Australian businesses ‘unhappy’ with electricity contacts with 62% keen to switch, survey finds

The survey found expensive rates, inflexibility, and a lack of routes to better control their energy usage were the main causes for complaint. The survey was commissioned by retailer and energy management company Flow Power, which highlighted that a strong majority of businesses (62%) would switch electricity providers if they were “given more options”.

“Our findings come at a time when renewable energy is becoming more and more available to Australian businesses and yet businesses feel shut out of the market,” Flow Power CEO Matthew van der Linden said.

“Flexibility is also hugely important to many businesses, with 46% of survey respondents telling us that they would be prepared to pay an additional two to three percent above market rate in their electricity contract to enable them to pay a lower rate when the market price dips,” he added.

Australia’s electricity provider market is dominated by AGL and Origin, both of which, especially AGL, have come under heavy fire recently for coal usage. Around 2008, electricity bills in Australia shot up, rising 117% between 2008 and 2018 – four times the average price increase across other sectors.

The high price of electricity has, however, supported the rise of solar with Australia now leading the world in rooftop solar capacity. Businesses, also known as the C&I segment, have not taken up solar with the same vigour.