Several energy providers are raising their prices from July 1, prompting concern among small-business owners already struggling to keep up with rising costs.
The changes follow the Australian Energy Regulator’s decision to raise the Default Market Offer (DMO) for electricity prices in 2025-26.
The DMO is the maximum price that retailers can charge standing offer customers in New South Wales, South Australia, and South East Queensland. As a result of the latest DMO determination, small-business customers in these states could see price hikes of up to 8.5 per cent, 0.8 per cent, and 3.5 per cent, respectively.
Many retailers have already announced price raises in New South Wales, South Australia, and Southeastern Queensland, as well as in other states and territories. So far, the likes of Origin Energy, EnergyAustralia, AGL, Red Energy and Powershop have announced hikes starting July 1.
New report finds unsympathetic hardship practices
While hardship responses are supposed to be a lifeline for business owners struggling to pay bills due to adverse circumstances, new research finds that many energy retailers aren’t delivering enough support.
A new report by Financial Counsellors Victoria has found wildly inconsistent hardship practices among energy providers across Australia. Across the board, energy providers were failing to provide proactive support and employed “burdensome” eligibility checks, according to the report. Among the least helpful were Engie, Lumo, and Ovo.
Unfortunately, small-business owners seem to bare the brunt of energy retailers’ neglect: Financial counsellors surveyed perceived them to be one of the least-supported customer groups, alongside those with unrecoverable debt and scam victims.
What can you do if you’re struggling to keep up?
If you’re struggling to keep up with payments, there are rebates and concessions available to small-business owners across Australia that can help – see a list on the Energy Consumers Australia website.
If you’re looking for some quick tips to save power, see our recent articles on how to reduce power bills, plus five lesser-known ways you can keep energy costs down.
