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Households could push their power bills down even further with a new electricity plan offering eligible New South Wales households 24-hours of free electricity every Saturday for a year.
Under the Free Saturdays plan launched by On by EnergyAustralia today, households willing to shift their power-intensive activities, such as doing the laundry or cleaning their swimming pool, to a Saturday, could slash hundreds of dollars a year off their power bills.
Mark Brownfield, Executive Manager – Residential, said: “If you live in New South Wales and have a smart meter, every Saturday your home’s electricity costs could be on us. It’s that simple.”
A typical household in Greater Western Sydney signing up to Free Saturdays, using around 7400 kWh per year – which is the average - could pay up to 16 per cent less than the Default Market Offer reference price (or save $340 annually).
But that saving is just the start. Shifting discretionary appliance usage from during the week to a Saturday could see households save even more.
“Our customers have told us that generally their biggest energy day is a Saturday. It’s when the family is home together and when customers have more spare time to do their household chores, relax and entertain,” said Mark.
“By making simple changes in energy habits, such as doing laundry and saving your clothes dryer for a Saturday, customers could see their energy bills go down even further.”
For example, a Greater Western Sydney household shifting their use of a clothes dryer to a Saturday could save them around $120 per year[1].
And, while the cost of cooling an average-sized home on a Saturday over summer could add an extra $200-$300[2] to the average NSW household power bill – it’s a cost Free Saturday customers won’t have to worry about.
“There are true savings if households can use energy on a Saturday and readjust their schedule to take advantage,” said Mark.
Free Saturdays is the fourth offer to be made available via the dedicated customer platform. Launched in 2019, On by EnergyAustralia tests new solutions with customers in small-scale trials.
Previous initiatives include subscription electricity plans, Easy Plan and Easy Plan Plus that are inspired by mobile phone plans, Solar Plus Plan, a two-in-one energy plan and solar and battery system and Ultra Solar Plan, a solar feed-in tariff plan for homes in Queensland with an existing solar system.
Free Saturdays is available now to households within the Ausgrid, Essential Energy and Endeavour distribution zones. To view plan information and to sign up, visit https://experienceon.com.au/
[1] $120 a year (based on an 8 Kg, 3-star clothes dryer using 919kWh/yearly). https://www.energyrating.gov.au/calculator. Based on 13.361 c/kWh (control load, non Saturdays – Endeavour distribution zone. Ex GST.
[2] https://www.canstarblue.com.au/appliances/how-much-electricity-does-aircon-use/
Free Saturdays plan features
- Free electricity on Saturdays during the 12-month benefit period. Fair use policy applies.
- Usage and supply charges are fixed which means they won’t increase for 12-months.
- Track your usage easily via the On App or MyEnergy portal.
- Weekly usage insights will be provided to customers to notify how much they saved as a Free Saturdays customer.
- Monthly e-bills on direct debit only.
- No lock in contract so customers are free to leave if the plan doesn’t work for them.
Eligibility
- Only available to NSW residential customers with remotely read smart meters.
- Not available to solar customers, concession card holders or customers who claim other government rebates, customers who live in premises that part of an embedded network or those who depend of life support equipment. Customers must accept e-correspondence and e-billing (monthly), and make payment by direct debit (monthly)
Default Market Offer pricing information
Based on Sydney’s typical household’s energy demand (6600-7400 kWh/yr) with flat electricity pricing and a control load tariff.
| Flat tariff with CL1 | Ausgrid | Endeavour | Essential |
|---|---|---|---|
| Distribution zone areas | Central-east coast of New South Wales including Sydney, Newcastle and Hunter regions. | Greater Western Sydney | Regional and rural New South Wales including the North Coast, Southern and Northern regions. |
| Reference Price | $2024 | $2165 | $2356 |
| Reference (kWh/yr) | 6800 | 7400 | 6600 |
| Cost | $1707 | $1825 | $1992 |
| Less than DMO | 16% | 16% |
15% |
Cost of powering household appliances, Estimates are a guide only
| Appliance | Estimated costs | Annual cost (every Saturday) |
|---|---|---|
| Electric Hot Water System – peak tariff storage | $9253 annually | $131.79 |
| Ducted whole-house reverse cycle air conditioning system | $2.45 - $3.45 per hour4 | $235.20 - $331.20 Based on 8-hour use every Saturday for 12 weeks |
| 8kg dryer. 3-star rating | $1.94 per hour | $302.645 Based on 3 loads every Saturday for a year |
| Swimming pool | $800 - $1200 annually6 |
$170.85 a year |
3 https://www.canstarblue.com.au/hot-water-systems/
4 https://www.canstarblue.com.au/appliances/how-much-electricity-does-aircon-use/
5 https://www.energyrating.gov.au/calculator
6 https://www.canstarblue.com.au/electricity/how-much-energy-does-a-swimming-pool-use/