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How are Australians preparing for their summer energy bills?

by Powershop on December 2, 2019

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At Powershop, we are constantly engaging with the market and energy consumers to bring about change that will positively impact our customers’ experience.

We understand it's important to continually develop innovative solutions to empower our customers to remain in control of their energy bills during the warmer (and colder) months.

This is why we introduced our behavioural demand response program Curb Your Power two years ago, and why we ‘supercharge’ our referral program, Switch Your Mates, ahead of summer and winter helping them save even more on their power bills.

In addition to these programs, we focus on initiatives that enhance transparency. We offer smart meter installation, which provide customers close to real-time data on energy usage through our app and online platform. Our app also generates a forecasted cost for the month ahead based on current usage to support household budgeting.

While we’re proud of these initiatives, we aim to always keep innovating. We wondered how energy consumers across the sector felt about managing their energy bills during summer and their broader experiences with their energy retailers.

Who did we speak to?

In September 2019, Powershop surveyed a random group of more than 500 Australian energy consumers, across different retailers to ask their views on summer energy bills and energy usage.

So what did we discover?

The consumer and seasonality

The seasonality of power usage is a concern for Australian energy consumers. This presents an opportunity for education around energy usage at home and at work as well as pro-active innovations to support financial stability.

80% of respondents are concerned about the cost of their bills this summer

52% of respondents are already thinking about putting money aside to pay for their summer energy bills

87% of respondents said their energy provider does not send them an estimate of how much their next bill will cost, so they can’t prepare for it financially

The proactive consumer

As eight out of ten respondents are concerned about the cost of their energy bills this summer, our research found that many consumers take measures ahead of the summer months to manage their usage.

Top tricks included: keeping the house dark and blinds down during the day, turning appliances off at the wall and using appliances during off-peak times.

58% of respondents have used tricks to keep their power bills low over summer

56% of respondents said they are considering using their cooling system less or not using it at all this summer to keep bills down

Powershop's tips for saving this summer:

Download the Powershop app

Track usage in daily and half hourly breakdowns and alter habits, where possible. Read more

Switch your mates

Get involved in Powershop's Switch Your Mates referral program to score savings off your Powershop electricity bill for you and the friend that makes the switch - also keep an eye out for when we supercharge Switch Your Mates to bag even bigger savings. Read more

Install a smart meter

Powershop offers this service, often at no cost, to improve data transparency - providing you with the most up to date usage data at your property. Read more

Curb Your Power

Victorian customers can opt in to our demand response program to secure financial rewards for energy usage reduction during peak demand periods. Read more