Australia: standing charges & prepayment explained

What’s actually in your bill beyond the unit rate — compiled August 2026.

Standing charge

90c–$1.30/day “daily supply charge”, NSW average ~105c/day (~$330–440/year) — capped for the first time under AER’s 2026-27 Default Market Offer

Source: AER Default Market Offer 2026-27

Prepayment vs Direct Debit/standard billing

True prepayment metering isn’t a mainstream product in Australia — what’s marketed as “prepay” by some retailers is closer to a bill-smoothing/credit model, not a metered pay-as-you-go system like the UK or Ireland. No regulator has published a prepayment cost-premium finding here, so we’re not claiming one.

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Figures compiled August 2026 and cite the sources linked above — rates and charges change frequently. This is not financial advice.