Power retailer vows to cut bills

TASMANIAN households are able to choose their electricity retailer for the first time from today.

Victorian power company 1st Energy has entered the market in competition with the State Government-owned Aurora Energy.

The company says its pricing structure will enable customers to save money on their power bills – by up to $150 a year for typical households.

The company’s executive director Adam Landry said he was excited to offer Tasmanians an alternative to the current monopoly.

“Until today Tasmanians haven’t had a choice. We believe in competition and we believe that in this instance it will create great outcomes for customers,” he said.

“Ultimately electricity is a bill everybody has to pay and if you can save money you’d be mad not to,” he said.

“It’s about competition and choice. People can choose a different option. We think there is real value and we’re hoping Tasmanians will agree.”

Customers will not need a new power meter and there will be no disruption to their electricity supply if they switch providers.

Mr Landry said 1st Energy offered monthly billing and a local call centre.

He said customers could sign up online or over the phone.

The Tasmanian electricity market has been open to “full retail contestability” since 2014.

However, no new power companies entered the market until now.

A bid to sell Aurora’s customer base to new retailers failed in 2013.

Energy minister Guy Barnett has pledged a “Tasmaniafirst” energy policy and says his top priority is to deliver the lowest power prices in the nation for Tasmanians by 2022.

Mr Landry said 1st Energy was keen to make inroads into the market by offering customers a choice of where they purchased their electricity.

“We think Tasmania is a really good opportunity to be first into a new market,” he said.

“I’d like to think that there’s 10 to 20 per cent of Tasmanian households who would look at it and say they’d like to save money on their power bills,” Mr Landry said.