When energy prices rise, many Australian businesses go looking for an official Australian government energy comparison website that shows every electricity and gas deal in one place. In reality, there is no single government comparison tool that covers the whole national market for business customers.
Instead, the government and regulators set price caps and provide information. It is then up to retailers, comparison services, and brokers like Zembl to help you compare offers, negotiate sharper rates, and switch.
This guide explains how government energy comparison actually works, what the key default offers are, how rebates and bill relief fit in, and how your business can use all of this as a benchmark while still shopping around for a better deal.
Does the Australian government run an energy comparison service?
The Australian government does not operate a universal, national comparison site that lists every electricity and gas offer for businesses.
Instead, it plays three main roles:
- Regulating parts of the market through independent regulators
- Setting default electricity prices in some states and territories
- Funding rebates, incentives, and bill relief to help manage costs
The closest thing to a standard reference price for power is the regulated electricity price cap in your region. In most of the National Electricity Market, this is called the Default Market Offer, and in Victoria, it is the Victorian Default Offer. These default offers are designed to protect customers who do not, or cannot, shop around.
Regulators make it clear that these default offers should be treated as a benchmark, not as the cheapest deal available.
Key energy regulators and default offers
Several independent bodies oversee how energy works in Australia. Understanding what they do helps explain what the government does and does not provide on comparison.
Australian Energy Regulator and the Default Market Offer
The Australian Energy Regulator oversees electricity and gas networks and retail markets in:
- New South Wales
- South Australia
- Queensland, in the Energex and Ergon network regions
- The Australian Capital Territory
Each year, the AER sets a Default Market Offer for standard electricity tariffs in these regions.
The Default Market Offer is:
- A maximum price cap that retailers can charge standing offer customers
- A reference price that retailers must use to show how their market offers compare
- A safety net, not a heavily discounted deal
Retailers often advertise offers as a percentage below the reference price. For example, an offer might be promoted as a percentage less than the DMO reference price. This is intended to make comparison easier, because you can see at a glance if a deal is below or above the benchmark.
The AER consistently encourages households and businesses to look for a market offer that is cheaper than the default standing offer, because most retailers have better deals available to customers who shop around.
Essential Services Commission and the Victorian Default Offer
In Victoria, the Essential Services Commission sets the Victorian Default Offer for electricity.
The Victorian Default Offer:
- Acts as a regulated fallback price for customers on standing offers
- Provides a simple reference price to compare against
- Is designed as a reasonable price, not necessarily the lowest in market
As in Default Market Offer states, many Victorian retailers present their market offers as a discount relative to the Victorian Default Offer, which helps businesses see roughly where a tariff sits in relation to the regulated benchmark.
Government energy comparison tools across Australia
In some states and territories, government departments or regulators provide basic bill comparison or plan finder tools. These usually:
- Cover only certain regions or fuels
- Focus primarily on residential customers
- Offer a limited number of retailers
- May not show every available business deal or negotiated rate
Examples include:
- Energy Made Easy, the federal comparison tool for eligible small businesses and households in NSW, QLD, SA, TAS and the ACT
- Victorian Energy Compare, the Victorian Government comparison site covering electricity, gas and solar offers
These resources are useful for a rough sense of prices and to confirm that your current plan is in the right ballpark. However, they do not provide a full market scan for larger commercial and industrial users, and they do not negotiate bespoke rates.
For full coverage of business offers, and for help with negotiation, most organisations rely on energy brokers, advisers, or procurement specialists who work directly with retailers.
How government default offers affect business energy prices
Government default offers provide a reference point for what regulators consider a fair standing offer in your region. For many small businesses, these default offers can directly influence what you pay.
Here is how they affect you in practice:
- If your business is on a standing offer, the Default Market Offer or Victorian Default Offer can cap how much your retailer can charge for standard tariffs
- If you are on a market offer, your retailer may use the default offer as the benchmark for your advertised discount
- For large or multi-site businesses, default offers can still provide a useful sense check on whether quoted rates are broadly in line with regulated reference prices
However, being on a regulated default offer is rarely the cheapest long term option for a business. In most cases, you will save more by comparing a range of market offers and switching to a more competitive plan.
Government rebates and bill relief for business
Alongside default offers, Australian governments provide additional help in the form of rebates and relief schemes. These programs change over time and differ by state.
