SVDP NSW Tariff Tracking July13 Update Report
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NSW Energy Prices July 2012 - July 2013 An update report on the NSW Tariff-Tracking Project May Mauseth Johnston August 2013 Disclaimer* The$energy$offers,$tariffs$and$bill$calculations$presented$in$this$report$and$associated$ workbooks$should$be$used$as$a$general$guide$only$and$should$not$be$relied$upon.$ The$ workbooks$ are$ not$ an$ appropriate$ substitute$ for$ obtaining$ an$ offer$ from$ an$ energy$retailer.$$The$information$presented$in$this$report$and$the$workbooks$is$not$ provided$as$financial$advice.$While$we$have$taken$great$care$to$ensure$accuracy$of$ the$information$provided$in$this$report$and$the$workbooks,$they$are$suitable$for$use$ only$as$a$research$and$advocacy$tool.$We$do$not$accept$any$legal$responsibility$for$ errors$or$inaccuracies.$The$St$Vincent$de$Paul$Society$and$Alviss$Consulting$Pty$Ltd$do$ not$accept$liability$for$any$action$taken$based$on$the$information$provided$in$this$ report$or$the$associated$workbooks$or$for$any$loss,$economic$or$otherwise,$suffered$ as$ a$ result$ of$ reliance$ on$ the$ information$ presented.$ If$ you$ would$ like$ to$ obtain$ information$ about$ energy$ offers$ available$ to$ you$ as$ a$ customer,$ go$ to$ Australian$ Energy$ Regulator’s$ “Energy$ Made$ Easy”$ website$ or$ contact$ the$ energy$ retailers$ directly.$ $ $ $ $ New$South$Wales$Energy$Prices$July$2012$–$July$2013$ An$Update$report$on$the$NSW$TariffQTracking$Project$ by$May$Mauseth$Johnston$$$ $ May*Mauseth*Johnston,*August*2013* Alviss*Consulting*Pty*Ltd* ABN$43147408624$ $$ $ $ ©*St*Vincent*de*Paul*Society*and*Alviss*Consulting*Pty*Ltd* * This$work$is$copyright.$Apart$from$any$use$permitted$under$the$Copyright$Act$1968$ (Ctw),$no$parts$may$be$adapted,$reproduced,$copied,$stored,$distributed,$published$ or$put$to$commercial$use$without$prior$written$permission$from$the$St$Vincent$de$ Paul$Society.$$$ $ $ $ $ $ $ Contact:*Gavin*Dufty* Manager$Policy$and$Research,$Victoria$ Phone:$(03)$98955816/04$3935$7129$* $ www.vinnies.org.au/energy$$ 1 $ Acknowledgements* This$ project$ was$ funded$ by$ a$ research$ grant$ from$ the$ Consumer$ Advocacy$ Panel$ (www.advocacypanel.com.au)$ as$ part$ of$ its$ grants$ process$ for$ consumer$ advocacy$ projects$and$research$projects$for$the$benefit$of$consumers$of$electricity$and$natural$ gas.$ $ The$views$expressed$in$this$document$do$not$necessarily$reflect$the$views$of$the$ Consumer$Advocacy$Panel$or$the$Australian$Energy$Market$Commission.$ * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 2 Table*of*Contents* * Acknowledgements* 2* The*NSW*TariffKTracking*Project:*purpose*and*outputs* 4* * * 1.*Energy*price*changes*from*July*2012*to*July*2013* 6* * * 2.*Regulated*vs.*market*offers*July*2013* 13* 2.1$Regulated$electricity$vs.$market$offers$July$2013$$ 13$ 2.2$Regulated$gas$vs.$market$offers$July$2013$ 22$ * $ 3.*Total*cost*of*energy*by*area* 25* 3.1$Inner$Sydney,$Northern$Sydney,$Swansea,$Newcastle,$Maitland,$Cessnock$ 25$ Singleton$and$Upper$Hunter$ 3.2$ Western$ Sydney,$ Wollongong,$ Blue$ Mountains,$ Lithgow,$ Kandos,$ Moss$ 26$ Vale,$Nowra,$Ulladulla$ 3.3$Rural$and$Regional$NSW$ 27$ * * $ * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 3 The*NSW*TariffKTracking*Project:*Purpose*and*outputs* $ Under$retail$price$regulation$arrangements,$tariff$tracking$and$tariff$analysis$are$not$ usually$prioritised$activities$amongst$advocates$and$consumer$representatives.