{
 "note": "What to ask a reader before this dataset can answer an electricity plan question, and which file answers each. It holds every generally available residential electricity plan from the AER's Consumer Data Right feed, in the National Electricity Market networks, with an estimated yearly bill at three usage levels per network. The network (from the postcode) comes first, then usage, then controlled load. Every number here is taken from the files it describes when they are built.",
 "questions": [
  {
   "question": "What is the cheapest electricity plan for my postcode?",
   "also_asked_as": [
    "cheapest electricity provider near me",
    "best electricity deal in my area",
    "which energy retailer is cheapest",
    "should I switch electricity plans"
   ],
   "has_no_single_answer": true,
   "ask_the_reader_first": [
    {
     "input": "postcode (or network)",
     "why": "Prices are set per distribution network, so the network decides which plans and prices apply. postcodes.json maps a postcode to its network slugs, read from the plans' own postcode lists; a postcode on a boundary lists more than one, and then ask the reader which distributor is on their bill. The networks priced are Ausgrid (ausgrid), Endeavour Energy (endeavour), Essential Energy (essential-energy), Essential Energy Far West (essential-energy-far-west), Energex (energex), Ergon Energy (ergon), SA Power Networks (sa-power-networks), Evoenergy (evoenergy), TasNetworks (tasnetworks), CitiPower (citipower), Powercor (powercor), Jemena (jemena), AusNet Services (ausnet), United Energy (united-energy).",
     "how_much_it_moves_the_answer": "The cheapest bill for each network's medium household runs from $1,103 on CitiPower (4,000 kWh) to $2,218 on TasNetworks (7,100 kWh), a gap of $1,115 a year across the 14 networks priced. Part of the gap is usage, which differs by network."
    },
    {
     "input": "usage: low, medium or high, or the reader's kWh a year from a recent bill",
     "why": "Each network is priced for three households (networks.json networks[].usage): medium is the regulator's reference household, low is half and high is double. A reader who knows their kWh (a quarterly bill times four) reads the level nearest to it.",
     "how_much_it_moves_the_answer": "In Ausgrid the cheapest bill is $894 for low usage (1,950 kWh), $1,410 for medium (3,900 kWh) and $2,406 for high (7,800 kWh): $1,513 between low and high. The cheapest plan itself differs between low and high usage in 11 of the 14 networks, because a low daily supply charge matters most to a small user and a low rate per kWh to a large one."
    },
    {
     "input": "controlled_load: does the bill show a separate controlled load or off-peak hot water meter?",
     "why": "A household with controlled load must read the _controlled_load views; the other views assume none. 4427 rows across all networks are controlled load plans open to all.",
     "how_much_it_moves_the_answer": "In Ausgrid the cheapest bill with controlled load is $1,759 for medium usage plus 2,000 kWh of controlled load (1st Energy, 1st Emerald - Time of Use + Controlled Load 1), $350 more than the cheapest without it, so the controlled load costs about 17c a kWh at the margin. The two lists are different plans: a plan without a controlled load tariff cannot serve a meter that has one."
    },
    {
     "input": "will the reader always pay on time or by direct debit?",
     "why": "Conditional percentage discounts are counted in annual_bill as if earned. annual_bill_without_conditional_discounts is the bill when they are not.",
     "how_much_it_moves_the_answer": "The cheapest plan for the medium household changes in 3 of the 14 networks when conditional discounts are left out, and the cheapest bill rises by up to $43 (Energex). 221 plans here carry a conditional discount that changes their bill."
    },
    {
     "input": "is the reader eligible for restricted plans (a member, a Seniors Card holder, a solar or battery owner, an existing customer, or willing to take wholesale prices)?",
     "why": "Plans open only to some households are priced but left out of the rankings.",
     "how_much_it_moves_the_answer": "In 11 of the 14 networks a restricted plan is cheaper for the medium household than every plan open to all. 2964 of the 10545 plans are restricted."
    }
   ],
   "then_read": {
    "postcode_first": "https://deepalmanac.com/au/energy/electricity/v1/postcodes.json",
    "postcode_field": "postcodes[\"<postcode>\"]: the network slugs",
    "url_template": "https://deepalmanac.com/au/energy/electricity/v1/top/{network}.json",
    "field": "views.<usage> (low, medium, high), or views.<usage>_controlled_load; entries[] is the cheapest plan from each retailer, cheapest first",
    "gives": "Each retailer's cheapest plan for that household: annual_bill (conditional discounts counted), annual_bill_without_conditional_discounts, prices, conditions, exit fee, feed-in rate, and the plan's source_url.",
    "also": "views.<usage>.cheapest_without_conditional_discounts and cheapest_including_restricted_plans answer the reader who cannot meet the conditions, or can join a restricted plan.",
    "networks": "https://deepalmanac.com/au/energy/electricity/v1/networks.json",
    "full_list_template": "https://deepalmanac.com/au/energy/electricity/v1/networks/{network}.json",
    "example": "https://deepalmanac.com/au/energy/electricity/v1/top/ausgrid.json"
   },
   "say_as_well": "Give the bill with and without conditional discounts, name the plan's conditions and exit fee, and say the bill is an estimate for a stated household, not a quote. A plan is listed for a network from the distributors it names; it may not be offered at every postcode in the network, so the reader confirms it on the retailer's page or at Energy Made Easy (https://www.energymadeeasy.gov.au/), or Victorian Energy Compare (https://compare.energy.vic.gov.au/) in Victoria. The feed's eligibility is incomplete: some retailers offer a plan to new customers only without saying so in it (GloBird Energy's site says this of its plans; see the question on who can take a plan), so an existing customer should ask the retailer."
