getting a good electricity deal

problem context:

deregulation of the energy markets has left a lot to be desired in terms of getting a good deal.

in 2021 there was 31 active energy retailers.

& the price fluctuates up and down depending on the deals going.

if you stay on the same energy plan for a long period of time you could be paying a LOT more than other people that are savvy with market testing regularly.

possible approaches:

there are a number of approaches to getting the best deal

1) wait for telemarketers to call you with offers, and listen and engage to get OK offers. remember with these companies - they only have a selection and will sell you what they get the best commission for. Usually they don’t offer the best rate - but it’s worse listening to.

2) there are a lot of businesses that do Energy Comparisons. in my experience these are front’s for the Energy Comparison websites. Again commission based.

3) fortunately in Victoria - the Government has mandated that all retailers publish their standard rates in a particular formula - and they’re all listed based on a questionnaire on the https://compare.energy.vic.gov.au/ website. This is a good way to explore various deals - and it usually offers good suggestions

the way I’d do it however if I was a person with a disability that struggles with life:

every one of the retailers has a disability, or customer service email. Go to https://www.perplexity.com and write the following prompt:

Can I find a comprehensive list of electricity retailers in Melbourne 
with their customer service contact details?

output

You will get a text output like this:

Answer
Based on the search results and available information, here is a comprehensive list of electricity retailers operating in Melbourne along with their customer service contact details:
Major Electricity Retailers in Melbourne
AGL
Customer service email: customerservice@agl.com.au
EnergyAustralia
Customer service email: enquiry@energyaustralia.com.au
Origin Energy
Customer service email: enquiry@originenergy.com.au
Lumo Energy
Customer service email: info@lumoenergy.com.au
Phone: 1300 115 866
Red Energy
Customer service email: customerservice@redenergy.com.au
Momentum Energy
Customer service email: info@momentum.com.au
Simply Energy
Customer service email: info@simplyenergy.com.au
Powershop
Customer service email: info@powershop.com.au
Tango Energy
Customer service email: support@tangoenergy.com
GloBird Energy
Customer service email: customerservice@globirdenergy.com.au
Dodo Power & Gas
Customer service email: customerservice@dodo.com.au
1st Energy
Customer service email: customerservice@1stenergy.com.au
Alinta Energy
Customer service email: customer.service@alintaenergy.com.au
Sumo Power
Customer service email: support@sumo.com.au
CovaU
Customer service email: support@covau.com.au
Diamond Energy
Customer service email: customerservice@diamondenergy.com.au
Discover Energy
Customer service email: hello@discoverenergy.com.au
Elysian Energy
Customer service email: support@elysianenergy.com.au
Energy Locals
Customer service email: hello@energylocals.com.au
Future X Power
Customer service email: care@futurexpower.com.au
Engie
Customer service email: service@engie.com.au
Indigo Power
Customer service email: info@indigopower.com.au
Phone: 1800 491 739
Powerdirect
Customer service email: info@powerdirect.com.au
ActewAGL
(Contact details not provided in search results)
Blue NRG
(Contact details not provided in search results)
OVO Energy
(Contact details not provided in search results)
PacificBlue
(Contact details not provided in search results)
This list includes the major electricity retailers operating in Melbourne. It's important to note that availability may vary depending on specific locations within Melbourne. For the most up-to-date and accurate contact information, especially regarding disability services, it's advisable to check the retailers' official websites or contact their customer service hotlines directly

** You may want to do a follow up prompt to say: Are there any you missed. This is just due to limitations in the token length of the AI to get the most complete list.

Next action:

you want to convert that text into a string that can be pasted into Google Mail.

Use the following prompt:

Please extract all the emails in the following text and convert into a
string that can be pasted into Gmail as an email list:

INPUT:

Output

so this is now what you copy and paste to write emails to them all about your power plan

customerservice@agl.com.au, enquiry@energyaustralia.com.au, enquiry@originenergy.com.au, info@lumoenergy.com.au, customerservice@redenergy.com.au, info@momentum.com.au, info@simplyenergy.com.au, info@powershop.com.au, support@tangoenergy.com, customerservice@globirdenergy.com.au, customerservice@dodo.com.au, customerservice@1stenergy.com.au, customer.service@alintaenergy.com.au, support@sumo.com.au, support@covau.com.au, customerservice@diamondenergy.com.au, hello@discoverenergy.com.au, support@elysianenergy.com.au, hello@energylocals.com.au, care@futurexpower.com.au, service@engie.com.au, info@indigopower.com.au, info@powerdirect.com.au

creating the email

on the energy compare website, they ask you the following questions:

