Electricity
Prices & fees
This page explains our various tariffs, rates and charges relating to power supply for home and business. The information will be updated whenever price changes occur.
- Price increase information
- Does this pricing information apply to me?
- Synergy Home Plan (A1) tariff
- Synergy Hot Water Plan (B1) tariff
- Synergy Home Business Plan (K1) tariff
- Fees
- Network charges
- Reducing your power bill
- Price increase FAQs
Price increase information
The State Government has increased the State’s electricity retail tariffs in April and July 2010. The Home Plan (A1) tariff rates increased by 7.5% in April 2010, followed by a further 10% increase in July 2010.
Synergy has a number of proven strategies to help customers reduce their energy costs. We will be providing information on these with your next bill for your easy reference.
You can view our online tools, Bill Manager and Energy Calculator, to help understand the impact the price increases will have on your household and ways you can manage energy consumption.
The State Government has also announced rebates will increase in line with tariff increases. If you have a residential account and you hold a valid concession card you may be eligible for a rebate off your bill. Centrelink, The Department of Veteran Affairs and the Western Australian Office for Senior’s Interests and Carers issue eligible concession cards. Find out if you may be eligible for a rebate.
In the meantime there are some simple steps you can take to reduce the impact price increases have on your electricity bill. View our SmartWays to save page to see how some simple changes around your home can help you reduce your bill.
We also understand that you are likely to have some questions about these increases. View our frequently asked questions for further information.
Does this pricing information apply to me?
The following pricing details relate to Synergy customers connected to the South West Interconnected System (SWIS), covering the area from Kalbarri in the North down to Albany in the South and East to Kalgoorlie. All other areas of WA are serviced by Horizon Power. The map below shows the approximate boundaries of the Synergy service area.
If you’re still unsure, you can contact us.
Synergy Home Plan (A1) tariff
The A1 tariff is our standard home tariff, available for residential homes. You are charged one flat rate, regardless of when the power is used.
A1 tariff charges
| Tariff | Charges | Current |
|---|---|---|
|
A1 |
Supply charge - cents per day |
38.23 |
|
Supply charge for additional homes* - cents per day |
29.68 |
|
|
Electricity charge - cents per unit |
20.83 |
(All prices are inclusive of GST)
* Applies to multiple flats and home units supplied through the main meter.
Synergy Hot Water Plan (B1) tariff
The B1 tariff is for existing customers currently on the product and is no longer available for new customers/applications.
B1 tariff charges
| Tariff | Charges | Current |
|---|---|---|
|
B1 |
Supply charge - cents per day |
19.81 |
|
Supply charge for additional homes - cents per day |
19.81 |
|
|
Electricity charge - cents per unit |
10.94 |
(All prices are inclusive of GST)
* Applies to multiple flats and home units supplied through the main meter.
Synergy Home Business Plan (K1) tariff
Synergy Home Business Plan (K1) tariff is a combined tariff if you power partly for home, and partly for business purposes. The daily supply charge of the K1 tariff is the same as the supply charge of the Synergy Home Plan (A1) tariff. The first 20kWh of consumption each day, or around 610kWh per month, is also charged at the A1 home rate.
The home consumption allowance is set at 20kWh per day, because it is a typical amount used by home users. Any power you use above 20kWh per day is charged at the same rate as the Synergy Business Plan (L1) tariff.
Some examples that could make you eligible for the K1 tariff include:
- Farming properties where power for both the home and other farm facilities, such as a shearing shed, irrigation pump or cold storage room, is supplied through a single metered supply point.
- Commercial, industrial or general properties with a caretaker's home attached; including churches, schools, shops, factories, police stations and post offices.
- Private homes where a room or suite of rooms is used for business purposes, such as a doctor's surgery, child-minding centre or real estate office.
Before applying for the K1 tariff, remember that supply charge rebates, available to customers on the Synergy Home Plan (A1) tariff, aren’t available to you under the K1 tariff.
K1 tariff charges
| Tariff | Charges | Current | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
K1 |
Supply charge - cents per day |
38.23 |
|
|
Electricity charge - cents per unit for: |
|||
|
First 20 units per day |
20.83 |
||
|
Between 21 - 1650 units per day |
26.11 |
||
| More than 1650 units per day |
23.57 |
||
(All prices are inclusive of GST)
Fees
| Description of Fee | Current | |
|---|---|---|
| Account establishment fee (effective 1 July 2009) | 32.80 | |
|
Reconnection fee |
30.20 | |
| Three phase meter new installation fee (additional network charges may be applicable). |
240.40 | |
| Three phase meter upgrade fee (additional network charges may be applicable. For more information please consult your electrical contractor or contact us). |
268.00 | |
|
Subsidiary meter (three phase) |
148.50 | |
|
Special meter reading fee |
19.60 | |
|
Disconnection of overhead house/premise service leads following illegal |
194.00
|
|
|
Meter testing carried out on your site |
152.00 |
|
| - Concession rate (Fee is refunded if the meter is found to be faulty) | 139.80 | |
|
Overdue account notices (effective 1 July 2007) |
4.50 | |
|
Subsidiary electricity meter rental (cents per day) |
15.97 | |
|
Cheque dishonour fee (effective 1 July 2007) |
14.30 | |
|
Direct debit dishonour fee (effective 1 July 2007) |
14.30 | |
|
Rejected payment/dishonour fee (payment made at Australia Post) |
23.50 | |
|
Merchant services fee * |
0.7% | |
| Demolition fee where supply is removed from site | 360.20 | |
| REBS Application fee (effective 1 July 2010) | 40.00 | |
|
Removal of a temporary supply (effective 1 July 2010) |
340.00 | |
All prices are inclusive of GST unless otherwise specified.