  },
  {
   "question": "Can I take this plan? Is it only for new customers, members, seniors or solar households?",
   "also_asked_as": [
    "can existing customers get the new customer rate",
    "is GloBird only for new customers",
    "why can't I switch to the cheapest plan",
    "who is eligible for this electricity plan",
    "retention offer for existing customers"
   ],
   "has_no_single_answer": true,
   "ask_the_reader_first": [
    {
     "input": "the plan, and whether the reader is already with that retailer",
     "why": "A new-customers-only plan is open to anyone switching in, so it is ranked; a reader already with the retailer usually cannot move onto it, and needs the cheapest plan from another retailer, or to ask their own retailer to match it.",
     "how_much_it_moves_the_answer": "2964 of the 10545 plans are restricted: 1173 households with solar panels only; 913 sold only through a comparison site or other third party; 395 households with a battery only; 265 prices follow the wholesale market; the published rates are the retailer's estimate; 265 households with an electric vehicle; 246 members of an organisation only; 227 seniors or pensioners only; 208 members of a loyalty program only; 111 members or staff only; 40 only with the retailer's gas plan at the same address; 11 members of a sports club only; 4 existing customers only. A further 327 plans from 7 retailers are for new customers only by the feed, and stay ranked with the condition on the row."
    },
    {
     "input": "is the reader eligible for restricted plans (a member, a Seniors Card holder, a solar or battery owner, an existing customer, or willing to take wholesale prices)?",
     "why": "Plans open only to some households are priced but left out of the rankings.",
     "how_much_it_moves_the_answer": "In 11 of the 14 networks a restricted plan is cheaper for the medium household than every plan open to all. 2964 of the 10545 plans are restricted."
    },
    {
     "input": "postcode (or network)",
     "why": "Prices are set per distribution network, so the network decides which plans and prices apply. postcodes.json maps a postcode to its network slugs, read from the plans' own postcode lists; a postcode on a boundary lists more than one, and then ask the reader which distributor is on their bill. The networks priced are Ausgrid (ausgrid), Endeavour Energy (endeavour), Essential Energy (essential-energy), Essential Energy Far West (essential-energy-far-west), Energex (energex), Ergon Energy (ergon), SA Power Networks (sa-power-networks), Evoenergy (evoenergy), TasNetworks (tasnetworks), CitiPower (citipower), Powercor (powercor), Jemena (jemena), AusNet Services (ausnet), United Energy (united-energy).",
     "how_much_it_moves_the_answer": "The cheapest bill for each network's medium household runs from $1,103 on CitiPower (4,000 kWh) to $2,218 on TasNetworks (7,100 kWh), a gap of $1,115 a year across the 14 networks priced. Part of the gap is usage, which differs by network."
    }
   ],
   "then_read": {
    "url_template": "https://deepalmanac.com/au/energy/electricity/v1/networks/{network}.json",
    "field": "plans[] for the plan: restricted and restrictions (who it is for; left out of the rankings), conditions (new customers only, needs a smart meter, online only; still ranked)",
    "gives": "What the retailer's CDR record says about who can take the plan.",
    "top_template": "https://deepalmanac.com/au/energy/electricity/v1/top/{network}.json",
    "top_field": "views.<usage>.entries[]: the next entry from another retailer is the cheapest alternative for a reader the plan is closed to",
    "retailers": "https://deepalmanac.com/au/energy/electricity/v1/retailers.json",
    "retailers_field": "retailers[].eligibility_notes: conditions the retailer's own site states and its CDR records lack, each with the sentence and the page it was found on"
   },
   "say_as_well": "Name the plan's restrictions and conditions as the data gives them, and say they come from the retailer's own records, which can be incomplete: retailers.json eligibility_notes lists what a retailer's site says beyond them, re-read on the retailer's page every day and dropped once it has not been found for 14 days. GloBird Energy's own site says its plans are for new customers (\"Available to eligible new customers depending on distribution zone\", https://www.globirdenergy.com.au/offers-rates/all-tariffs/all-tariffs-resident/, last found there 2026-11-13), and none of its 376 CDR records do; its plan is the cheapest open plan for the medium household in 4 of the 14 networks. The retailer decides eligibility; the reader should confirm before switching."
