High bill checklist
Is your bill higher than expected? Our handy high bill checklist can help you understand why and provide tips for preventing unexpected high bills in the future.
Struggling to pay your bill?
If you’re having trouble paying your bill, we’re here to help. We have a range of options that can help with managing your account online through My Account including:
- If you need some extra time to pay, you can apply for a payment plan
- If you hold a concession card you may be eligible for an electricity rebate
- If you would like to break your bill into more manageable pieces, you can sign up to Direct Debit or Centrepay
You can also compare tariffs to make sure you’re on the one that suits you best, or find a range of home energy tips on our website.
High bill checklist
Step 1: Review your bill
Longer billing period
Energy bills rarely cover the same exact number of days per billing period. If your bill’s higher than usual, it could be due to a longer billing period.
You can find the number of days your bill covers on the second page of your bill under the ‘BILL SUMMARY’ section. You can calculate your average daily cost by dividing the total new electricity charges in your bill summary by the number of days in the billing period.
Finding your average daily usage (kWh):
- Check the second page of your bill. You’ll see a graph to compare your total usage over time, along with your average daily usage for that specific bill. You can also see your average daily usage in the Usage & Metering section on your My Account dashboard
- Our average daily usage and cost calculator can help you quickly and easily calculate your average daily usage for one bill or across multiple bills.
Tracking your average daily usage and average daily cost is a great way to monitor your energy usage and compare bills accurately 'apples for apples'. Check out our average daily usage and cost calculator to quickly and easily calculate your average daily usage and cost for one bill or across multiple bills.
Average daily usage and average daily cost
Tracking your average daily usage and average daily cost is a great way to monitor your energy usage and compare bills accurately 'apples for apples'.
It's best to focus on your average daily usage (kWh) when comparing bills before and after a price change.
Finding your average daily usage (kWh):
- Check the second page of your bill. You’ll see a graph to compare your total usage over time, along with your average daily usage for that specific bill. You can also see your average daily usage in the Usage & Metering section on your My Account dashboard
- Our average daily usage and cost calculator can help you quickly and easily calculate your average daily usage for one bill or across multiple bills.
Finding your average daily cost ($):
- You can calculate your average daily cost by dividing the total new electricity charges from your bill. Go to the 'BILL SUMMARY' section on page 2 of your bill and note the amount listed against 'New Charges' Electricity Charge. This could be on page 2 or 3 of your bill
- Our average daily usage and cost calculator can help you quickly and easily calculate your average daily cost for one bill or across multiple bills.
New charges are made up of the charges for each tariff, plus any service fees.
You can learn more about the different parts of your bill on our understanding your bill page.
Estimated bill
An estimated bill may be higher or lower than your actual usage. We’ll estimate your electricity use based on your historical data if the meter reader wasn’t able to access your basic meter or if there was a connection dropout with your smart meter. You can tell if your bill has been estimated as you’ll see a message on the second page of your bill in the ‘MY METER READING AND ACCESS’ section.
You may also find it useful to compare your average daily usage and cost across two billing periods.
How to investigate your estimated bill:
- If you've received an estimated bill and have a basic meter, you can request to provide your own read and get an adjusted bill
- If your most recent bill was estimated due to dogs, you can view and update your dog details in My Account
- Once you’ve received a bill based on an actual read, you may notice it’s higher or lower than usual to correct the estimate
- You may find it useful to compare the average daily usage and cost across the two billing periods, as an actual read has been used at the start and end of the billing periods when placed one after the other
- Check out our average daily usage and cost calculator to quickly and easily calculate your average daily usage and cost across your bills.
You can learn more about the different parts of your bill on our understanding your bill page.
Price change
Each year on 1 July our electricity prices are updated by the Queensland Competition Authority (QCA) based on the cost of buying and delivering electricity to customers. We’re required by the Electricity Act to charge the notified prices set by the QCA.
The Queensland Government subsidises the price of electricity for regional Queenslanders to ensure we’re on par with other parts of the state, given the vast geographic distances to deliver electricity across regional and remote Queensland. Learn more about the price changes for residential and business customers.
