FAQ

Does my file have to be a NEM12?

No — NEM12 is what we read best, but it isn't the only thing we accept. When you upload a file we try NEM12 first, and if it isn't one we try to recognise and convert it: we support a limited range of other interval formats, and we're adding more. So it's worth uploading whatever your portal (or your solar inverter) gives you — if we can read it, it just works, and nothing is sent anywhere while we try.

Why isn't my file working?

Almost always because it isn't interval data. We need readings taken through the day — every 5, 15 or 30 minutes — so we can tell when you use power. A bill, a PDF, or a file of monthly or daily totals doesn't carry that, and no amount of processing can recover it. In your portal, look for a detailed report (sometimes "detailed data" or "interval data") rather than a usage summary.

If you're sure your file is interval data and it still won't load, it's likely a format we haven't taught the app yet — send it to [email protected] and we'll look at adding it.

Why does one plan warn that its cost is "probably too high"?

Because that plan's own published data is ambiguous and we chose not to guess in its favour. The usual cause is demand charges: some plans list several demand rates covering the same hours, with the season each one applies to written only in the plan's terms rather than in the data. A meter records one peak, so really only one of those rates can apply — but we can't tell which, so we charge all of them. That makes the plan look dearer than it probably is, and pushes it down the list. We'd rather overstate a cost than recommend a plan on a price you might not get. If you like the look of a plan carrying that warning, check its demand rates with the retailer.

My download is a ZIP file — do I need to unzip it?

No. Upload the ZIP as it came and we'll open it in your browser and read the usage file inside. If it holds several files we use the largest, and tell you which one we used, so you can unzip and pick a different one if that wasn't the right one. Spreadsheets (.xlsx) and PDFs can't be read — for a spreadsheet, open it and use Save As → CSV.

What is a NEM12 file?

The NEM12 format is the Australian energy industry standard for interval smart-meter data. Defined by the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO), this CSV-based file structure records electricity usage or solar generation, typically in 30-minute blocks. It is commonly used by retailers, distributors and consumers for billing and energy analysis. Portals rarely call it "NEM12" — it's usually offered as a detailed report.

How is my usage profile calculated from my meter file?

We read your meter's half-hourly readings and use the most recent 12 months. For each hour of the day we average your usage across those months, keeping each day of the week separate — so weekday and weekend patterns are preserved and the profile reflects how you actually use power, not a generic shape. If your file includes solar, we build an export shape the same way. We also keep up to 18 months of your real readings so each plan can be priced against what you actually used, day by day (the "what you'd have actually paid" backtest), instead of just an average. Files with 5, 15 or 30-minute readings are all supported, and your data stays in your browser. Non-NEM12 files we recognise are converted first, then read exactly the same way.

How do you work out what a plan would cost me?

You tell us how much power you use and roughly when — by shaping a typical day, picking a usage preset, or importing your smart-meter file. Every plan is then priced against that usage using its real rates and time windows: peak, off-peak and free periods, tiered blocks, seasonal rates, daily supply charges, controlled load, demand charges, solar feed-in and discounts, and the membership fee a few retailers charge every customer on certain plans, where the plan publishes it as a membership fee, counted once a year (not added again where the plan says its usage price already includes it). The whole calculation happens in your browser, so your usage never leaves your device.

Estimates do not include card payment fees. Card networks' rules now generally bar surcharges on Visa, Mastercard and eftpos payments, but a plan's terms still list any card fee its retailer publishes, and some may be out of date. Where a plan publishes one, the plan's card and its details say a card payment fee is not included.

Why do you show plans I might not qualify for?

Because a plan you can't take today is still worth seeing. Around two thirds of listed plans carry some eligibility condition, and we show them all rather than quietly hiding them — always read a plan's eligibility terms before signing up, they're in the plan's Terms & Comments.

Seeing them is useful for two reasons. First, some conditions are ones you could simply choose to meet: plans tied to a rewards or membership scheme (Qantas, RACT, My NRMA, Virgin Australia, a Seniors Card) may be worth joining if the saving outweighs the cost of membership. Second, it shows you what your retailer is capable of charging. If a restricted plan from your current retailer is much cheaper than the one you're on, that's a concrete number to quote when you call and ask them to match it — retailers will often move to keep a customer. Conditions you genuinely can't meet (a plan needing solar, a battery, or a smart meter you don't have) are worth recognising too, so you don't waste time on them.

How does gas work here?

Flip the Gas switch and enter roughly how many megajoules (MJ) you use a year — your gas bill shows it. Gas plans are priced from that single figure against each plan's rate blocks and daily supply charge, including GST. Gas bills report how much you used, not when, so there's no hourly shaping to do — the estimate spreads your yearly total evenly across the year. That's exact on the usual flat, all-year gas plan, but if a plan's rates change by season a heating-heavy household would pay more than the estimate shows, so we flag it as an assumption on that plan. A handful of gas plans charge different rates by time of day; since your yearly total can't say which window your usage falls in, those are priced at the average of their rates and flagged too. Because no retailer publishes a single plan covering both fuels, the Elec + Gas view pairs one electricity plan with one gas plan from the same retailer so you can see a combined yearly cost — swap either side to any of that retailer's other plans. Pairings the retailer sells together are marked Bundle deal, the rest Separate plans. Check the terms with the retailer before signing up.

Why don't you show a percentage against the reference price?

The government's reference price (the Default Market Offer, or the Victorian Default Offer) compares plans against a model household's usage, not yours. Two plans that look identical against that benchmark can differ by hundreds of dollars a year once your actual usage pattern is priced — especially if you have solar, an EV, or a plan with free or very cheap windows. We deliberately price your real usage instead of quoting a percentage that may not apply to you.

Do I need to give you any personal details?

No. There's no sign-up, account, name, email, address or phone number needed to search or compare. Your usage profile, meter data and preferences are stored in your own browser and are never sent to our servers.