  },
  {
   "question": "How much does a typical household pay for electricity, and how does that compare with the default market offer?",
   "also_asked_as": [
    "average electricity bill",
    "what is the DMO",
    "what is the Victorian Default Offer",
    "am I paying too much for electricity",
    "standing offer price"
   ],
   "has_no_single_answer": true,
   "ask_the_reader_first": [
    {
     "input": "postcode (or network)",
     "why": "Prices are set per distribution network, so the network decides which plans and prices apply. postcodes.json maps a postcode to its network slugs, read from the plans' own postcode lists; a postcode on a boundary lists more than one, and then ask the reader which distributor is on their bill. The networks priced are Ausgrid (ausgrid), Endeavour Energy (endeavour), Essential Energy (essential-energy), Essential Energy Far West (essential-energy-far-west), Energex (energex), Ergon Energy (ergon), SA Power Networks (sa-power-networks), Evoenergy (evoenergy), TasNetworks (tasnetworks), CitiPower (citipower), Powercor (powercor), Jemena (jemena), AusNet Services (ausnet), United Energy (united-energy).",
     "how_much_it_moves_the_answer": "The cheapest bill for each network's medium household runs from $1,103 on CitiPower (4,000 kWh) to $2,218 on TasNetworks (7,100 kWh), a gap of $1,115 a year across the 14 networks priced. Part of the gap is usage, which differs by network."
    },
    {
     "input": "usage: low, medium or high, or the reader's kWh a year from a recent bill",
     "why": "Each network is priced for three households (networks.json networks[].usage): medium is the regulator's reference household, low is half and high is double. A reader who knows their kWh (a quarterly bill times four) reads the level nearest to it.",
     "how_much_it_moves_the_answer": "In Ausgrid the cheapest bill is $894 for low usage (1,950 kWh), $1,410 for medium (3,900 kWh) and $2,406 for high (7,800 kWh): $1,513 between low and high. The cheapest plan itself differs between low and high usage in 11 of the 14 networks, because a low daily supply charge matters most to a small user and a low rate per kWh to a large one."
    }
   ],
   "then_read": {
    "url": "https://deepalmanac.com/au/energy/electricity/v1/networks.json",
    "field": "networks[].usage (the households) and networks[].cheapest",
    "url_template": "https://deepalmanac.com/au/energy/electricity/v1/networks/{network}.json",
    "full_list_field": "plans[].annual.medium.total for every plan; offer_type STANDING marks the retailers' standing offers, the default offers capped by the DMO or VDO",
    "gives": "The medium household's bill on every plan, so a median or a standing offer can be read off. For a quick answer about a retailer's default offer, https://deepalmanac.com/au/energy/electricity/v1/top/{network}.json views.<usage>.standing_offer_benchmark has the standing offers' range and median, Origin's, AGL's and EnergyAustralia's cheapest, and what the cheapest plan saves against each."
   },
   "say_as_well": "For Ausgrid's medium household (3,900 kWh) the median bill across the 263 plans open to all is $1,785, and the cheapest $1,410. Across networks the median runs from $1,409 (CitiPower) to $2,417 (Essential Energy). Ausgrid's 74 standing offers come to $1,795 to $2,168, against $1,410 for the cheapest market offer. The medium household is the AER's Default Market Offer or the ESC's Victorian Default Offer reference usage where there is one, so a medium bill is comparable with those offers; the DMO and VDO prices themselves are not in this dataset (the AER and ESC publish them). A median across plans is not what households actually pay: it counts every plan once, however few people are on it."
  },
  {
   "question": "Is a time of use plan cheaper than a single rate plan for me?",
   "also_asked_as": [
    "flat rate or time of use",
    "peak and off-peak electricity",
    "should I go on time of use"
   ],
   "has_no_single_answer": true,
   "ask_the_reader_first": [
    {
     "input": "usage: low, medium or high, or the reader's kWh a year from a recent bill",
     "why": "Each network is priced for three households (networks.json networks[].usage): medium is the regulator's reference household, low is half and high is double. A reader who knows their kWh (a quarterly bill times four) reads the level nearest to it.",
     "how_much_it_moves_the_answer": "In Ausgrid the cheapest bill is $894 for low usage (1,950 kWh), $1,410 for medium (3,900 kWh) and $2,406 for high (7,800 kWh): $1,513 between low and high. The cheapest plan itself differs between low and high usage in 11 of the 14 networks, because a low daily supply charge matters most to a small user and a low rate per kWh to a large one."