$$In$a$ deregulated$ environment,$ however,$ it$ will$ become$ increasingly$ evident$ that$ advocates,$ as$ well$ as$ consumers$ themselves,$ need$ improved$ awareness$ and$ understanding$of$changing$tariff$offers$–$both$in$terms$of$changes$to$price$as$well$as$ changes$ to$ tariff$ shapes.$ $ The$ Australian$ Energy$ Market$ Commission$ (AEMC)$ is$ currently$undertaking$a$review$of$the$effectiveness$of$competition$in$NSW$and$its$ Draft$Report$stated$that:$ $ “Based$on$the$available$evidence,$the$Commission$considers$that$the$NSW$ retail$electricity$market$for$small$customers$is$competitive.$However,$the$ effectiveness$of$competition$could$be$further$enhanced$by$implementing$ measures$to$assist$customers$to$better$understand$their$electricity$ consumption$and$options$for$changing$tariffs.”1$$$ $ The$AEMC$also$believes$that$competition$in$the$gas$retail$market$is$effective,$ although$it$noted$that$there$appears$to$be$some$barriers$to$entry$for$new$retailers$ and$that$there$are$limited$signs$of$independent$rivalry.2$However,$the$AEMC$ concluded$that:$ $ “[T]hese$factors$are$balanced$by$customers'$greater$ability$to$switch$away$ from$gas$to$electricity,$which$provides$pressure$to$keep$gas$retailers'$prices$ and$service$quality$similar$to$outcomes$expected$in$a$competitive$market.”3$$ $ If$the$AEMC’s$final$recommendation$is$the$removal$of$retail$price$regulation$and$the$ NSW$Government$accepts$this,$the$NSW$Tariff$–Tracking$tool$will$allow$consumer$ advocates$to$undertake$‘before$and$after’$comparisons$and$monitor$potential$ impacts$of$deregulation$on$NSW$consumers,$as$well$as$energy$affordability$and$ market$developments$more$broadly.$$$ $ This$project$has$tracked$electricity$and$gas$tariffs$in$NSW$from$July$2009$to$July$2013,$ and$developed$a$spreadsheetQbased$tool$that$allows$consumer$advocates$to$build$on$ the$initial$analysis$and$continue$to$track$changes$as$they$occur.4$The$first$report$for$ the$NSW$TariffQTracking$project$was$published$in$August$2011$and$this$is$the$second$ upQdate$report$focusing$on$price$changes$that$have$occurred$over$the$last$year.$ $ We$have$developed$four$workbooks$that$allow$the$user$to$enter$consumption$levels$ and$analyse$household$bills$for$NSW$gas$and$electricity$offers.$$ 1$AEMC,$Review$of$Competition$in$the$Retail$Electricity$and$Natural$Gas$Markets$in$New$ South$Wales,$Draft$Report,$May$2013,$p$64$ 2$Ibid,$p$85$ 3$Ibid$ 4$The$regulated$electricity$offers$workbook$also$contains$the$2008$rates! 4 Workbook$1:$Regulated$electricity$offers$July$2008QJuly$2013$ Workbook$2:$Regulated$gas$offers$July$2009QJuly$2013$ Workbook$3:$Electricity$market$offers$July$2011,$2012$and$20135$ Workbook$4:$Gas$market$offers$July$2011,$2012$and$2013$ $ Previous$reports$were:$ $ • New$South$Wales$Energy$Prices$July$2009$–$July$2011,$A$Report$from$the$NSW$ TariffQTracking$Project,$August$2011$ $ • New$South$Wales$Energy$Prices$July$2011$–$July$2012,$An$Update$report$on$the$ NSW$TariffQTracking$Project,$August$2012$ $ The$four$workbooks$and$the$reports$are$available$at$www.vinnies.org.au/energy$$ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ 5$All$market$offers$are$published$offers$and$do$not$include$special$offers$that$retailers$market$ through$doorQknocking$campaigns$or$brokers.