* Veterans' Affairs Gold Cards (war widow, dependent, totally and permanently incapacitated) and Seniors Cards are eligible to receive an exemption from the transaction fee.
You can also download a copy of our Standard Fees and Charges brochure.
Network charges
Please refer to the Western Power website for all charges associated with connecting to the electricity network.
Reducing your power bill
Apart from choosing the right tariff to suit your needs, there’s other ways to take control of your power bill. By changing a few simple habits, you may be able to use less energy, save money, and reduce your impact on the environment.
To work out the approximate costs of running various appliances, take a look at our Energy calculator.
And for more useful energy saving tips, check out:
Price increase FAQs
Why are prices increasing?
The need for a price increase has been driven by factors outside of Synergy’s control. Not only has the cost of living increased, the cost of resources required to produce electricity, such as fuel, labour, construction and transportation have also risen.
I’ve heard that the Government has announced tariff price rises – how does this impact me?
The Premier Colin Barnett and Minister for Energy, Peter Collier announced on March 8th 2010 increases in the State’s electricity retail tariffs. The Home Plan (A1) tariff increased by 7.5% from April 2010, and was followed by a further 10% increase on July 2010. The average weekly cost of the increase for consumers will be $4.13 from July 2010, however, those facing financial hardship will pay an average of $2.78 more per week.
Similar tariff rises will also apply to small businesses, with an average weekly increase of $7.29 from July 2010.
Why have prices increased in two installments, rather than passing through the increase at once?
Tariffs are regulated and increases are a decision of the Government. Increases have been staggered in over two periods (April and July 2010) to allow households and businesses time to adjust to the price increases, determine the impact this will have on their budgets and explore ways that energy can be reduced to limit the impact of the rises.
How can I reduce the impact these increases have on my electricity bill?
Synergy has a range of tips and tools designed to help you save energy and help you manage the impact of price increases on your electricity bill. A range of ‘no cost’ and ‘minimal cost’ tips can help you reduce how much energy your home or business consumes, and our range of energy calculators can help you assess your current energy use and identify ways to save.
For tips on how to manage the energy usage around your home, please visit our How Can I Reduce My Bill? page, where we have a range of tools designed to assist with this.
But, I’m struggling to pay my bills as it is at the moment. What assistance will be made available to help me manage the increases?
The State Government has announced that more than $16.8 million will be available through rebates and hardship assistance measures, with rebates increasing in line with electricity tariff increases. Check our rebates section to see if you may be eligible for a rebate.
Payments provided through the Hardship Utilities Grant Scheme (HUGS) will increase from $380 to $408 from April 1 and $450 from July 1 . Other assistance measures, such as the Fridge Replacement Program and the Hardship Efficiency program will also continue.
I have heard prices will continue to rise. Is this true?
The Government announced that it will increase tariffs responsibly to ensure the lights stay on while considering the financial pressure many families are already under. Synergy has always advocated, on behalf of customers, any increases be gradual to enable them time to adjust, and the tariffs announced by the government are currently below cost reflective levels.
My bill has been going up in recent years, so hasn’t the tariff also been increasing?
Consumer usage has changed and this is why your bills may have gone up even though the price increased for the first time in 12 years for Home Plan (A1) customers last year. As technology has advanced over recent years, so too has the number of electrical appliances on offer, such as air-conditioning, large screen televisions and bore and pool pumps.
Doesn’t this show disaggregation and competition (electricity reform) is failing?
No, prices are increasing both around Australia and around the world. Western Australia is not immune to the cost pressures which are being experienced elsewhere.
I’m interested in cutting back on my energy costs. Synergy has said it has proven strategies to cut energy costs. What are these?
A range of energy solutions are available on our website, to help businesses and homes manage any proposed price increases. We encourage you to review our website to utilise the free web tools and advice provided.
I’m a SmartPower customer. Are my time of use rates going to increase?
We are currently reviewing the SmartPower rates and will advise affected customers in due course if any rate changes apply.
I’m a NaturalPower customer. Is my NaturalPower premium going to rise, along with A1?
The NaturalPower premium will not be increasing, however, the base tariff rate you currently pay will be increasing as outlined.
How will my bill be calculated when I will have some portions of my bill calculated at the old rate, and some calculated at the new rate?
The new tariff is applied for only that part of the bill covering consumption from April 2010 onwards.
As it is not possible to handle 900,000 reads on one day, the consumption over the billing period has the tariff price increase applied on a pro-rata'd basis.