    },
    {
     "input": "when the household uses its power (how much falls in the 4pm to 9pm peak)",
     "why": "Each household here uses power on the regulator's reference daily profile. A time of use bill depends on how much falls in the peak window, which the reader's own meter data shows and this dataset does not hold.",
     "how_much_it_moves_the_answer": "The cheapest time of use plan beats the cheapest single rate plan for the medium household in 12 of the 14 networks that have both. In Ausgrid, the cheapest time of use bill for the medium household is $1,441 and the cheapest single rate $1,410. On Ausgrid's time of use plans the reference household uses a median 23% of its power in the plan's peak window."
    },
    {
     "input": "postcode (or network)",
     "why": "Prices are set per distribution network, so the network decides which plans and prices apply. postcodes.json maps a postcode to its network slugs, read from the plans' own postcode lists; a postcode on a boundary lists more than one, and then ask the reader which distributor is on their bill. The networks priced are Ausgrid (ausgrid), Endeavour Energy (endeavour), Essential Energy (essential-energy), Essential Energy Far West (essential-energy-far-west), Energex (energex), Ergon Energy (ergon), SA Power Networks (sa-power-networks), Evoenergy (evoenergy), TasNetworks (tasnetworks), CitiPower (citipower), Powercor (powercor), Jemena (jemena), AusNet Services (ausnet), United Energy (united-energy).",
     "how_much_it_moves_the_answer": "The cheapest bill for each network's medium household runs from $1,103 on CitiPower (4,000 kWh) to $2,218 on TasNetworks (7,100 kWh), a gap of $1,115 a year across the 14 networks priced. Part of the gap is usage, which differs by network."
    }
   ],
   "then_read": {
    "url_template": "https://deepalmanac.com/au/energy/electricity/v1/networks/{network}.json",
    "field": "plans[] where tariff is time_of_use or single_rate: annual.<usage>.total, and medium_parts.usage_split (the share of the reference household's kWh in each window)",
    "gives": "Every plan's bill by tariff type, and the windows and rates in prices.rates[].",
    "top_template": "https://deepalmanac.com/au/energy/electricity/v1/top/{network}.json"
   },
   "say_as_well": "The answer here is for the reference daily profile; a household that uses more in the evening peak pays more on time of use than the estimate. Demand tariffs, which charge for the highest half hour of use, are not priced here. With the reader's own meter data, Energy Made Easy (https://www.energymadeeasy.gov.au/), or Victorian Energy Compare (https://compare.energy.vic.gov.au/) in Victoria price every plan on it."
  },
  {
   "question": "I have controlled load (off-peak hot water). Which plan is cheapest?",
   "also_asked_as": [
    "controlled load tariff",
    "off peak hot water electricity plan",
    "dedicated circuit tariff",
    "is controlled load worth it"
   ],
   "has_no_single_answer": true,
   "ask_the_reader_first": [
    {
     "input": "controlled_load: does the bill show a separate controlled load or off-peak hot water meter?",
     "why": "A household with controlled load must read the _controlled_load views; the other views assume none. 4427 rows across all networks are controlled load plans open to all.",
     "how_much_it_moves_the_answer": "In Ausgrid the cheapest bill with controlled load is $1,759 for medium usage plus 2,000 kWh of controlled load (1st Energy, 1st Emerald - Time of Use + Controlled Load 1), $350 more than the cheapest without it, so the controlled load costs about 17c a kWh at the margin. The two lists are different plans: a plan without a controlled load tariff cannot serve a meter that has one."
    },
    {
     "input": "postcode (or network)",
     "why": "Prices are set per distribution network, so the network decides which plans and prices apply. postcodes.json maps a postcode to its network slugs, read from the plans' own postcode lists; a postcode on a boundary lists more than one, and then ask the reader which distributor is on their bill. The networks priced are Ausgrid (ausgrid), Endeavour Energy (endeavour), Essential Energy (essential-energy), Essential Energy Far West (essential-energy-far-west), Energex (energex), Ergon Energy (ergon), SA Power Networks (sa-power-networks), Evoenergy (evoenergy), TasNetworks (tasnetworks), CitiPower (citipower), Powercor (powercor), Jemena (jemena), AusNet Services (ausnet), United Energy (united-energy).",
     "how_much_it_moves_the_answer": "The cheapest bill for each network's medium household runs from $1,103 on CitiPower (4,000 kWh) to $2,218 on TasNetworks (7,100 kWh), a gap of $1,115 a year across the 14 networks priced. Part of the gap is usage, which differs by network."