$We$use$the$IPART$and$AER$websites$as$well$as$ the$retailers$own$websites$to$collect$market$offer$for$the$TariffQTracking$tool.$$If$the$retailer$ has$more$than$one$market$offer$we$use$the$one$IPART$or$AER$websites$estimate$to$produce$ the$lowest$annual$bill.$$The$TariffQTracking$tool$does$not$include$any$additional$discounts$or$ bonuses$but$key$market$offer$features$are$listed$in$the$spreadsheets.$$This$report$contains$ analysis$of$some$of$those$features.$$$ 5 1.*Energy*price*changes*from*July*2012*to*July*20136* $ • Electricity$price$increases$have$been$very$moderate$this$year$(and$especially$ compared$to$the$increases$that$occurred$over$the$three$previous$years).$ $ • The$ greatest$ increases$ have$ been$ in$ Ausgrid’s$ network$ area$ (although$ moderate$ compared$ to$ the$ previous$ year)$ where$ households’$ annual$ electricity$costs$have$typically$increased$by$between$$75Q$85$since$July$2012.$$ Electricity$prices$for$customers$in$Essential’s$area$have$seen$a$small$decrease.$ See$chart$1$below.$ $ • Gas$price$increases$have$been$significant$(10%)$in$some$areas$and$moderate$ to$low$in$others.$ $ • Households$in$Sydney$(Jemena/AGL$gas$zone)$are$facing$the$greates$gas$price$ increases.$$The$annual$gas$bill$for$average$consumption$households$in$this$gas$ zone$has$incresed$by$approximately$$80.$See$chart$2$below.$$$ $ • Annual$energy$bills$(electricity$and$gas)$for$dual$fuel$Sydney$households$with$ average$consumption$have$thus$increased$by$approximately$$165$since$July$ 2012.$$See$chart$1$and$2$below.$$ $ • Annual$ electricity$ bills$ for$ allQelectric$ Sydney$ households$ with$ average$ consumption$have$increased$by$around$$75$since$July$2012.$$ $ • For$ the$ first$ time,$ some$ of$ the$ electricity$ and$ gas$ market$ offers$ contain$ published$ rates$ (prior$ to$ discounts)$ below$ the$ regulated$ rates,$ and$ as$ in$ previous$years,$some$retailers$have$published$electricity$and$gas$market$offer$ rates$above$the$regulated$offers$(prior$to$discounts).$ $ • As$more$and$more$retail$offers$have$a$pay$on$time$discount$component,$the$ financial$benefits$of$switching$will$largely$depend$on$customers’$ability$to$pay$ on$time.$$ $ • Customers$switching$from$the$regulated$electricity$offer$to$one$of$the$better$ market$ offers$ can$ save$ up$ to$ $300$ –$ $400$ on$ their$ annual$ bills$ (if$ paid$ on$ time).$ $ 6$These$calculations$are$based$on$increases$to$the$regulated$offer$for$single$rate$electricity$ customers$using$7,200kWh$per$annum,$increases$to$the$regulated$offer$for$controlled$load$ electricity$customers$(typically$allQelectric$households)$using$8,000kWh$per$annum$(thereof$ 30%$offQpeak)$and$increases$to$the$regulated$offer$for$gas$customers$using$24,000Mj$per$ annum.$$$ 6 • Gas$customers$in$the$greater$Sydney$area$(Jemena/AGL$gas$zone)$can$save$ between$ $125$ Q$$150$if$switching$ from$ the$ regulated$ offer$ to$ one$ of$ the$ better$market$offers$(and$pay$their$bills$on$time).$ $ • Due$ to$ lack$