Aussie are set to see a major spike in their household energy bills

Aussie households have been warned to brace for slot online ‘shock energy bills’ in the coming months with prices set to spike during winter. 

Time of use pricing will surge on June 1 for the 1.5million households and businesses across Sydney, the Central Coast and the Hunter that rely on Ausgrid for their energy supply, just as heaters are being switched on as the temperature drops.

Ausgrid introduced a new pricing structure in 2018, abolishing peak period rates in autumn and spring but increasing costs in summer and winter, for customers with interval meters who chose a time of use tariff.  

‘There are some shock energy bills on the way for some households in NSW and that’s because we’re about to tick over into winter energy pricing,’ Simon Downes from Compare the Market told    

Aussie households are being told they may receive ‘shock energy bills’ in the coming months as winter energy pricing kicks-in from June 1 (stock image)

From June 1 until August 31, the household peak usage rates are in place between 5pm and 9pm on weekdays. Off-peak is between 10pm and 7am. 

The business peak period is between 2pm and 8pm.

Ausgrid’s residential time of use tariff network energy charge is 3.6163 cents per kilowatt hour in the off-peak but soars to 25.3719 c/kWh in peak periods.    

‘The fact is that you should have been made aware of the seasonal tariff variations when you signed up to your energy plan but realistically, who looks at all the small print?, Mr Downes said.

Ausgrid said time of use pricing ‘provides incentives for (households and businesses) to save money by shifting your usage out of peak periods to less expensive shoulder and off-peak periods’. 

Data from Ausgrid shows residents in Hunters Hill and Ku-ring-gai were the biggest daily consumers of energy on average in 2019-20, for the areas in Sydney the energy retailer serves.      

For Ausgrid customers with time of use pricing, the peak period between June 1 and August 31 is from 5pm to 9pm on working weekdays (stock image)

The NSW Energy and Water Ombudsman last year received 12,000 complaints from residents unhappy with their bills.  

‘Everyone knows energy is complex. If you’re not happy of course, then explain why and get them to review it,’ Energy and Water Ombudsman Janine Young said.  

‘And you do have choice. You can ring any other retailer and get a quote to see if they can offer you a better contract.’ 

Applications for the NSW Government’s family energy rebate close 11pm on June 16.