    },
    {
     "input": "usage: low, medium or high, or the reader's kWh a year from a recent bill",
     "why": "Each network is priced for three households (networks.json networks[].usage): medium is the regulator's reference household, low is half and high is double. A reader who knows their kWh (a quarterly bill times four) reads the level nearest to it.",
     "how_much_it_moves_the_answer": "In Ausgrid the cheapest bill is $894 for low usage (1,950 kWh), $1,410 for medium (3,900 kWh) and $2,406 for high (7,800 kWh): $1,513 between low and high. The cheapest plan itself differs between low and high usage in 11 of the 14 networks, because a low daily supply charge matters most to a small user and a low rate per kWh to a large one."
    }
   ],
   "then_read": {
    "url_template": "https://deepalmanac.com/au/energy/electricity/v1/top/{network}.json",
    "field": "views.<usage>_controlled_load.entries[]",
    "gives": "The cheapest controlled load plan from each retailer: the bill includes the controlled load kWh (controlled_load_kwh) priced on the plan's cheapest controlled load rate and its supply charge.",
    "full_list_template": "https://deepalmanac.com/au/energy/electricity/v1/networks/{network}.json",
    "full_list_field": "plans[] where controlled_load is true: medium_parts.controlled_load, controlled_load_option"
   },
   "say_as_well": "Controlled load bills and the other bills are for different households and cannot be compared line by line. Controlled load use is assumed overnight (10pm to 7am), or on the DMO's own profile in South Australia."
  },
  {
   "question": "Is this retailer's plan a good deal?",
   "also_asked_as": [
    "is AGL cheap",
    "how does Origin compare",
    "is my plan competitive",
    "is my retailer's best plan any good"
   ],
   "has_no_single_answer": true,
   "ask_the_reader_first": [
    {
     "input": "retailer and plan name (or plan_id from the retailer's fact sheet)",
     "why": "40 retailer brands are priced here; a retailer's plans differ by network, tariff and conditions, so a plan is judged against others in the same network.",
     "how_much_it_moves_the_answer": "The number of retailers with a plan open to all runs from 4 in TasNetworks to 30 in Endeavour Energy. In Ausgrid the medium household's bills on plans open to all run from $1,410 to $2,491, a $1,081 spread."
    },
    {
     "input": "postcode (or network)",
     "why": "Prices are set per distribution network, so the network decides which plans and prices apply. postcodes.json maps a postcode to its network slugs, read from the plans' own postcode lists; a postcode on a boundary lists more than one, and then ask the reader which distributor is on their bill. The networks priced are Ausgrid (ausgrid), Endeavour Energy (endeavour), Essential Energy (essential-energy), Essential Energy Far West (essential-energy-far-west), Energex (energex), Ergon Energy (ergon), SA Power Networks (sa-power-networks), Evoenergy (evoenergy), TasNetworks (tasnetworks), CitiPower (citipower), Powercor (powercor), Jemena (jemena), AusNet Services (ausnet), United Energy (united-energy).",
     "how_much_it_moves_the_answer": "The cheapest bill for each network's medium household runs from $1,103 on CitiPower (4,000 kWh) to $2,218 on TasNetworks (7,100 kWh), a gap of $1,115 a year across the 14 networks priced. Part of the gap is usage, which differs by network."
    },
    {
     "input": "usage: low, medium or high, or the reader's kWh a year from a recent bill",
     "why": "Each network is priced for three households (networks.json networks[].usage): medium is the regulator's reference household, low is half and high is double. A reader who knows their kWh (a quarterly bill times four) reads the level nearest to it.",
     "how_much_it_moves_the_answer": "In Ausgrid the cheapest bill is $894 for low usage (1,950 kWh), $1,410 for medium (3,900 kWh) and $2,406 for high (7,800 kWh): $1,513 between low and high. The cheapest plan itself differs between low and high usage in 11 of the 14 networks, because a low daily supply charge matters most to a small user and a low rate per kWh to a large one."
    },
    {
     "input": "controlled_load: does the bill show a separate controlled load or off-peak hot water meter?",
     "why": "A household with controlled load must read the _controlled_load views; the other views assume none. 4427 rows across all networks are controlled load plans open to all.",
     "how_much_it_moves_the_answer": "In Ausgrid the cheapest bill with controlled load is $1,759 for medium usage plus 2,000 kWh of controlled load (1st Energy, 1st Emerald - Time of Use + Controlled Load 1), $350 more than the cheapest without it, so the controlled load costs about 17c a kWh at the margin. The two lists are different plans: a plan without a controlled load tariff cannot serve a meter that has one."
    }
   ],
   "then_read": {
    "url_template": "https://deepalmanac.com/au/energy/electricity/v1/networks/{network}.json",
    "field": "plans[] where retailer or plan_id matches: annual.<usage>, its place in the list (sorted by the medium bill), restricted, conditions, record_stale",
    "gives": "The plan's estimated bill beside every other plan in the network.",
    "top_template": "https://deepalmanac.com/au/energy/electricity/v1/top/{network}.json",
    "retailers": "https://deepalmanac.com/au/energy/electricity/v1/retailers.json",
    "retailers_field": "retailers[]: each retailer's feed status and plan counts"
   },
   "say_as_well": "Compare against the cheapest plan open to all in the same view, and say if the plan is record_stale or restricted. Price is only part of a plan: this dataset holds no customer service or complaints record."
