Energy

1st Energy (EL Retail Energy) vs Origin Energy: Which Is Cheaper for NSW Households in 2026?

SaveNest Editorial Team · 2026-11-01 · 10 min read

If you are weighing up 1st Energy (EL Retail Energy) vs Origin Energy, the honest answer to "which is cheaper for NSW households in 2026" is that neither retailer is cheaper for everyone. The cheaper option depends on your distribution network, your meter type, when you use power, whether you have solar, and which specific plan you compare. This guide shows you what to look at, so you can work out the winner for your own home instead of trusting a headline rate.

Rates, discounts and plan terms change often, sometimes mid-year. This article does not quote live prices, so compare current offers before you decide.

The short answer: it depends on your plan, not the brand

Origin Energy is one of Australia's largest retailers. It is an integrated generator-retailer with a big customer base, bundled products and a full set of service channels. 1st Energy is a smaller retailer that, like most smaller players, usually has to win customers on price and simplicity. That is a generalisation, not a rule. Plenty of Origin plans beat plenty of small-retailer plans, and the reverse is also true.

What matters is the specific plan: its supply charge, its usage rates, any conditional discounts, and what happens when a discount period ends. Two plans can look close on cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh) and still differ by hundreds of dollars a year once the daily supply charge and your usage pattern are included.

Want a quick read before the detail? Get a free personalised bill check and see what you could save in 2 minutes. We compare your actual usage against current market offers, not just headline rates.

Who are you actually comparing?

1st Energy and EL Retail Energy

The search term pairs 1st Energy with EL Retail Energy. Brand names and registered retailer names do not always match, so check the plan's Basic Plan Information Document (BPID) or Energy Price Fact Sheet to see which legal entity you would be contracting with. Whichever name appears, the retailer must hold an Australian Energy Regulator (AER) authorisation or exemption, and your rights under the National Energy Customer Framework apply in NSW.

Origin Energy

Origin sells electricity and gas, and often bundles them for a combined discount. It has a large app and online account system, a wide range of payment options, and products aimed at solar and battery owners. Larger retailers tend to offer more plan types. That can help if you want a specific feature, such as a controlled load tariff or a solar-friendly plan. The downside is that the plan you are shown by default is not always the cheapest one they sell.

Why the price you see is not the price you pay in NSW

NSW households pay for electricity in several layers. Understanding them stops you comparing the wrong things.

Network charges. Your local network (Ausgrid, Endeavour Energy or Essential Energy, depending on where you live) sets the poles-and-wires costs. Every retailer passes these through, so the network part of your bill is broadly similar across retailers in the same area. The difference between retailers comes mostly from the energy component and their margin.
Daily supply charge. This is a fixed cents-per-day fee you pay regardless of usage. It varies by retailer, plan and network area. Low-usage households feel it more.
Usage rates. A single rate charges the same price all day. Time-of-use plans charge peak, shoulder and off-peak rates, and need a smart meter. Controlled load is a separate, usually cheaper rate for dedicated circuits such as electric hot water.
Discounts. A "25% off" headline might apply only to usage, only if you pay on time, or only for a limited benefit period. Compare the price with and without conditional discounts.
Solar feed-in tariff. If you export power, the credit per kWh varies widely between retailers. NSW has no mandatory minimum, but the independent pricing regulator IPART publishes a benchmark range each year that you can use as a yardstick.

The Default Market Offer (DMO) is a regulated price cap that applies to standing offers in NSW. The cap is reset every 1 July. It is not a "best price", and many market offers sit below it. It is still a useful reference point: if a plan is priced well above the DMO for your network and usage level, there is probably a better one.

1st Energy vs Origin: what to compare, point by point

1. Supply charge versus usage rate

Do not judge a plan by its kWh rate alone. Add the daily supply charge multiplied by 365 to your expected yearly usage cost. As a purely illustrative example, a difference of 1 cent per kWh on 5,000 kWh of annual use is $50 a year. A difference of 10 cents per day in the supply charge is $36.50 a year. A plan with a lower usage rate and a higher supply charge wins for a big household and loses for a small one.

2. Conditional discounts and sign-up credits

Retailers of all sizes use pay-on-time discounts, direct-debit discounts and one-off bill credits. Ask three questions of any offer. What exactly does the discount apply to? Does it disappear if I pay late once? And what does the price become when the benefit period ends? A one-off credit can make year one look cheap while year two is expensive.

