THE state government is offering “a new tool” to help users save money on their power bills, following the release of figures showing that nine out of 10 Victorians are paying too much for electricity.
Energy Minister Lily D’Ambrosio says the Victorian Energy Compare independent price comparison tool lets Victorians enter data online from their smart meter or power bill to find the best offer.
The average Victorian household spends about $2800 on energy bills every year, which represents about 2.3 per cent of the average household income and up to about seven per cent of income for lower income households.
Government data shows most Victorians could save hundreds of dollars by switching electricity plans.
Ms D’Ambrosio says 90 per cent of Victorians who have compared their offers using the energy comparison tool have found electricity offers that could save them money, with half of the users finding offers that could save them more than $330 a year.
Victorian Energy Compare replaces My Power Planner.
“It is the only independent comparison tool in the market that has every generally available electricity, gas and solar tariff and lets consumers use their own energy usage to find the deal that can save them most on their bill,” Ms D’Ambrosio said.
“Despite the fact that regularly reviewing energy plans is proven to be one of the most effective ways to save on energy bills, one in three Victorians have never switched electricity or gas retailers.
Victorian Energy Compare can be found at www.vic.gov.au/victorianenergycompare
First published in the Southern Peninsula News – 20 October 2015