The Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) Retail Tariff Tracker is an ongoing project for Energy Consumers Australia. It collects data twice per year, with reports on trends published in June and December.
Key highlights are:
- Electricity bills were, on average, 2% lower in October 2021 for small businesses across Australia compared with a year earlier.
- Average electricity bills reduced across all jurisdictions in the National Electricity Market except the Australian Capital Territory. Victoria had the greatest reduction of 12%, followed by Tasmania (11%), South Australia (7%), NSW (4%) and Queensland (3%).
- In the ACT, average electricity bills for small businesses rose by 20%. This was due to higher network charges, largely as a result of the costs associated with implementing legislation to supply 100% renewable energy. These took effect on 1 July 2021.
- Average electricity bills for small businesses rose by 2% in both Western Australia and the Northern Territory.
- Bills were slightly lower for most small businesses using gas compared with a year earlier decreasing by 1%. The greatest decreases were in the ACT (5%), and Victoria (4%), with marginal reductions in South Australia and Western Australia.
- In contrast, gas bills in Queensland and New South Wales increased slightly, and remained unchanged in Tasmania.
The full report can be read here and the data pack can be downloaded here.
SME Retail Tariff Tracker Final Report: December 2021
