Pricing FAQs

Nobody likes prices increasing, especially for something as necessary as electricity, but as our costs go up we do need to pass these through to our customers. Energy prices are highly complex and there are a range of reasons why prices are going up.

Recent price rises have been driven mainly by the cost of maintaining and upgrading distribution networks to accommodate peak demand.

Victoria is one of the world's most competitive electricity markets, with more than a dozen players and around one in four customers changing provider every year - so we take great care to make our tariffs as low as possible, given the competitive environment we operate in.

The increase will vary for customers because of the differences in the network costs associated with delivering gas and electricity to certain areas. To find out much your energy prices will increase by, please call us on 1300 134 138.

The average Victorian family will see an increase of $51 for gas and $103 for electricity per year. $58 of this increase is passed through from transmission and distribution companies, and the remaining increase goes towards wholesales energy costs, the costs of Victoria's smart metering program, state and federal government renewable schemes and the retail component.

In Victoria, electricity prices are deregulated, meaning electricity retailers directly determine pricing which reflect the cost associated with supplying electricity while remaining competitive against other retailers. The Victorian state government does not set energy prices.

Network costs, which include the cost of moving the energy from power generators or gas fields to your home or business, are regulated by the independent regulator, the Australian Energy Regulator (AER) .

The cost of supplying electricity and gas (energy) to your home or business is influenced by a number of factors. Broadly, in the energy price set by your retailer, there are three main factors that must be recovered – network costs, the cost of actual energy and retail costs.

Network costs include the costs of moving the energy from power generators or gas fields to your home or business. This covers transmission (power lines and pipelines) and distribution costs (charges for the networks supplying homes or businesses). These transmission and distribution network charges are regulated by the independent regulator, the Australian Energy Regulator (AER) .

Energy costs are the actual wholesale cost of purchasing the energy from gas supply and electrical generation companies. We purchase energy from both the wholesale market and through longer term energy contracts with suppliers.

Retail costs cover the cost of supplying energy services to your home. This includes billing and revenue collection, administration and customer service, and regulatory compliance and systems.

Comparing energy offers and pricing can be quite complex, so here's some questions you should think about when choosing an offer that's best for you.

We recommend that you look carefully at what is being offered to see whether you will be better off, and to ensure that you are comparing 'apples with apples'.

Gas and electricity pricing is made up of a number of components, including the actual gas and electricity charge, distribution charges, regulated market charges, supply charges and GST. If you are comparing prices, you should ensure all pricing components have been included in the offer.

Some of the things to look out for – other than price – are the payment methods, early termination or exit fees that may apply, and any other charges and services which have been included in the market contract.

If you would like more information about Origin pricing and offers that may be available to you, please have a look at our priceguide.

There are also a range of independent websites that will assist you in comparing prices, including:

• Victoria's Essential Services Commission's You Choice website 
• Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART) of New South Wales' My Energy Offers website 
• Essential Services Commission of South Australia (ESCOSA) 
• Queensland Competition Authority (QCA) 

Yes, GST does apply to gas and electricity.

Please refer to our payment options page for a wide selection of convenient and simple ways to pay your bill, these include payment plans for budgeting, too.

We are particularly mindful of the issues faced by customers having trouble paying their bills. We help customers in that situation access a range of Government programs.

Additionally, we also assist customers in need via our PowerOn program. The PowerOn program has been in place for many years and key activities include:

• establishing payment plans for customers, in which Origin reduces the outstanding debt while current charges are being met
• providing energy audits
• where the need is identified in the energy audit, installing at our expense energy-efficient items and appliances for customers experiencing hardship to reduce their energy consumption.

We urge any customers experiencing difficulties to get in touch with us as soon as possible on 13 24 61.

You can find your gas or electricity rate on the back of your bill. If you want to know more about it, please call us on 13 24 61.