Why make a choice

Since 2002, all Victorian electricity and gas customers have been able to choose their energy retailer and type of contract or energy plan. There are now many energy retailers in Victoria offering a range of energy plans including options like green energy, dual fuel deals and other offers and incentives.

For further information on choosing an energy retailer visit the Your Choice website.

There are two types of energy contract:

1. Standing contract

This is a basic contract you will be on if you have not entered into any new type of contract since the introduction of competition in 2002, or if you have moved premises and you have not negotiated a market contract. You may be on a standing contract now with AGL, Origin or TRUenergy.

From 1 January 2009, all retailers must offer this standing contract to you if they have responsibility for the house that you move into and you have not been offered a market contract by another retailer.

The price for this standing contract is set by your retailer, and the other terms are set by the Commission in the Energy Retail Code.

2. Market contract

This is a contract negotiated between you and a retailer and may offer you a better price (or some other benefit) than the standing contract. Market contracts may have a fixed term (generally between one and three years), or could be on-going. You must give your explicit informed consent to the price and other terms of a market contract and you have a cooling off-period of between 5 business – 10 calendar days.

You may save money on your energy bills by moving to a market contract and if you shop around you might find a plan that benefits you and suits your needs more. Before you decide to make your choice consider what is important to you. It may be the cheapest price, green energy, good service or any of the special offers that may be available from retailers from time to time. Make sure you get as much information as you can from the retailer who is required to provide you with enough information so you can make the best choice for you. For further information see how to make your choice

If you decide to change retailers you will still have the same distributor (the company that owns the pipes and wires that deliver your energy). It will not affect the reliability or the quality of your energy supply.

The Commission publishes regular Industry Performance reports that examine the performance of the retail energy businesses.

2007 - 08 Consumer Snapshot Report
2006 - 07 Consumer Snapshot Report
2005 - 06 Consumer Snapshot Report
2004 - Consumer Snapshot Report