Electricity bills can often be difficult to decipher, leaving many people feeling overwhelmed and unsure of where to start. Fortunately, understanding the various components of your electricity bill is actually quite simple. To make things easier, a helpful graphical image has been provided below that outlines the different aspects of your bill.

If you're a homeowner in Western Australia who is enrolled in the Synergy Home Plan (A1) tariff, you'll find the information in this image especially useful. Here, you'll be able to see your electricity usage, which is represented by the number of units you've consumed, as well as the electricity you've exported back to the grid through the Synergy Buy Back Scheme. By taking advantage of this scheme and selling some of your electricity back to Synergy, you can actually lower your overall bill.

Please note: your bill does NOT include the units your home has consumed from your solar power system during the billing period. Your bill only shows the amount of surplus energy sent to the grid.

If you still need assistance, please complete the contact form here.

Electricity bill checklist

1. Estimated meter reads vs actual reads 

In situation where your previous electricity bill was calculated based on an "Estimated reading," while your most recent bill is based on an actual meter reading, you may notice a variation in the total amount due. This difference is to account for the variance between the estimated and actual readings. If your energy usage was higher than what was estimated in the previous bill, the extra energy consumption will be included in the new bill, resulting in a higher-than-usual amount due. You can confirm whether your bill was estimated or based on an actual reading by checking for the term "Estimated reading" on your statement. If the phrase is absent from the statement, your bill was calculated based on an actual meter reading.

2. Has your meter recently been changed

If you had an old analogue meter installed prior to the installation of your solar system, it's likely that this meter was replaced with a new bi-directional meter. Unlike analogue meters, which are more susceptible to faults and inaccuracies, the bi-directional meter is a more modern and reliable piece of technology. As a result, you may notice changes in your billing after the installation of the new meter. However, rest assured that the bi-directional meter is a more accurate and dependable means of measuring your energy consumption and feed-in tariffs.

3. Changes in your energy use due to weather

During extreme hot or cold weather, the heating and cooling systems in your house will work for longer duration and consume higher energy.  This would result in higher energy bills.

4. Number of appliances in use

Energy usage also depends on the number of appliances being used.  Old or faulty appliances can use up more energy than new or well maintained ones. You could review your appliance usage and their energy consumption and optimize the same to reduce your energy bill.

5. Changes to your household size

If the number of people living in the house increases the energy consumption also increases although there may be no direct correlation between number of people and energy usage. Similarly, if people are at home for longer hours than usual, energy consumption will again increase. 

6. Check your meter number is correct

If your meter has been changed recently it can be a good idea to check that the meter number printed on your bill is the same as the meter at your house.

7. Check how many days are in the billing period

If you have changed your billing period from monthly to quarterly then your bill would be higher to reflect the increased  number of days billed.

If you still need assistance, please complete the contact form here.

How to ensure you are receiving your Renewable Energy Buyback Scheme (REBS) credit

To ensure your Renewable Energy Buyback Scheme (REBS) or Feed in Tariff application has been successfully processed by your electricity company, please check that your most recent bill shows a credited renewable energy payment.

For homes in Western Australia, you can find your REBS credited payment on the back of your Synergy bill, along with a detailed breakdown of your charges and deductions.

Please note, you will only be eligible for REBS if you have a 5kW inverter or smaller.

If you’re eligible to receive a REBS payment but are unable to locate this on your bill, we suggest calling Synergy to discuss why you haven’t received it yet. You should also check you haven’t received an estimated reading, as this will prevent you from receiving your first REBS payment. There could be several reasons why your bill was estimated, so it’s best you contact Synergy to assist you further. If Synergy is unable to resolve your problem, you can lodge a case through our contact form here.