  },
  {
   "question": "Which plan pays the best solar feed-in tariff?",
   "also_asked_as": [
    "best solar feed in tariff",
    "highest feed-in rate",
    "best electricity plan with solar",
    "solar buyback rate"
   ],
   "has_no_single_answer": true,
   "ask_the_reader_first": [
    {
     "input": "postcode (or network)",
     "why": "Prices are set per distribution network, so the network decides which plans and prices apply. postcodes.json maps a postcode to its network slugs, read from the plans' own postcode lists; a postcode on a boundary lists more than one, and then ask the reader which distributor is on their bill. The networks priced are Ausgrid (ausgrid), Endeavour Energy (endeavour), Essential Energy (essential-energy), Essential Energy Far West (essential-energy-far-west), Energex (energex), Ergon Energy (ergon), SA Power Networks (sa-power-networks), Evoenergy (evoenergy), TasNetworks (tasnetworks), CitiPower (citipower), Powercor (powercor), Jemena (jemena), AusNet Services (ausnet), United Energy (united-energy).",
     "how_much_it_moves_the_answer": "The cheapest bill for each network's medium household runs from $1,103 on CitiPower (4,000 kWh) to $2,218 on TasNetworks (7,100 kWh), a gap of $1,115 a year across the 14 networks priced. Part of the gap is usage, which differs by network."
    },
    {
     "input": "how much the reader exports and uses",
     "why": "The bills here assume no solar export, so feed-in tariffs are shown but not counted. A high feed-in rate often comes with higher usage rates, so the best plan for a solar household depends on both.",
     "how_much_it_moves_the_answer": "9368 of the 10545 plans state a retailer-paid feed-in rate. Among plans open to all it runs from -5c to 11c a kWh, median 1c; 2 are below zero, a charge for exporting."
    }
   ],
   "then_read": {
    "url_template": "https://deepalmanac.com/au/energy/electricity/v1/networks/{network}.json",
    "field": "plans[].feed_in_c and plans[].feed_in_time_varying_c (cents per kWh)",
    "gives": "The highest flat retailer-paid feed-in rate each plan states, or, for a plan that pays only by time of day, its lowest and highest rate.",
    "top_template": "https://deepalmanac.com/au/energy/electricity/v1/top/{network}.json"
   },
   "say_as_well": "feed_in_c is the highest flat rate the plan states, which can be paid only up to a daily limit; a time-of-day rate (feed_in_time_varying_c) can be high only in a short window. Price a solar household's options with its own usage and export at Energy Made Easy (https://www.energymadeeasy.gov.au/), or Victorian Energy Compare (https://compare.energy.vic.gov.au/) in Victoria."
  },
  {
   "question": "Do these prices and bills include GST?",
   "also_asked_as": [
    "is the electricity price inc GST",
    "are these rates ex GST",
    "do I add GST to the electricity rate",
    "is the supply charge including GST"
   ],
   "has_no_single_answer": false,
   "ask_the_reader_first": [],
   "then_read": {
    "url_template": "https://deepalmanac.com/au/energy/electricity/v1/networks/{network}.json",
    "field": "plans[].annual (dollars a year), plans[].prices (c_per_kwh, daily_supply_c), plans[].medium_parts",
    "gives": "Every bill and price, all including GST."
   },
   "say_as_well": "Yes. Every bill, usage rate, supply charge, controlled load rate and fee in this dataset includes GST, as a household pays it; there are no figures excluding GST. Do not add GST to any of them. Solar feed-in rates are shown as the retailer publishes them, which is what a household not registered for GST receives. A solar owner registered for GST who exports as part of carrying on an enterprise makes a taxable supply, so GST applies to that payment (the ATO's Electricity and Gas Industry Partnerships issues register, https://www.ato.gov.au/law/view/pdf/adhoc-sgml/gstir-electricity-gas-industry.pdf)."
  },
  {
   "question": "Why is my bill different from the estimate?",
   "also_asked_as": [
    "my bill is higher than the comparison",
    "why does Energy Made Easy show a different price",
    "estimated annual cost wrong"
   ],
   "has_no_single_answer": true,
   "ask_the_reader_first": [
    {
     "input": "usage: low, medium or high, or the reader's kWh a year from a recent bill",
     "why": "Each network is priced for three households (networks.json networks[].usage): medium is the regulator's reference household, low is half and high is double. A reader who knows their kWh (a quarterly bill times four) reads the level nearest to it.",
     "how_much_it_moves_the_answer": "In Ausgrid the cheapest bill is $894 for low usage (1,950 kWh), $1,410 for medium (3,900 kWh) and $2,406 for high (7,800 kWh): $1,513 between low and high. The cheapest plan itself differs between low and high usage in 11 of the 14 networks, because a low daily supply charge matters most to a small user and a low rate per kWh to a large one."