Examples include:
- Energy Bill Relief Fund
- State based energy rebates and concessions
- Support for energy efficiency upgrades through grants or tax measures
These schemes reduce what you pay, but they do not help you compare offers on a like for like basis. You still need to assess plans, tariffs, and contract structures to work out which deal is most competitive for your specific usage profile.
Why government information alone is not enough to optimise your energy costs
Regulators and governments provide important protections and transparency. They:
- Cap standing offer prices
- Require clear disclosure of discounts and conditions
- Publish methodology reports on how default offers are calculated
- Offer general guidance on how to read bills and understand tariffs
However, they generally do not:
- Assess every individual business’s usage data
- Negotiate bespoke rates or demand based tariffs on your behalf
- Optimise contract terms such as peak or off peak structures and volume thresholds
- Continuously monitor the market and alert you when renewal is due
This is where a specialist comparison and procurement service adds value. By going beyond general guidance, you can turn regulated benchmarks into actual savings on your bill.
How to use government benchmarks as a comparison tool
Even though there is no single nationwide Australian government energy comparison website, you can still use default offers and reference prices to improve your energy decision making.
Follow these steps:
- Identify your region and regulator
- Compare your current rate to the default offer
- Check if you are on a standing or market contract
- Gather at least 12 months of bills
- Compare multiple market offers using your usage profile
- Review non price terms
Government benchmarks help you know whether an offer is broadly fair. Detailed comparison and negotiation help you secure a genuinely competitive deal.
How Zembl complements government energy comparison
Zembl is an Australian energy comparison and procurement service focused on helping businesses cut their electricity and gas costs. We work alongside, not instead of, government protections and benchmarks.
Here is how we complement what regulators provide:
- Using Default Market Offer and Victorian Default Offer as a starting point, not the end point
- Bill based comparison tailored to your actual usage
- Negotiation and procurement support for larger or multi site organisations
- End to end switching support so you avoid admin and mistakes
- Ongoing support at contract expiry, helping you avoid rolling onto higher standing offers
Our goal is to turn government comparison benchmarks into real savings by doing the heavy lifting across comparison, negotiation, and switching.
Considerations for different business sizes
The way you use government benchmarks and comparison services will vary depending on your size and complexity.
Small businesses
For small businesses such as cafes, retail stores, small offices, and workshops:
- Default offers are a simple reference price to see if you are overpaying
- Market offers advertised against the Default Market Offer or Victorian Default Offer can be compared on a like for like basis
- A broker can quickly scan the market on your behalf and present a shortlist of options
You should pay particular attention to:
- Daily supply charges
- Peak rates during your hours of operation
- Fixed term contracts and exit fees
Medium and large businesses
For larger sites, multi site portfolios, or energy intensive operations:
- Your pricing may be more bespoke and linked to wholesale market conditions
- Network tariffs and demand charges can be as important as energy rates
- Pass through of environmental and network costs needs careful review
Government default offers are less of a direct cap at this level, but they still provide a useful context for how retail prices are trending over time. A structured tender or procurement process is usually the most effective way to obtain competitive offers.
Common misconceptions about Australian government energy comparison
There are several myths that regularly cause confusion:
- There is an official federal website that shows every business deal across Australia.
- If you are on the Default Market Offer or Victorian Default Offer you must already be on the best price.
- Rebates and bill relief only apply if you stay with your current retailer.
- Shopping around is risky compared to sticking with the default offer.
Understanding these points can help your business avoid inaction and make more confident decisions.
How to get started with a business energy comparison
If you are ready to go beyond government benchmarks, you can follow this simple process:
- Collect your latest electricity and gas bills
- Confirm your locations, meter types, and operating hours
- Decide whether you want a simple like for like comparison, or a deeper review of tariffs and demand charges
- Use a trusted broker or comparison service to source offers from multiple retailers
- Review both the price and contract conditions before you sign
Zembl can help with this process at no cost to your business. We work with a panel of major energy retailers in Australia to help you identify potential savings and manage the switching process.
Internal link opportunities
You can learn more about how business energy comparison works and how Zembl supports different customer types across Australia by exploring:
- Zembl’s business electricity comparison page
- Guides on electricity for small business customers
- In depth resources on business electricity price comparison and commercial energy prices
- Blog articles that explain business gas and electricity bills in detail
These resources provide additional context on tariffs, billing, and ways to reduce usage alongside finding sharper rates.
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