Independent Australian energy journalism · Est. comparison-era voice, rebuilt for long-form
The NEM is not the whole country
Western Australia, regional Queensland, Tasmania, the ACT and the Northern Territory do not shop for energy the same way Sydney or Melbourne does. Start with the market you actually live in.
Australia does not have one electricity market. The NEM, WA’s WEM on the SWIS, and the Northern Territory run on different rules, and retail contestability stops at regional Queensland, most WA households, and other quiet exceptions. Here is the map.
Western Australia is not on the National Electricity Market. Most South West Interconnected System households buy from Synergy, Horizon Power covers regional and remote systems, and retail choice is limited. Here is how the WEM, the SWIS and those two businesses actually fit together.
Most WA households cannot. The South West Interconnected System is a different market to the National Electricity Market, with regulated residential tariffs. Compare offers that exist, but do not expect an east-coast style retail switch.