NSW Electricity Cost Calculator
New South Wales electricity prices are benchmarked against the AER's Default Market Offer (DMO), which varies between the main network areas: Ausgrid (covering greater Sydney, the Central Coast, the Hunter, and Newcastle) and Endeavour Energy (western Sydney, the Blue Mountains, the Illawarra, and southern tablelands). For 2025–26, typical NSW usage rates range from 28–35 cents/kWh for residential customers, with a daily supply charge of approximately 95–115 cents. The average NSW household consumes around 5,500–7,000 kWh per year, resulting in annual bills of ,800–,800 before solar offsets. NSW has strong rooftop solar uptake, over 40% of detached homes in some regions, with solar feed-in tariffs currently 5–10 cents/kWh from most retailers. The NSW Government's Energy Bill Relief rebate provides eligible low-income and concession cardholders with bill credits. The ACCC's Energy Made Easy website (energymadeeasy.gov.au) lets NSW residents compare all retailer offers in their area.
How the calculations work
Daily cost
Each appliance's daily cost is calculated as:
cost = (watts ÷ 1,000) × usage (kWh/day) × rate ($/kWh) × days + supply charge × days
For example, a 2000W appliance running 2h/day at 34¢/kWh:
(2000 ÷ 1,000) × 2 kWh × 0.34 × 30 days = $4.08
Where the supply charge is a fixed daily cost added regardless of usage.
Solar estimate
Annual solar production splits into two parts, what you use at home and what you export to the grid:
annual production (kWh) = system size (kW) × output (kWh/kW/year) self-consumed (70%) = annual production × 0.70 exported (30%) = annual production × 0.30 self-consumption savings = self-consumed kWh × electricity rate export earnings = exported kWh × feed-in tariff rate
The 70/30 split is a representative assumption, actual self-consumption rates vary from 20% to 50% depending on household occupancy patterns and usage timing.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does electricity cost in NSW?
As of 2025-26, NSW electricity costs around 34 cents per kWh on average (including network and retail costs), with a daily supply charge of approximately $1.01/day. The Australian Energy Regulator's Default Market Offer sets the reference price. Actual prices vary by retailer and plan, with some flexible plans offering lower rates during off-peak hours.
What network area am I in?
NSW has three distribution network areas: Ausgrid covers greater Sydney, the Central Coast, and parts of the Hunter region. Endeavour Energy covers Western Sydney and parts of the Blue Mountains. Essential Energy covers rural and regional NSW. Your network area determines the network component of your bill. This calculator uses representative average values across NSW.
How much can I earn exporting solar in NSW?
NSW has no regulated minimum feed-in tariff, rates are set by retailers and vary between approximately 5 and 10 cents per kWh exported. The average market rate is around 7 cents/kWh as of 2025-26. Using more of your solar generation directly (self-consumption) is worth more than the FiT rate, as each kWh self-consumed saves the full retail rate of around 34 cents rather than earning 7 cents.
What is the average NSW electricity bill?
A typical NSW household consuming 6,500-7,000 kWh per year (average for 3-4 people) pays approximately $2,200-$2,600 per year for electricity, or roughly $185-$220 per month. This includes the daily supply charge, consumption charges, and GST. Solar systems of 6.6kW typically reduce annual bills by $1,000-$1,500 depending on self-consumption rates and the feed-in tariff earned.