    },
    {
     "input": "controlled_load: does the bill show a separate controlled load or off-peak hot water meter?",
     "why": "A household with controlled load must read the _controlled_load views; the other views assume none. 4427 rows across all networks are controlled load plans open to all.",
     "how_much_it_moves_the_answer": "In Ausgrid the cheapest bill with controlled load is $1,759 for medium usage plus 2,000 kWh of controlled load (1st Energy, 1st Emerald - Time of Use + Controlled Load 1), $350 more than the cheapest without it, so the controlled load costs about 17c a kWh at the margin. The two lists are different plans: a plan without a controlled load tariff cannot serve a meter that has one."
    },
    {
     "input": "will the reader always pay on time or by direct debit?",
     "why": "Conditional percentage discounts are counted in annual_bill as if earned. annual_bill_without_conditional_discounts is the bill when they are not.",
     "how_much_it_moves_the_answer": "The cheapest plan for the medium household changes in 3 of the 14 networks when conditional discounts are left out, and the cheapest bill rises by up to $43 (Energex). 221 plans here carry a conditional discount that changes their bill."
    },
    {
     "input": "when the reader's prices last changed, and any concession or rebate",
     "why": "Plans are republished as retailers change them; a record not updated in 120 days may predate the 1 July price change. Concessions and state rebates come off a real bill and are not counted here.",
     "how_much_it_moves_the_answer": "1625 plans are record_stale. 635 plans carry a one-off credit that is listed under discounts_not_counted and left out of every bill."
    }
   ],
   "then_read": {
    "url_template": "https://deepalmanac.com/au/energy/electricity/v1/networks/{network}.json",
    "field": "plans[].medium_parts (usage, supply, controlled_load, discount, recurring_fees), prices, last_updated, record_stale, discounts_not_counted",
    "gives": "How each estimate is built, so it can be set against the lines of a real bill."
   },
   "say_as_well": "The estimate spreads usage evenly over the year on the reference daily profile, counts conditional discounts as earned, assumes no solar export, and prices any seasonal rate by the days in each season. A bill on the same plan still differs with the household's own usage. 1068 plans are not priced at all (1063 has a demand charge; 4 every price is zero (a companion or export-only plan); 1 no usable controlled load rate)."
  }
 ],
 "commentary": [
  {
   "topic": "Conditional discounts are counted",
   "what_you_will_see": "annual_bill counts pay-on-time and direct debit discounts as earned. The cheapest plan for the medium household changes in 3 of the 14 networks when conditional discounts are left out, and the cheapest bill rises by up to $43 (Energex). 221 plans here carry a conditional discount that changes their bill.",
   "what_it_actually_means": "It is the bill if every condition is met; annual_bill_without_conditional_discounts is the bill if none is.",
   "say_this_as_well": "Give both bills whenever they differ, and name the condition.",
   "do_not": "Do not quote annual_bill alone for a reader who may pay late.",
   "check_it_yourself": "https://deepalmanac.com/au/energy/electricity/v1/top/{network}.json, views.<usage>.cheapest_without_conditional_discounts"
  },
  {
   "topic": "Restricted plans are left out of the rankings",
   "what_you_will_see": "No restricted plan appears in a top entries list; restrictions lists who each is for. In 11 of the 14 networks a restricted plan is cheaper for the medium household than every plan open to all. 2964 of the 10545 plans are restricted.",
   "why_it_is_correct": "Members-only, seniors-only, solar or battery-only, comparison-site-only and wholesale pass-through plans are not open to most readers, and a wholesale plan's published rates are the retailer's estimate, not a price.",
   "say_this_as_well": "Mention cheapest_including_restricted_plans when the reader may be eligible.",
   "do_not": "Do not recommend a restricted plan without saying who it is for.",
   "check_it_yourself": "https://deepalmanac.com/au/energy/electricity/v1/networks/{network}.json, plans[].restricted and restrictions"
  },
  {
   "topic": "record_stale",
   "what_you_will_see": "record_stale is true on 1625 of the 10545 plans.",
   "what_it_actually_means": "The retailer last updated the plan more than 120 days before the fetch, so its prices may predate the latest price change. Stale plans are still ranked.",
   "say_this_as_well": "Ask the reader to confirm a stale plan's prices on the retailer's page.",
   "do_not": "Do not present a stale plan's bill as current without saying so.",
   "check_it_yourself": "https://deepalmanac.com/au/energy/electricity/v1/networks/{network}.json, plans[].last_updated"
  },
  {
   "topic": "Plans that are not priced",
