According to the Australian Energy Regulator (AER), 27 per cent of Australians are on standing offers. In NSW, 40 per cent of the big three retailers’ revenue comes from standing offers. Loading However, these offers will soon be a regulated capped price, stopping unwary consumers being slogged more and making power bill discounts less confusing. Energy consultant Martin Gill said ahead of the introduction of a regulated price a better name for standing offers would be "maximum tariff". "The idea was competition would lead to cheaper prices, but what has actually happened is it has led to consumer confusion and it is totally impossible to meaningfully compare tariffs," he said.

Previously, retailers had set enormously high standing offers to provide greater "discounts", although this will soon be abolished with the new price cap.. Quick research could save you hundreds: Gavin Dufty. Gavin Dufty, from St Vincent de Paul, said power companies had exploited consumers confused about electricity prices. "Most people on standing offers were being dudded," he said. He said consumers researched cheap deals for car registration but not electricity: "If you sit down for an hour, you can save $300. Do it at the same time as your rego. It will pay for the rego." It pays to shop around

Ask your power company for their best deal and compare retailers. In NSW, there is a choice of 24 but some are the same company with different names. Dr Gill said many price comparison sites get kickbacks from retailers so don't offer the best deal. The federal government has an energy made easy website while Service NSW provides a free consultation. The regulated price will now cap standing offers and act as a reference price you can use to compare discounts, taking some of the mystery out of what your discount is actually on as there is now a common price benchmark. Federal Energy Minister Angus Taylor said government pressure on retailers meant power companies reduced or froze standing offer charges in NSW, Victoria, south-east Queensland and South Australia on January 1. But he conceded there was work to be done.

"The Morrison Government has asked the Australian Energy Regulator to develop a reference bill to be implemented by 1 July 2019 in every region not already subject to regulation of standing offers," he said. "A reference bill will provide a clear benchmark against which families and businesses can compare their own bills with ease." Dr Gill said the government claimed 50 retailers competing must be a good outcome. "It's not the number of retailers, it's how well-educated consumers are to choose." Many retailers also offer additional benefits, such as movie tickets or frequent flyer points, as incentives to change supplier.