ACT residents could get more power to know if they are getting a good deal on their electricity under plans being considered by the independent regulator.
The Independent Competition and Regulatory Commission released an issues paper on Monday on standing offer electricity prices, ahead of an investigation into the ACT's power prices.
At the end of the process the commission will set retail electricity prices for the for the four years starting July 1, 2020.
Investigations by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission and the Victorian government have led to new measures being put in place in other jurisdictions, such as a default market offer listed on bills to help compare on a "like-with-like" basis and a default offer so it's clear how much a household would actually save with advertised discounts.
The commission intends to look at these measures to consider whether the ACT should consider something similar, but acknowledged the measures in other jurisdictions are new and their impact may be hard to distinguish.
"[Ongoing regulation] has also meant that retailers in the ACT have been unable to use inflated standing offer rates as a reference point for discounting, which is one of the aspects that has contributed to consumer confusion in other jurisdictions," the report said.
"Nevertheless, comparing offers and discounts in the ACT may still be difficult for consumers depending on how offers are marketed and the information that is provided to consumers."
While the systems provide a single reference point for people to compare prices, which doesn't exist in the ACT, the systems have limitations, meaning it is still far from simple for people to work out how much they are spending and what they could save.
Data released by the commission shows ACT power bills are on average lower than most capital cities, which it says is due to tighter regulation on power prices in the capital.
The average price of single rate retail electricity on a standing offer in Canberra was $2371 annually in February this year, while the while in Sydney it was $3327.
People paying "market offer" rates with advertised discounts instead of the default offer, were paying less, at $2071 annually on average on single rate plans. Those with "time-of-use" plans, where electricity costs change depending on the time of day, were paying less than those on single rate offers.
While ActewAGL's market share has been declining, the partly public-owned company still has 83 per cent of the market.
Submissions to the Independent Competition and Regulatory Commission close on October 11 ahead of a final decision next year.
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