3. Contract terms and fees

Check the plan's fact sheet for lock-in periods, exit fees, late payment fees, paper bill fees and card payment surcharges. Many market offers in NSW do not have exit fees, but terms differ by plan, so confirm it in writing before you sign up. Also check how and when the retailer can change prices during your contract. Some plans fix rates for a set term, and others let the retailer vary them with notice.

4. Solar and batteries

If you have solar, the feed-in tariff and the usage rates matter equally. A retailer with cheap daytime usage rates but a poor export credit can cost you more than one with a higher rate and a better credit. If you are considering a home battery, check whether the retailer supports battery-friendly plans or virtual power plant programs, and whether those programs lock you into a particular plan. Federal and state battery incentives, and arrangements such as the proposed Solar Sharer midday offers, have been changing, so confirm their current status before you rely on them in a retailer comparison.

5. Bundling electricity and gas

Larger retailers often discount when you take both fuels. Check whether each retailer actually supplies gas in your area, and whether the bundle beats buying the cheapest electricity and the cheapest gas separately. You can compare gas offers on our gas deals page.

6. Customer service and billing experience

Price is only part of the picture. Check how you can contact the retailer, how bills are delivered, whether there is a usable app, and how complaints are handled. If a dispute ever goes unresolved, you can take it to the Energy and Water Ombudsman NSW (EWON), which is free. We have not verified current customer satisfaction scores for either retailer, so look at the AER's published retailer performance data and recent independent reviews rather than relying on our opinion.

Which NSW household suits which type of plan?

Small households and renters (low usage). The daily supply charge and any account fees matter most. A plan with a low supply charge and a slightly higher usage rate often wins.
Families with high usage. The usage rate matters most, and so does the peak versus off-peak split if you are on time-of-use. Look at when your household actually uses power, such as after school, in the evening, or running air conditioning in summer.
Work-from-home households. Daytime use shifts the balance. Check whether a time-of-use plan's shoulder or off-peak window overlaps with your working hours.
Solar owners. Compare feed-in tariffs against the IPART benchmark range, then check evening usage rates, since that is when you buy power back from the grid.
Households with electric hot water on a controlled load. Make sure the plan includes a controlled load rate, and that the rate is competitive.

How to compare 1st Energy and Origin using your own bill

You do not need to guess. Use these inputs from your latest bill:

Your NMI (the meter identifier), which lets comparison tools pull your network and tariff type.
Your annual or quarterly kWh usage, split by peak, shoulder and off-peak if you have time-of-use.
Your solar export in kWh, if any.
Your current supply charge and usage rate, so you can see what you are paying now.

Then run the numbers for each shortlisted plan, with and without conditional discounts. The AER's government comparison site, Energy Made Easy, is free and lists generally available offers. Our NSW electricity guide explains the network areas and tariff types in more detail, and our electricity deals page lets you browse current plans.

Common traps when switching between retailers

Bill shock after the benefit period. Retailers must tell you before a discount period ends, but many people miss the notice. Put a calendar reminder in for 30 days before the end of the benefit period.
Comparing the wrong tariff. A single-rate plan and a time-of-use plan are not directly comparable unless you know your usage pattern.
Ignoring the 1 July reset. Network and regulated prices are reviewed every year, and your plan's rates may change with notice at that point.
Staying put out of loyalty. Loyalty is often not rewarded in energy. Your bill's "best offer" message shows the retailer's own cheapest comparable plan, which is a good starting benchmark.
Forgetting rebates. NSW and federal rebates and concessions may apply depending on your circumstances. Check eligibility with Service NSW, since details and amounts change.

Steps to Take

Find your latest bill and note your NMI, usage in kWh, supply charge, usage rate, and any solar export.
Check your current plan's end date and whether a discount or benefit period is about to expire.
Pull the BPID or fact sheet for the 1st Energy and Origin plans you are considering, and compare cost with and without conditional discounts for your actual usage.
Check the fine print for exit fees, lock-in terms, payment fees, price variation rules and the feed-in tariff if you have solar.
Run a free bill check to compare your usage against current offers across retailers, not just these two.
Switch only once you have confirmed the numbers. The new retailer arranges the transfer, so you do not need to contact your old retailer to cancel, and your supply continues without interruption.

Ready to find out which plan is actually cheaper for your home? Do not guess between 1st Energy and Origin. Get your free personalised bill check at /savings and see what you could save in about two minutes. If you would rather browse first, you can also compare live plans on our electricity deals page and read more guides on the SaveNest blog. Check your bill today, because every month on the wrong plan costs you money.