Electricity bills: AGL and Origin Energy 2025-26 power price increases revealed

Some Aussie households are facing power bill hikes of up to $300 — double the rebate from the Albanese government — under new changes by a major power retailer.

Households face electricity bill increases of as much as $300 in 2025-26 — double the rebate from the Albanese government — under new changes by a major power retailer.

This masthead has obtained details of looming price increases being planned by two of energy suppliers and there is little good news for customers already suffering after numerous big hikes in the recent past.

AGL will lift prices by an average of 13.5 per cent in NSW from August, adding as much as $300 a year to costs for medium usage.

AGL said that across all NSW customers, the increase would be $267.

By comparison, the federal government has only promised $150 worth of rebates from July.

Power bills for millions of households will rise by as much as 13.5 per cent in the new financial year, it can be revealed. Picture: AFP

In Victoria, the average jump across all AGL residential customers will be 6.8 per cent, which would increase a typical bill by about $110. Victorian households generally have lower electricity consumption because they rely on gas more than people in other states.

In Queensland, AGL is raising prices by 7.5 per cent, which is likely to cost a household with standard usage about $155 extra.

In South Australia the lift will be 7.8 per cent, which will add about $200 to annual charges on a single-rate tariff.

These are average increases. The specific increase for each household will depend on the offer they are on and their consumption.

Letters and emails explaining how much costs are going up are likely to have arrived this week.

Letters and emails explaining how much costs are going up are likely to have arrived this week.

This masthead can also reveal that Origin will raise its prices by an average of 9.1 per cent in NSW, by 5.5 per cent in SA and by 3-4 per cent in Queensland. Those increases will kick in from next month.

The size of the rise to be imposed by Origin in Victoria is not yet known.

These latest price rises are being blamed on increasing network charges, higher costs to serve customers and elevated wholesale electricity expenses.

Origin’s retail head Jon Briskin said: “There are simple ways customers can take control of their energy and potentially save – check you’re on the best plan, use the Origin app to track your usage, and take advantage of benefits like discounts on fuel and other everyday expenses.

The federal government has only promised $150 worth of rebates from July.

An AGL spokeswoman said the company was “committed to supporting customers who are finding it difficult to pay their energy bills.

“We encourage customers to seek help early to discuss the different payment and support options we offer,” she said.

Nationally, across all retailers, about 110,000 households are in hardship programs because they can’t pay their bills.

In just a year, the average debt on entry to a hardship program has ballooned to $1633 from $1085, official data shows.

AGL and Origin sell electricity to about eight million households nationally.

Federal Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen’s spokeswoman said “it’s clear energy bills for Australians remain too high, and we’re providing help for people doing it tough as we deliver longer term reform, including making the energy retail market fairer.”

The minister’s spokeswoman said 80 per cent of households aren’t on the cheapest energy deal “which is why we’re making it easier for households to find and switch to better plans.”

The simplest way to check for cheaper deals is by going to the Australian Energy Regulator’s independent comparison website Energy Made Easy.

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Originally published as Electricity bills: AGL and Origin Energy 2025-26 power price increases revealed