AGL Energy will pay its 110,000 shareholders the highest first half dividend in a decade on March 27, while its share price has climbed 50 per cent in just six months to record levels around $26.

For investors fed up with soaring electricity bills and occasional power blackouts amid a hostile public debate about the future of Australia's electricity system, it has been a focal point for those taking the "don't get mad, get even" approach of sharing in the spoils.