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Joel Gibson says Australia has some of the highest power bills and the gap between the best and worst offers is widening.
ENERGY retailers are likely to start offering more competitive prices throughout Australia thanks to a people power campaign which has attracted more than 85,000 households.
For the next four weeks those who join the Big Energy Switch can receive a discount of up to 34 per cent off their entire bill.
The deal will benefit those who choose to take it up, but it will also act to increase competition in the market at a time when energy prices have been rising.
Energy retailers have become better at offering cheaper deals to customers – but usually only if they ask for them.
Deals can also be tied to lock-in periods and expire after a certain time, which means you need to shop around again before your charges revert to a premium rate.
Big Energy Switch campaign director Joel Gibson says Australia has some of the highest power bills and the gap between the best and worst offers is widening.
“We’ve seen these campaigns kick off a price war before and we hope that will happen again here, to offset some of the impact of the July price increases,†Gibson says.
“If there’s one thing this campaign has shown, it’s that if you don’t shop around for electricity in Australia, you’ll pay some of the world’s highest prices. But if you do shop around, you can save more than a third of your bill in some parts of the country.â€
The campaign has attracted thousands of householders who are tired of rising power costs.
This has enabled One Big Switch to negotiate a range of different deals in different states.
*Victorian households will reap the biggest discount of 34 per cent from Powershop, a potential saving of up to $475. There is also a gas offer from Click Energy, with 19 per cent off usage and supply charges, and a potential saving of up to $245 in the coming year.
*Households in South-Eastern Queensland can reap an 18 per cent discount from Click Energy with an exclusive offer for solar customers as well.
*NSW households have a choice of deals. They can save 25 per cent off their entire bill with Click Energy or solar customers can reap an 18 per cent discount, at least 7.2c retailer feed-in tariff and a $75 credit.
*In South Australia households can get a 20 per cent discount off their entire bill from Click Energy while solar customers can get up to 19 per cent off their entire bill, or up to 12c Retailer Feed-in Tariff guaranteed for at least two years.
The offers are available for a limited time only and only to those who join the campaign.
To join or see more details go to www.onebigswitch.com.au.
There is no obligation to take up the deal.
One Big Switch and News Corp Australia will earn a commission from any accepted offers.