If you have two lines of prices on your bill for the period covering July, it’s because prices change each year on 1 July. Where the new prices are applied part way through your billing cycle, you’ll see one line showing the old rates for the period prior to 30 June, and another line for the new rates from 1 July onwards. Learn more by visiting our FAQ – Why do I have two lines of prices on my bill?
Use our average daily usage and cost calculator to help pinpoint if your high bill was caused by price changes. By focusing on the average usage per day (kWh) instead of average cost ($) per day you can identify if your high bill was due to increased usage or due to price increases.
Rebates
We offer a range of government rebates to help with the cost of electricity. You can check if you’ve received any rebates by looking at the second page of your bill under the ‘New credits’ section – ‘Rebate and other credits’. If you don’t have a rebate applied and think you should, you can visit our support programs page to check your eligibility, apply or update your concession details.
Fees for work performed
If you’ve recently had work performed on your electricity connection, such as a meter upgrade from single to multiple phases or solar installation, the charges for this work will be invoiced to your via your electricity bill. You can see the name of the charge and the amount on the back of your bill under the New charges section - Other charges.
If you have solar, one charge that will always appear is the Meter Services Charge. This charge is set by the Australian Energy Regulator and covers the cost of providing your meters and the ongoing costs of operating and maintaining your meters.
You can learn more about the different parts of your bill on our understanding your bill page.
Step 2: Review your household usage
Hot or cold weather
Weather can have a big impact on your energy use. Queensland is a diverse state, with the top half of the state relying heavily on air-conditioning in summer, and the southern part using heating in winter. To see if the weather’s impacting your bill, you can compare your energy use with the same time last year – you can see this in the graph on the second page of your bill. You can also calculate your cooling and heating costs and get savings tips with our household energy use calculator.
More people at home
If friends or family come to stay, you’ll notice that your bill will increase. This is due to extra meals being cooked, more showers being taken, the fridge being opened more etc. This is why you may also notice a spike if the kids have been home over the holidays.
More time spent at home
If you’ve been spending more time at home (e.g. working from home, spending more time cooking/dining at home instead of going out, watching TV instead of going out), you’ll notice that your bill will increase. This is due to extra meals being cooked, appliances being used for longer, the fridge being opened more etc.
Changes in appliances
New appliances
When replacing an appliance, it’s important to understand the ongoing costs. For example, a new big screen TV may cost more to run than your old one. Check out our appliance running cost calculator and appliance energy tips for more information.
Faulty appliances
When appliances are on their last legs they cost more to run. For example, a fridge that has cracked or broken seals has to work harder to keep your food cold. Keeping your appliances in good working order can save you a lot on your bills.
Step 3: Set up budget alerts and track your usage
Keep tabs on your usage & unlock savings with a smart meter!
By having a smart meter you can access powerful features in My Account. Putting more choice and control in your hands. With My Account and a smart meter you can:
- Check you're on the best tariff rate
- Set up budget alerts
- Discover insights and saving opportunities
- Track exports if you have rooftop solar
- View your usage over different periods
Already have a smart meter?
You can access these benefits now – simply login or register for My Account, then click the 'SMART METER FEATURES' button on your dashboard.
Ready to get a smart meter?
Request a smart meter using our quick and easy online form.
Tips for preventing high bills – for homes
My Account
With a smart meter, you have access to smart meter features in My Account. You can check you’re on the best rate for your home, get budget alerts, track your usage and more. Simpler, easier, better – register for My Account today.
Track your usage
If you have a basic meter that requires a reading by a meter reader, you may find it helpful to track your usage by taking your own meter reads. Visit our how to read your meter webpage for information about different meter types and how to read them.
Help made for you
Our help made for you webpage has lots of great tips and resources that can help with managing your bills and home energy use.
Tips for preventing high bills – for businesses
My Account
With My Account you can check you’re on the best rate for your business, get budget alerts, track your usage and more. Simpler, easier, better – register for My Account today.
More choice and value
Our more choice and value webpage has lots of great resources that can help with managing your bills and business energy use.