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.
These findings should be interpreted with care. The report covers a period of significant wholesale price volatility and increases. This, and the subsequent retail market response, has implications for the analysis.
For example, many smaller retailers with historically low prices became among the most expensive, and there was a rapid decrease in the number of retailers in the market.
Key highlights are:
- Nationally, average annual electricity bills for SMEs consuming 20,000 kWh per annum increased by 19% ($1,120) between October 2021 and October 2022.
- Average annual gas bills increased by 21% ($610) between October 2021 and October 2022 for SMEs consuming 100 GJ per annum.
- Electricity bills increased in all jurisdictions. NSW had the greatest annual increases in bills ($2,375 or 42%) while businesses in WA have the lowest increase ($165 or 3%).
- SMEs in SA have the highest annual electricity bills ($8,595) while VIC businesses have the lowest ($5,860).
- Gas bills have also increased in all jurisdictions compared to a year ago. The greatest increases to average bills have been in SA ($985 or 28%), while the lowest increase is in TAS ($160 or 3%).
- TAS businesses continue to have the greatest annual gas bills ($4,900) and VIC businesses have the lowest ($2,720).
The full report can be read here.
You can also access
SME Retail Tariff Tracker Final Report: December 2021
