Aurora Energy Review and Rates

Fact Checked

Aurora Energy is the Tasmanian government-owned electricity and natural gas retailer, selling power to both homes and businesses, and until recently was the only choice for residential customers.

The company is also only one of two natural gas retailers, supplying gas to all types of customers across the networks. In this article, Canstar Blue takes a detailed look at Aurora Energy’s products, prices and services.

About Aurora Energy

Aurora Energy was founded in 1988 after the Tasmanian Hydroelectric Commission (which was then charged with all aspects of energy), was broken up into separate divisions – generation, transmission, distribution and retail. Today, Aurora Energy only operates as a retailer while TasNetworks is responsible for electricity transmission and distribution throughout Tasmania.

As Tasmania’s 100% owned and operated retailer, Aurora claims it is committed to delivering the best energy solutions and choices for their customers through award-winning product innovation, consistently low prices and local expert service and advice.

The power retailer is government-owned and will remain that way for the foreseeable future, despite occasional rumours of privatisation. Aurora says it prides itself on accountability and claims it strives to build a relationship of trust with its customers. The company says it is active in the community, supporting a number of local community events.

Aurora Energy electricity

Aurora Energy’s electricity service is relatively straightforward with no significant discounts or gimmicks. It has five residential tariffs listed below:

Prices as of July 2024. *Tariff 61 is no longer available to be installed. 

Residential customers who pay their bills by direct debit may receive a discount of 5.5 cents per day over the billing period.

See how Aurora Energy compares on price in our Tasmanian energy guide.

As for business customers, the rates charged depend on whether the business is regarded as a small or large business. Businesses are generally considered ‘small’ if it consumes less than 150 mWh or about $30,000 of electricity per year.

Where does Aurora Energy operate?

If you’re wondering what services Aurora Energy is offering in your state, look no further than the table below. We summarise what you can expect to find from Aurora Energy in NSW, VIC, QLD, SA, ACT and WA.

Aurora Energy natural gas

Aurora claims to have the lowest natural gas prices in the state and customers can benefit from the convenience of having both their electricity and gas with the one retailer. If you don’t already have a gas connection to your property, Aurora Energy may be able to set it up for a fee, provided your street is on the gas mains network. Alternatively, it also sells gas in LPG cylinders.

Aurora Energy gas rates

Prices as of July 2024.

Aurora Energy billing

Aurora customers have a range of billing options available, including:

• Pay online: You can pay using VISA or Master card using Aurora Energy’s website.
• Direct Debit: Have Aurora Energy automatically deduct your bill payment from your nominated account.
• EasyPay: Aurora Energy average out your energy usage over 12 months. Customers then make the same regular payment all year round, so you won’t get hit with a large winter bill.
• By phone or mail: Mail a cheque or money order to Aurora or call up and pay using Mastercard, Visa or a debit account.
• In person: You can pay by cash, cheque of EFTPOS at any Australia Post office or Service Tasmania agency.

Aurora+

Aurora+ is an app that allows customers to see how much power they’re using per hour and when. Available on the Peak and Off-Peak plans for residential and small business customers, Aurora+ lets bill-payers identify when they use power the most. On the Peak and Off-Peak plan, customers are able to see when power is cheapest during off-peak periods. Aurora+ is free for eligible customers, according to the Aurora Energy website.

Want to know more?

If you want to learn more about Aurora Energy, there’s plenty more information available on its website. If you’d like to know more about Tasmanian energy in general, then see our Tasmanian energy guide using the link below.

Energy Guides & Information

About the author

This page was written and is regularly updated by Canstar Blue’s Utilities Editor, Tara Donnelly. Having spent the last decade writing for and editing comparison websites, she’s an expert in all things energy, phone and internet. She loves to highlight the next best deals, while also flagging the things you need to be aware of.

Learn more about Canstar Blue’s Editorial Team.