Enova Energy Review and Rates

 Enova Energy entered voluntary administration on June 22, 2022. If you’re an Enova Energy customer, you can find more information on the Enova Energy website. If you’re concerned about what would happen if the same should occur at your energy retailer, you can find more information on protections for energy consumers here. Please treat the below as historical information only.

Enova Energy made history in 2016 when it became Australia’s very first community-owned electricity retailer. Enova Energy is Australia’s first energy-focused social enterprise that claims it will reinvest half its profits for positive impact across local communities. It was formed in the Northern Rivers region of NSW in 2016 and is community owned. Enova has recently expanded and now operates across all of NSW on the Essential, Ausgrid and Endeavour Energy networks, as well as south east Queensland.

Enova Community Energy says its goals are to keep money circulating locally to grow local economies, businesses, and jobs; and to enable local areas to generate, store, and share their own renewable energy. They’ll do this by innovating with partners in projects like microgrids, shared community batteries, virtual power plants, solar gardens and house-to-house energy trading. Enova’s energy plans are tailored to reflect its values. Around half of Enova’s energy is sourced from its own customers’ rooftop solar and the remainder is gold standard carbon offset, with the mission to source 100 per cent renewable energy in the coming year.

Enova Energy Residential Offers

Enova Energy sells electricity to homes and businesses. At the time of writing, Enova Energy has just one electricity market offer: The Community Plus. The plan comes on either a single rate or time of use tariff and is billed monthly.

The Community Plus

The Community Plus comes with a discount for paying bills on time. There is an ongoing benefit period and there are no exit fees for leaving, so you can switch any time.

NSW

Here are the Enova Energy plans on our database for NSW. Costs are based on the Ausgrid network in Sydney but prices will vary depending on your circumstances. This comparison assumes general energy usage of 3900kWh/year for a residential customer on a single rate tariff. Please use our comparison tool for a specific comparison in your area. Our database may not cover all deals in your area. As always, check all details of any plan directly with the retailer before making a purchase decision.

QLD

Here are the Enova Energy plans on our database for QLD. These costs are based on the Energex network in Brisbane (4064) but prices will vary depending on your circumstances. This comparison assumes general energy usage of 4,600kWh/year for a residential customer on a single rate tariff. Please use our comparison tool for a specific comparison in your area. Our database may not cover all deals in your area. As always, check all details of any plan directly with the retailer before making a purchase decision.

Enova Energy Prices

NSW

In the table below, we show Enova Energy prices on the Ausgrid network in Sydney. Plans are listed from the lowest priced estimate first. See here for information on the AER Reference Price, which in this comparison assumes general energy usage of 3900kWh/year, meaning the Reference Price is $1,393/year for a residential customer on a single rate tariff. Use our comparison tool for a specific comparison in your area.

*Price assumes general energy usage of 3900kWh/year for a residential customer on a single rate tariff. Estimated price includes any conditions discounts that may be available. Pricing based on the Ausgrid network in Sydney, but prices differ between distribution areas. January 2022.

QLD

In the table below, we show Enova Energy prices on the Energex Energy network in Brisbane. Plans are listed from the lowest priced estimate first. See here for information on the AER Reference Price, which in this comparison assumes general energy usage of 4600kWh/year, meaning the Reference Price is $1,455/year for a residential customer on a single rate tariff. Use our comparison tool for a specific comparison in your area.

*Price assumes general energy usage of 4600kWh/year for a residential customer on a single rate tariff. Estimated price includes any conditions discounts that may be available. Pricing based on Energex Energy network in Brisbane, but prices differ between distribution areas. January 2022.

Enova Renewable Extras

Enova Energy goes above and beyond to give customers additional ways to reduce their carbon footprint. Enova has three options: GreenPower 100, Renewable Development Initiative and Community Renewable 100.

• GreenPower 100: This is a GreenPower plan where Enova will source electricity from renewable energy sources to match 100% of your own electricity usage, cancelling out customer emissions. This product costs an additional 4.18 cents per kWh.
• Renewable Development Initiative (RDI): Customers on this plan pay an additional $2 per week and forfeit their 13% pay on time discount (if they are on the Community Plus). These funds are then redirected to community solar projects, including education and local investment.
• Community Renewable 100: For an extra fee per kWh, Enova will make sure 100% of your electricity purchased is from Enova customers with rooftop solar.

Enova Energy Solar

Enova is retailing solar plans with a twist- rather than offering a standard feed-in tariff, it offers different rates for different export blocks. What does that mean? The Enova Energy Solar Premium plan will deliver 10-12c/kWh for the first 5kWh exports into the grid per day, and 6c/kWh for any exports after that.

Enova Energy Business offers

Enova Energy only has one business market offer – the Enova Business Economy Plus. This plan is essentially all of the residential offers rolled into one. It has a 3% pay on time discount and an optional $5 per week donation to the RDI for community energy projects. Customers can even have 100% of their electricity consumption sourced by GreenPower at an additional cost.

Enova Community

Enova Community is Enova’s ‘not-for-profit’ arm of the corporation. Enova Community uses half the profits of Enova to educate consumers about energy efficiency through community events. It also claims to use these funds to facilitate access to renewable energy for those on low incomes. For example, Enova says it is currently working on a project with a social housing organisation to install solar panels using a combination of grant funding and low cost loans.

Is Enova Energy right for me?

It is unclear if Enova Energy would be the cheapest electricity retailer, but it does have a lot of heart. It is specifically marketed toward like-minded customers who want to minimise their environmental impact, boost the local economy and give back to the community. At the end of the day, your choice of electricity retailer will largely come down to personal preference. You can see what fellow NSW and QLD electricity customers think of their retailer with Canstar Blue’s customer review and ratings.

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Kelseigh Wrigley: Energy Specialist

As Canstar Blue’s Energy Specialist, Kelseigh Wrigley covers the retail energy market, with a focus on electricity, gas and solar. She joined the team after completing a Bachelor of Journalism at the Queensland University of Technology, and has previously written for a variety of online publications, including Hunter and Bligh. You can follow Kelseigh on LinkedIn.