South Australians being given the chance to make the switch and get a better deal on their power bills

HOUSEHOLDERS are being given the chance to band together to seek a better deal from electricity companies.

17/01/2016 Sumantha and Mamatha Gubba and their daughter Jeswitha Gubba 6 months happy with the money they saved with One Big Switch. Pic Mark Brake

TEN thousand South Australian electricity customers are wanted for a campaign to switch as a block to the best electricity deal they can attract from power companies.

The system has worked in the past because electricity companies will reduce their prices for the chance to lure 10,000 customers in one go from other companies.

The Big SA Energy Switch campaign begins this week and is seeking 10,000 or more people who want to save money.

Campaign director Joel Gibson said: “South Australians have every right to be fed up with high power prices. You have it worse than any other state. But you can fight back by banding together and seeing what people power can do to encourage lower prices from retailers.”

The Advertiser is one of the media partners promoting the Big SA Energy Switch, which will sign up participants for three weeks.

SA households can join the campaign, at no cost, until February 5 at www.onebigswitch.com.au.

The Federal Government’s Australian Energy Regulator last month estimated that SA electricity customers could cut about a third off the average electricity bill of $2000 by shopping around.

The savings have been made possible by the Weatherill Government’s deregulation of electricity prices which opened up around 200,000 customers to competition, when previously they had been on a set-price contract.

“In . . . NSW, Victoria and South Australia, annual charges under the cheapest contract were typically at least 30 per cent lower than under the most expensive contract,’’ the AER said in December.

“Large annual bill spreads indicate scope for customers to save significantly on their energy bills by switching retailers. But customers can also gain savings by switching contracts with the same retailer.’’

Uniting Communities energy expert Mark Henley said people taking the AER’s advice should also check that the deal they switch to saves money in the long term.

“The analysis is about best prices today, a static analysis, we really don’t know what the best deal is over time, say one year, two years, five years,’’ he said.

Mr Henley said electricity consumers could also seek discounts on their own by contacting retailers.

“I can also say that I would also encourage people generally to ring their existing retailer and ask if their retailer can give them a better price or better deal,’’ he said.

One Big Switch is a private company with 500,000 members who have taken part in switches for energy, mortgages, life insurance and health insurance.

The company first came to prominence in 2012 with its national 250,000-household-strong Big Electricity Switch.

In that year, people who switched saved 15.5 per cent on average from their bills, or around $320 each.

Join the campaign now.

What is the Big SA Energy Switch

The Big SA Energy Switch is a campaign to unlock group-discounted electricity using the buying power of tens of thousands of households. The campaign is powered by One Big Switch and is supported by our media partners.

How does it work?

Step 1: You register. Registration is obligation-free and cost-free, and requires only some basic information.

Step 2: One Big Switch uses the bargaining power of a large group of possible switchers to source group discounted electricity offers.

Step 3: One Big Switch forwards to you any offers we are able to negotiate, and you decide if the offer is right for you, and whether or not you want to switch.

SA households can join the campaign online.

There is no obligation to take up any offer. News Corp Australia is a commercial partner in the campaign and a shareholder of One Big Switch.

One switch makes a big difference

ONE member of the last group to switch using the One Big Switch campaign in 2012 was Sumanth Gubba of Henley Beach.

Mr Gubba said he and his wife saved 25 per cent on their bill by switching to a lower-priced retailer, and were given a bonus on top of the saving.

“I have also switched my gas,’’ he said. “On electricity I got a $100 credit for the first bill as well as the 25 per cent discount.

“It is a really big difference, especially for people on a basic salary, if you can make a $100 difference or a $150 difference on a bill.’’

Mr Gubba said while people tried to use less electricity to cut their bills, switching was easier.

The entrepreneurial One Big Switch company was founded in 2012 to take advantage of competition law and deregulation of markets. In that year 20,000 South Australians joined a national electricity switching campaign and won discounts of up to 15.5 per cent on their bills by switching providers.