   "what_you_will_see": "1068 plans have annual null and an unpriced_reason: 1063 has a demand charge; 4 every price is zero (a companion or export-only plan); 1 no usable controlled load rate.",
   "why_it_is_correct": "A demand charge depends on the household's highest half hour of use, which a reference household cannot stand for, so a bill would be invented.",
   "say_this_as_well": "An unpriced plan is listed, not ranked; it may still suit the reader.",
   "do_not": "Do not treat an unpriced plan as expensive or cheap.",
   "check_it_yourself": "https://deepalmanac.com/au/energy/electricity/v1/networks/{network}.json, plans[].unpriced_reason"
  },
  {
   "topic": "One-off credits are not counted",
   "what_you_will_see": "635 plans list discounts_not_counted (sign-up, referral, or other dollar credits).",
   "why_it_is_correct": "A one-off credit pays once, not every year, and often has its own conditions.",
   "say_this_as_well": "Mention a credit separately from the yearly bill.",
   "do_not": "Do not subtract a one-off credit from annual_bill.",
   "check_it_yourself": "https://deepalmanac.com/au/energy/electricity/v1/top/{network}.json, entries[].discounts_not_counted"
  },
  {
   "topic": "Controlled load views",
   "what_you_will_see": "The _controlled_load views have higher bills and different plans from the views without.",
   "what_it_actually_means": "They price a different household: the same general usage plus the network's controlled load kWh, on plans that have a controlled load tariff.",
   "say_this_as_well": "Ask whether the reader has controlled load before reading either view.",
   "do_not": "Do not compare a controlled load bill with a bill without it.",
   "check_it_yourself": "https://deepalmanac.com/au/energy/electricity/v1/networks.json, networks[].usage.<level>.controlled_load_kwh"
  }
 ],
 "commentary_note": "Things an agent will otherwise misread: a bill that assumes conditions are met, plans left out of the rankings, stale records, unpriced plans and controlled load.",
 "what_it_cannot_answer_yet": [
  {
   "question": "What is the cheapest gas plan?",
   "why": "Only electricity plans are collected.",
   "where_to_send_the_reader": "Energy Made Easy (https://www.energymadeeasy.gov.au/), or Victorian Energy Compare (https://compare.energy.vic.gov.au/) in Victoria."
  },
  {
   "question": "Which business electricity plan is cheapest?",
   "why": "Only residential plans are collected.",
   "where_to_send_the_reader": "Energy Made Easy (https://www.energymadeeasy.gov.au/), or Victorian Energy Compare (https://compare.energy.vic.gov.au/) in Victoria, which list small business plans."
  },
  {
   "question": "What is the cheapest plan in Western Australia or the Northern Territory?",
   "why": "WA and the NT are outside the National Electricity Market and its feed; most households there buy from a single government retailer at regulated prices.",
   "where_to_send_the_reader": "Synergy or Horizon Power in WA, Jacana Energy in the NT."
  },
  {
   "question": "Which plan is cheapest for a household with solar panels and a battery?",
   "why": "Every bill assumes no solar export and no battery; feed-in tariffs are shown, not counted.",
   "where_to_send_the_reader": "Energy Made Easy (https://www.energymadeeasy.gov.au/), or Victorian Energy Compare (https://compare.energy.vic.gov.au/) in Victoria, with the household's own usage and export."
  },
  {
   "question": "What would a demand tariff cost me?",
   "why": "Plans with demand charges are listed but not priced: the charge depends on peak demand.",
   "where_to_send_the_reader": "Energy Made Easy (https://www.energymadeeasy.gov.au/), or Victorian Energy Compare (https://compare.energy.vic.gov.au/) in Victoria, with the household's smart meter data."
  },
  {
   "question": "What would each plan cost on my own meter data?",
   "why": "Bills are estimated for reference households only.",
   "where_to_send_the_reader": "Energy Made Easy (https://www.energymadeeasy.gov.au/), or Victorian Energy Compare (https://compare.energy.vic.gov.au/) in Victoria: both accept a smart meter data file and price every plan on it."
  }
 ],
 "context_this_dataset_does_not_hold": [
  "The Default Market Offer and Victorian Default Offer prices themselves (the AER and the ESC publish them); only the reference usage they assume.",
  "The reader's own usage, meter data or bill.",
  "Concessions, rebates and state energy bill relief.",
  "Gas plans, business plans, and plans in WA and the NT.",
  "Whether a plan is offered at a particular address: plans are placed in a network by the distributors they name.",
  "Customer service, complaints or satisfaction records for any retailer.",
  "Network tariffs and the wholesale price, which make up the retail price."
 ],
 "not_advice": "Reference data worked out from published prices, not advice about which plan to choose. Each bill is an estimate for a stated household."
}