Some of you may know that I worked at Enova Energy up until 2 weeks ago when they succumbed to the energy crisis, going into voluntary administration. One of the jobs I did at Enova was comparing energy bills with other energy companies, as well as general Energy Coaching.
Along with 13,000 other Enova customers I have been left with the decision of which energy retailer to move to, now that all Enova customers have been automatically transferred to Origin Energy.
I have had many friends, family and clients ask me who they should switch to, or indeed, who I’m switching to. And many have expressed overwhelm at how to make this decision, trying to compare apples, oranges and lemons.
Even if you weren’t with Enova, this is something that may have been on your mind, especially with the radically changing energy market.
So, I’ve decided to write this blog, to help people make this important decision, and show you my own thought-process in making my decision.
First I want to acknowledge that we all have different criteria for choosing an energy company, and my own bias is towards a company that has excellent ‘green’ practices (a high proportion of renewable energy) AND doesn’t charge an arm and a leg. If you share this bias, here are the steps I took to choose a new energy company:
STEP 1:
Find out who the best green retailers are. You can do this by checking out one or more of the green energy guides released recently, eg
* the Greenpeace guide: https://greenelectricityguide.org.au/
* Finder Green Awards (Utilities section): https://www.finder.com.au/finder-green-awards
Then write down (or remember) who your top picks are (check that they provide energy in your state, and remember you can’t include Enova 
).
STEP 2:
Decide whether you are willing to accept *hydro* as a source of renewable energy. A few of the green retailers source their energy from hydro, eg Momentum and Red Energy. Hydro is indeed renewable, however some of us don’t like what dams do to the environment. Others argue that “Snowy is already built, the damage is done”, but then it is the high demand for hydro that leads to new dams. (I’m trying not to show my bias!).
STEP 3:
Go to the website Energy Made Easy https://www.energymadeeasy.gov.au/
so you can get a price comparison between retailers, for your location and energy use patterns.
Fill in the fields, and upload an energy bill (if this doesn’t work you can enter your ‘NMI’ (from a bill) so they have a year’s worth of energy data.
Scroll through the top results, looking for any of the *green energy companies* you chose in Steps 1 and 2.
STEP 4:
Sign up with your top pick!
It’s that easy… 
Please SHARE this post with anyone you think could find it useful. And feel free to write a comment about your own experience with this process, or information you have learnt.
*************************************************
FURTHER RESEARCH / ANALYSIS you could do (or I could do for you 
)
There’s plenty of other research and due diligence you could do before signing over your account. If you want support to do this, or want a more detailed analysis of your options, please see my note below about a service I’m offering.
Another thing you could do is read reviews of your top choices on websites like:
* Choice (https://www.choice.com.au/…/shopping-for…/utilities) * Finder (https://www.finder.com.au/energy) or * Product Review (https://www.productreview.com.au/c/energy-providers).
You could also compare the detailed tariffs between energy plans, to see which work best for your situation (eg Feed In Tariffs if you have solar and export a lot to the grid), or Peak vs Shoulder & Offpeak rates if you want a Time Of Use (TOU) plan.
But in the end remember: if you don’t enjoy comparing and analysing details and you’re getting overwhelmed, it’s better to switch to someone ‘likely’ to be a lot greener, and switch again later if you aren’t happy with them.
The photos attached are some screenshots from my own hunt, with specific examples from Energy Locals and Diamond Energy, and notes on what they relate to.
*************************************
ENGAGE ME TO WORK OUT THE OPTIMAL TARIFF FOR YOUR HOME –
If you want more support from me to make an informed decision, here’s a service I’m offering.
I have created a tool that allows me to compare the rates of multiple energy retailers and their plans, based on a home’s actual energy use. If you would like to make sure that one plan is better for you (financially) than another, then I could do the calculations and give you the results. I find this is much more accurate than just using Energy made Easy.
You can tell me your criteria (or top 2 companies) so I can help you make a decision (don’t worry I won’t judge if you want to compare with one of the non-green companies). For this service I charge $35. If you want additional advice, (eg pick my brains on lowering your home’s energy use) I’ll only charge $15 for 15-minute increments. If you’d like to take up this offer, send me a message. The first step from there will be for you to send me a recent energy bill to get your energy usage from.
Seb. Crangle – Home Energy Advisor