Choosing an energy company

With so many energy providers in the market, choosing one can be a challenge. It’s important to shop around to find the electricity or gas provider that best meets your needs.

Remember: every provider will tell you they have the best deal. You’ll need to do your own comparison to decide which one is best for you.

Once you find the provider you want to be with, you can set up a new account online or over the phone.

You may be in a building that has a contract with one provider to supply electricity or gas to all tenants, or have a bulk hot water service using gas. This is called an embedded network and  you might not be able to change your provider. Contact your on-seller or body corporate if you have questions.

Read more about choosing an energy company.

Choosing a contract

Make sure you read a contract carefully before you agree to it. You need to fully understand and agree to all the terms and conditions.

If you feel like you’re being pressured to accept a contract over the phone, ask for them to post or email a copy to you so you can read it thoroughly.

A contract is legally binding, so don’t agree to it if you’re not sure what it means, or the terms and conditions aren’t what you expected.

If you agree to a new contract but later change your mind, you do have a 10 day cooling off period where you can ask your provider to cancel the contract.

Read more about choosing a contract.

Proving your identity

You will need to give your new electricity or gas provider your name and contact details so they can send you bills.

They might also ask for identification, such as a drivers licence or another type of photo identification.

Your new provider is allowed to conduct a credit check before they offer you a new contract. You will need to agree to this credit check. If you do not agree to the credit check, the provider does not have to offer you a contract.

Checking concessions

If you have a current Queensland Government Seniors Card or Pensioner Concession Card, you could be eligible for an electricity or gas rebate.

When you’re setting up your account, tell your energy provider if you think you might be eligible.

If you are eligible, the provider will credit the rebate to your electricity bill automatically. Check each bill to make sure they’ve applied the correction concessions.

Adding a person to your account

You may want to add the name of your partner or housemate to your account (i.e. an ‘authorised person) so they can also speak to your provider about the account.

For your privacy, providers can only talk to you or an authorised person about your account.

The authorised person will not be liable for paying any bills and they will not be able to close an account on your behalf.

Paying a security deposit

The provider might ask you to pay a security deposit if you’ve never held an account with them or had trouble keeping up to date with your bills in the past.

They will refund the security deposit back to you after you’ve paid your bill in full and on time for a while (i.e. once you have a good payment record).

Moving in and moving out

If you’re moving house, there are things you can do to avoid problems with your account later. Read our article on how to avoid issues with your energy or water bills when moving house.

If you have a complaint about an electricity or gas company

If you have a complaint with your current provider and can't resolve it with them, EWOQ may be able to help. We offer a free, fair and independent dispute resolution service.

Find out more about complaints we can help with.