10 Quick Ways to Lower Your Power Bill in Australia Right Now

Most guides on reducing your electricity bill focus on long-term investments — solar panels, heat pumps, insulation. Those are worth it eventually, but if you want to lower your power bill right now, with no upfront cost and no tradespeople, here are 10 actions you can take today.

1. Call Your Energy Provider and Ask for a Better Deal (15 minutes, save $150–$600/year)

This is the single highest-return action available and most Australians never do it. Energy providers offer their best rates to new customers — loyal customers are quietly moved to higher rates at each renewal.

The script: "I've been comparing plans and I can see cheaper rates available. Can you review my current plan and offer me something more competitive?"

Retention teams have authority to reduce your rate by 15–25% on the spot. If they won't, use the government's free comparison tools — energymadeeasy.gov.au (NSW, QLD, SA, ACT) or compare.energy.vic.gov.au (Victoria) — to find a cheaper plan and switch. The comparison takes 10 minutes and switching takes another 10 minutes online.

2. Check Your Tariff Type and Switch If Needed (20 minutes, save $100–$300/year)

Most Australians are on either a flat rate tariff or a time-of-use tariff — and many are on the wrong one. Time-of-use tariffs charge different rates depending on when you use power: peak (typically 3–9pm weekdays), shoulder, and off-peak. If you can shift dishwasher, washing machine and dryer use to overnight or weekends, time-of-use is usually cheaper. If you can't shift usage, a flat rate may suit you better.

Call your provider and ask which tariff type you're on and what your options are. This is a free change.

3. Switch Your Hot Water to Off-Peak (1 phone call, save $100–$250/year)

If you have an electric storage hot water system and it's running on your standard tariff, you're likely paying 35–45 cents per kWh to heat your water. Off-peak rates can be as low as 15–20 cents per kWh — the water heats overnight and stays hot until you need it. Call your energy retailer and ask to move your hot water to an off-peak controlled load tariff. It's free to change and takes one phone call.

4. Turn Your Hot Water Thermostat Down (5 minutes, free)

Most electric and gas hot water systems are factory-set to 70°C, which is significantly higher than needed. The recommended temperature is 60°C (hot enough to prevent Legionella bacteria). Reducing from 70°C to 60°C saves approximately 5% on your hot water energy costs. Find the thermostat dial on your hot water unit and turn it down.

5. Replace Your Worst Lightbulbs With LEDs (30 minutes, save $80–$150/year)

If you still have halogen downlights anywhere in your home, replacing them with LED equivalents delivers an immediate, permanent electricity saving. LEDs use 75–80% less electricity and last 15–25 times longer. A single halogen bulb running 5 hours per day costs approximately $12–$15 per year in electricity. An LED replacement costs $0.80–$2.00 per year.

In a home with 20 halogen downlights, replacing all of them with LEDs saves approximately $200–$260 per year in electricity. LEDs cost $3–$7 each at Bunnings, Aldi Special Buys, or Kmart. Total outlay: $60–$140. Payback period: under a year.

6. Switch Off Standby Power on Your Biggest Offenders (10 minutes, save $80–$150/year)

The average Australian home wastes $100–$150 per year on standby power. The biggest offenders are:

• Gaming consoles (PlayStation, Xbox) — up to 150W on standby
• Older TVs — 5–15W on standby continuously
• Desktop computers left on sleep
• Set-top boxes and media streamers left on

The fix: plug your entertainment setup into a single powerboard with a switch and turn it off at the wall when not in use. This takes 10 minutes to set up and saves money every day thereafter.

7. Adjust Your Air Conditioner Settings (2 minutes, save $100–$400/year)

Each degree of temperature adjustment in heating or cooling changes energy consumption by approximately 10%:

• Set heating to 18–20°C (not 22–24°C) — saves 20–40% on heating costs
• Set cooling to 24–26°C (not 20–22°C) — saves 20–40% on cooling costs
• Use the fan mode instead of cooling when outdoor temperatures allow
• Close doors to rooms you're not heating or cooling

On a typical ducted system running 4 months of heating and 3 months of cooling, adjusting temperature settings by 2 degrees in each season saves $100–$400/year depending on system size and usage.

8. Use Appliance Timers for High-Usage Items (20 minutes, save $50–$150/year)

If you're on a time-of-use tariff, running the dishwasher, washing machine and dryer during off-peak hours (overnight or weekends) can cut those appliances' running costs by 40–60%. Most modern appliances have delay-start functions — set them to run at 11pm or before 7am. A $15–$25 plug-in timer from Bunnings achieves the same result for older appliances.

9. Check For a Solar Feed-in Tariff Boost (10 minutes, potentially significant)

If you have solar panels, your feed-in tariff — what your retailer pays you for exported solar power — varies significantly between providers. The difference between the lowest and highest feed-in tariffs in most states is 5–8 cents per kWh. For a system exporting 10kWh per day, that's a difference of $180–$290 per year. Use the government comparison tools to check if a different retailer would pay you more for your solar export.

10. Sign Up for Your Retailer's App and Check Your Usage Data (15 minutes, ongoing savings)

Most major energy retailers (AGL, Origin, EnergyAustralia, Alinta) provide app-based usage dashboards that show you exactly when you're using the most electricity, broken down by time of day. This data is invaluable for identifying which appliances are driving your bill and when your peak usage occurs. Many Australians find their hot water system, pool pump or a forgotten running appliance is responsible for 30–40% of their bill — and they never knew until they checked the data.

Total Potential Saving From These 10 Actions

Action	Time Required	Annual Saving
Call provider / switch plans	15–30 min	$150–$600
Switch tariff type	20 min	$100–$300
Hot water to off-peak	10 min	$100–$250
Turn hot water thermostat down	5 min	$30–$80
Replace halogens with LED	30 min	$80–$150
Cut standby power	10 min	$80–$150
Adjust air con settings	2 min	$100–$400
Use appliance timers	20 min	$50–$150
Check solar feed-in tariff	10 min	$0–$290
Review usage data in app	15 min	Ongoing
Total	~2 hours	$690–$2,370

The first action alone — calling your energy provider or switching plans — realistically saves most Australian households $150–$600 per year and takes under 30 minutes. Every other action on this list stacks on top of that.

For a deeper dive on longer-term strategies including solar, heat pump hot water and draught-proofing, see our full guide to reducing your electricity bill.