- Cheapest overall
- 1st Energy, usually: competitive offers around 18% below the DMO against Origin's 5% to 18%.
- Closest like-for-like
- 1st Energy's best offer against Origin Max (12% to 18%, needs direct debit and email billing).
- Customer ratings
- 1st Energy 4.8/5 on Trustpilot; Origin 1.5/5 on Google. Different platforms, so read the direction, not the exact gap.
- Availability
- 1st Energy sells in NSW, VIC, QLD, SA and TAS; Origin also sells in the ACT.
Cheapest current plan, side by side
Each retailer's cheapest current electricity plan for a 4,000 kWh/year household, sourced from official plan data and refreshed weekly. Not personalised to your address, enter your postcode below for that.
| 1st Energy | Origin Energy | |
|---|---|---|
| Plan | 1st Quartz - Time of Use + Controlled Load 1 TOU | Origin Affinity Variable Ongoing - One Click Switch |
| Usage rate | 17.40c/kWh | 24.73c/kWh |
| Daily supply charge | 128.20c/day | 105.92c/day |
| Solar feed-in | 1.0c/kWh | 5.0c/kWh |
| Contract | No lock-in | No lock-in |
| Est. annual cost* | $1,164 | $1,376 |
*Estimate only, for comparing plans against each other. Enter your postcode below for pricing specific to your address and usage.
The short answer
1st Energy is usually cheaper than Origin where both sell. Its competitive offers sit around 18% below the Default Market Offer (DMO) reference price, with a pay-on-time discount of about 4% in NSW and 5% in Victoria. Origin Go sits 5% to 12% below and Origin Max 12% to 18% below, the latter only with direct debit and email billing. Origin wins on range (gas, solar, broadband and LPG) and on availability, including the ACT.
Who they are
1st Energy is an Australian-owned, Melbourne-based retailer serving NSW, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia and Tasmania. Origin Energy is ASX-listed (ORG) and one of the Big 3, with generation assets including the Eraring power station in NSW, whose closure has been extended to April 2029.
Plans compared
1st Energy prices on competitive market offers with a pay-on-time discount. The rate and discount differ by state and network, so check the offer at your address.
Origin offers Origin Go (flat rate, no conditions), Origin Max (deeper discount with direct debit and email billing), Solar Boost for solar households, and Spike, a wholesale pass-through plan that suits only some households.
Worked example: Ausgrid area, 4,000 kWh/year. The 2026-27 DMO 8 reference price is $1,899 per year (AER, effective 1 July 2026). Origin Go at 8% below lands around $1,747. Origin Max at 15% below lands around $1,614. 1st Energy at 18% below lands around $1,557. The gap to Origin Max is modest at about $57 a year, and the gap to Origin Go is about $190.
Beyond price
Service. 1st Energy's 4.8/5 on Trustpilot compares with Origin's 1.5/5 on Google. The platforms differ and retailers can invite happy customers to review on Trustpilot, so treat the gap as a direction. 1st Energy is also far smaller, so its sample is smaller.
Breadth. Origin can supply gas, solar, broadband and LPG on one account. 1st Energy is a narrower offering.
Ownership. Both are Australian-owned. Your protections and network are the same either way.
See both at your address
Rates for 1st Energy and Origin Energy vary by distribution network. The only comparison that matters is the one at your postcode.
Compare plans nowWhen each one wins
Choose 1st Energy if you want the lower price from an Australian-owned retailer and you will pay on time to keep the discount.
Choose Origin if you want gas, solar or broadband on the same account, you live in the ACT where 1st Energy does not sell, or a current Origin offer beats 1st Energy at your address.
Our verdict: 1st Energy or Origin Energy?
If you only compare price and you are in a state where 1st Energy sells, it usually wins, though against Origin Max the gap can be small. Origin earns its place when you want the bundle or a retailer of that scale.
Check both at your postcode. Offers change often, and a third retailer sometimes beats both.