Which retailers had the greatest changes in customer numbers in 2018–19?

Medium sized retailers increased their market share of residential customers.

In 2018–19, we found medium sized retailers (those with between 30,000 and 150,000 customers) saw the greatest increase in the market share of residential customers.

Retailers that were medium sized for the majority of the year gained four and three per cent of the residential electricity and gas market share respectively, at the expense of large retailers.

Alinta Energy gained over 90,000 residential energy customers – the largest gain of all retailers compared to the previous year (as shown in table 3.1).

Tango Energy, Sumo and GloBird Energy also had large increases with each acquiring more than 20,000 new residential energy customers.

Specifically, Tango Energy gained over 26,000 residential electricity customers, which is a doubling of its customers compared to the previous year.

Simply Energy, Red Energy, Sumo and Momentum Energy each acquired more than 10,000 residential gas customers.

EnergyAustralia – a large energy retailer – lost the most residential energy customers in 2018–19, with over 50,000 residential energy customers changing retailers.

Figure 3.1 Market share residential electricity customers, by retailer average across 2018–19

Figure 3.2 Market share residential gas customers, by retailer average across 2018–19

Electricity switching rates in 2018-19
According to data from the Australian Energy Market Operator, 27 per cent of Victorian residential and small business electricity customers switched retailers during the year.

Figure 3.3 Change in electricity residential customers, ranked by retailer (by size) average across 2017–18 and 2018–19

Figure 3.4 Change in gas residential customers, ranked by retailer (by size) average across 2017–18 and 2018–199

Table 3.1 Change in energy residential customers, ranked by retailer (by size) average across 2017–18 and 2018–19

	Retailer	Electricity (residential)				Gas (residential)
	Retailer	2017–18	2018–19	change in customer numbers	% change from previous	2017–18	2018–19	change in customer numbers	% change from previous
Large retailers	AGL	550,904	557,035	6,130	1%	514,851	510,396	-4,455	-1%
	EnergyAustralia	455,419	425,406	-30,014	-7%	403,839	383,839	-20,000	-5%
	Origin Energy	456,467	437,638	-18,829	-4%	351,975	331,740	-20,235	-6%
	Lumo Energy	167,353	146,120	-21,234	-13%	143,921	129,695	-14,226	-10%
	Red Energy	232,396	232,135	-261	0%	160,092	165,206	5,114	3%
	Simply Energy	240,087	245,725	5,638	2%	197,770	201,908	4,138	2%
	Alinta Energy	89,412	151,215	61,803	69%	53,066	90,740	37,675	71%
Medium retailers	Click Energy and amaysim	39,297	45,033	5,736	15%	28,278	33,156	4,879	17%
	Dodo	46,832	41,134	-5,697	-12%	39,065	34,599	-4,466	-11%
	Momentum Energy	79,464	88,111	8,648	11%	54,324	61,934	7,610	14%
	Powerdirect	32,588	31,109	-1,479	-5%
	Powershop	57,471	59,301	1,830	3%	48	13,862	13,814	28730%
	Tango	11,547	37,934	26,387	229%
	Sumo	27,721	42,021	14,300	52%	5,039	23,270	18,231	362%
Small retailers	1st Energy	6,400	6,026	-374	-6%
	Blue NRG	71	36	-35	-49%
	CovaU	281	407	126	45%	247	350	102	41%
	Diamond Energy	3,941	3,554	-387	-10%
	ERM Business Energy	0	0	0		0	0	0
	Globird	12,795	24,590	11,795	92%		10,129	10,129
	Next Business Energy	156	115	-41	-26%
	People Energy	9,158	7,768	-1,390	-15%
	QEnergy	857	679	-179	-21%
	Sun Retail	1	0	-1	-100%
	Tas Gas					89	385	296	332%
	WIN Energy	0	1	1
	Elysian Energy		16	16
	Energy Locals		40	40
	Powerclub		14	14
	Onsite Energy Solutions	7	5	-3	-38%
	TOTAL	2,520,627	2,583,170			1,952,604	1,991,209

Medium sized retailers have also increased their market share of small business customers

Tango Energy gained the largest number of small business customers in 2018–19, with over 5,000 small business energy customers signing up to the retailer.

Four retailers gained more than 1,000 small business electricity customers. These were Tango Energy, AGL and Origin Energy.

Simply Energy had the largest number of small business electricity and gas customers leave in 2018–19, with 5,923 small business energy customers changing, as shown in figure 3.7 and 3.8.

For electricity, medium retailers gained around three per cent of the market share at the expense of large retailers. For gas, medium retailers gained one per cent of the market share at the expense of large retailers.

Figure 3.5 Market share small business electricity customers, by retailer average across 2018–19

Figure 3.6 Market share small business gas customers, by retailer average across 2018–19

Figure 3.7 Change in electricity small business customers, ranked by retailer (by size) average across 2017–18 and 2018–19

Figure 3.8 Change in gas small business customers, ranked by retailer (by size) average across 2017–18 and 2018–19

Table 3.2 Change in energy small business customers, ranked by retailer (by size) average across 2017–18 and 2018–19

	Retailer	Electricity (small business)				Gas (small business)
	Retailer	2017–18	2018–19	change in customer numbers	% change from previous	2017–18	2018–19	change in customer numbers	% change from previous
Large retailers	AGL	48,493	51,481	2,988	6%	16,463	16,210	-253	-2%
	EnergyAustralia	42,900	38,191	-4,710	-11%	10,438	9,306	-1,131	-11%
	Origin Energy	70,630	71,895	1,265	2%	21,042	23,409	2,368	11%
	Lumo Energy	14,920	12,535	-2,385	-16%	2,833	2,432	-401	-14%
	Red Energy	8,064	8,610	547	7%	2,256	1,673	-583	-26%
	Simply Energy	20,495	16,575	-3,920	-19%	8,358	6,355	-2,003	-24%
	Alinta Energy	2,300	7,818	5,517	240%	20	155	135	687%
Medium retailers	Click Energy and amaysim	1,377	2,211	834	61%	256	428	172	67%
	Dodo	1,880	1,823	-57	-3%	0	0	0
	Momentum Energy	29,494	27,355	-2,139	-7%	3,736	4,021	285	8%
	Powerdirect	10,654	8,567	-2,087	-20%
	Powershop	3,690	3,805	114	3%	0	106	106
	Tango	1,891	7,175	5,284	279%
	Sumo	2,263	1,594	-668	-30%	0	0	0
Small retailers	1st Energy	1,321	840	-481	-36%
	Blue NRG	7,538	6,005	-1,534	-20%
	AGL Sales (Qld)	0	0	0	-100%
	CovaU	401	432	31	8%	315	460	146	46%
	Diamond Energy	177	211	34	19%
	Elysian Energy		6	6
	EnergyAustralia Yallourn	91	238	147	162%
	ERM Business Energy	5,639	4,190	-1,449	-26%	0	0	0
	Globird	1,018	1,176	158	15%		55	55
	Next Business Energy	1,872	2,609	737	39%
	People Energy	388	330	-58	-15%
	Powerclub		0	0
	Progressive Green Energy	0	0	0
	QEnergy	1,974	1,275	-699	-35%
	Stanwell Corporation	1	0	-1	-100%
	Sun Retail	17	9	-8	-48%
	Tas Gas					1	5	4	357%
	TOTAL	279,487	276,954			65,717	64,617

_{The average small business customer is calculated from the numbers of residential customers with each retailer as at the last day of each calendar month. Figures may not add up precisely due to rounding.}

Victorian Energy Market report 2018-19