Switching duck: electricity switches to remain subdued in the near future

In November 2021, switching levels plummeted in response to rising tariff prices and a lack of market choice. By January 2022, domestic switching reached its lowest level on record, falling 80% on January 2021. This ‘Chart of the week’ checks in with the options, if any, available to households wanting to switch.

To keep reading, please log in to your account or sign up for free

Alternatively, please sign up to receive free market insight online and direct to your inbox

Related thinking

Energy storage and flexibility

Hydrogen hype: How cheap the hydrogen from electrolysis can be?

Hydrogen is considered a potential replacement for fossil fuels for energy generation, transport etc. Currently, 96% of hydrogen production originates from fossil fuels through steam reforming and coal gasifications. Only a small fraction (~4%) is produced via electrolysis. The high Capex of the electrolyser is usually referred to as the...

Home supply and services

“The more [retailers] we come across, the more problems we see”

Thirty-one retailers have gone bust since the start of 2021 in the UK. At least one of those entities has a subsidiary in the Australian market (having yet to acquire any customers, according to the most recent AER and ESC data). In this Chart of the week, we take a...

Energy storage and flexibility

Price spikes in Queensland: Is solar revenue affected?

In the last few months, we have seen a substantial number of high price intervals in Queensland. Increased Market Demand on 9 March and the simultaneous trip of Gladstone units 3 and 4 on 31 March spiked energy prices to $8,800/MWh and $15,100/MWh levels, respectively. These price spikes occurred between...

Power and gas networks

Are you sure this is safe?

On a real-time basis, AEMO communicates with the market through several channels, including market notices where they update everyone about the real-time state of the market and the facilities that support it. In this Chart of the week, we dive into some of the statistics around market notices to provide...

Low carbon generation

Lower energy prices? More than just hot air

The Victorian Government launched Australia’s first offshore wind targets as part of its transition towards a net-zero emission future. According to the target, 9GW of offshore wind will be installed by 2040, nearly quadrupling the total wind capacity in VIC. In this Chart of the week, we dive into the...

Home supply and services

No easy fix: tariff prices remain high

In response to the unprecedented increases in global gas prices, Ofgem announced last week time limited measures “to help stabilise” the supply market. This includes a requirement for all domestic suppliers to offer existing customers the same tariffs available to new customers from 14 April, echoing changes made by the...

Home supply and services

Last Resort Supplier Payments: the impact on domestic electricity bills

The presence of a significant increase in commodity costs in 2021, combined with the Default Tariff Cap limiting the revenues that suppliers can recover in the domestic market, has contributed to a number of suppliers falling into insolvency in the last 9 months. The Supplier of Last Resort (SoLR) process...

Home supply and services

The default tariff cap: More questions than answers?

Throughout the recent period of wholesale and supply market volatility, the government and Ofgem have remained committed to the default tariff cap and continued to highlight its benefits to customers in protecting them from rising energy prices this winter. However, Cornwall Insight’s forecast of the default tariff cap for Summer...