households with 1-2 residents use roughly 3,600 MJ of gas per quarter
Households with 3-4 residents use roughly 5,400 MJ of gas per quarter, and
Households with 5 or more residents use at roughly 6,000 MJ of gas per quarter.

But gas usage also depends on what it is used for, and households that use gas only for cooking only use about 400 MJ per quarter. Furthermore, residents of freestanding houses tend to use more gas than residents of semi-detached dwellings and flats, and households in cold climates tend to use more gas than those in warmer areas.