have you lived at the address for the last 12 months. This question is asked to make sure the power plan being delivered to the property won’t be a new customer connection. It will be a port of an existing customer from one retailer to another.
they want to know your current retailer: I assume this is so the Government knows who you are with, and they want to present different results to the retailer you have now.
the want your postcode. this is so they can point you at the right distributor / retailer that covers a particular area. Not all retailers service all areas.
then you can provide an NMI - or fill out a questionnaire that includes the following questions:

do you currently receive an energy concession
do you have solar panels
how many live in your house
how many rooms
how many refrigerators do you have
do you have gas and what for - Electric ducted central heating, Split system air conditioning unit that you use as a heater, Electric under floor heating, Individual electric room heater(s) in regular use, Gas ducted central heating, Gas slab heating, Individual gas room heater(s) in regular use, Other heating
how do you cool your home and what for - Room air conditioner, Split system, Ducted reverse cycle (refrigerated) air conditioner, Ducted, evaporative cooler , Portable refrigerated, Portable evaporative, Other, None
do you have a clothes dryer?
what hot water system do you use? Room air conditioner, Split system, Ducted reverse cycle (refrigerated) air conditioner, Ducted, evaporative cooler, portable refrigerated, Portable evaporative, Other, None

They also want to know your tariff type: Single Rate, Time of Use.
and the average number of kw of electricity used in a day.

So you want to craft an email that includes the information relevant to you.

I will give an example for a person with a disability but you can craft it to suit your individual needs.

Please write me a letter to my energy retailer (in a professional tone) that takes into consideration the following points:

1. I am a person living with a disability
2. I live at <insert address and postcode>, and would like to get a custom quote for my individual circumstances
3. My meter NMI number is: 5552226667
4. To get the quote correct I'll give you an overview of my general use
5. My meter is [ insert meter type ]
6. I use on average [ x electricity consumption per day in kW/hrs ]
7. I [do or do not have solar]
8. I [do or do not have an electric vehicle]
9. Time of use savings during the day would be [of benefit / not of benefit for me]
10. My heating is [ x technology]
11. My cooling is [ y technology ]
12. I have [X fridges]
13. My houses has [Q bedrooms ]
14. My house has [W number of people living there ]

Please ask that the retailer provide the specific plans available and what they'd recommend based on the circumstances and why. Ask them to please set out the daily rate, and the tariff per KW hour adjusted for any discounts and quote all prices GST inclusive. Tell them this is important so you can compare the rates. 

And thank them for their time and use a prose that is kind, conversational and llikely to elicit a good response. 

Also tell them to please provide the quote in writing, AND explain the way in which you can sign up for the plan without a need to go on complex websites, or call the call centre if possible. 

Don't include a title for the Energy Retailer Name or Energy Retailer Address, just include my details and fill out the letter contents.

the system will output:

[Your Name]
[Your Address]
[Your Suburb, State, Postcode]

[Date] 

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am writing to request a custom quote for my energy plan, as I believe my individual circumstances may require a tailored approach. I am a person living with a disability and reside at [Your Address, Suburb, State, Postcode]. My meter's NMI number is 5552226667.

To assist in providing an accurate quote, I would like to offer some information about my general energy usage:

* Meter Type: [Insert meter type]
* Average Daily Electricity Consumption: [x electricity consumption per day in kW/hrs]
* Solar Panels: [Yes/No]
* Electric Vehicle: [Yes/No]
* Time of Use Savings: [Of benefit/Not of benefit]
* Heating: [x technology]
* Cooling: [y technology]
* Number of Fridges: [X]
* Number of Bedrooms: [Q]
* Number of Occupants: [W]

I would greatly appreciate it if you could provide me with specific plans that you believe may be suitable for my circumstances, along with an explanation of why you recommend them. Please include the daily rate and the tariff per kilowatt-hour, adjusted for any applicable discounts. It is important to me that all prices are quoted GST inclusive so I can effectively compare the rates.

Additionally, I would like to inquire about the possibility of signing up for the plan without needing to navigate complex websites or call the call centre. I would be grateful if you could provide me with the quote in writing and outline alternative signup methods that may be available.

Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Sincerely,

[Your Signature]
[Your Name]

Now, just have a voice conversation with the produced letter to include all the items you need to update for your personal situation: E.g.

Update the letter to include 10 fridges to replace X
Update the letter to include the number of occupants Y as 10 etc.
Keep prompting with voice - until the letter is complete.

Assembling your email

Then cut and paste the following into your email:

Your email list: [make sure to send this as a BCC email]

customerservice@agl.com.au, enquiry@energyaustralia.com.au, enquiry@originenergy.com.au, info@lumoenergy.com.au, customerservice@redenergy.com.au, info@momentum.com.au, info@simplyenergy.com.au, info@powershop.com.au, support@tangoenergy.com, customerservice@globirdenergy.com.au, customerservice@dodo.com.au, customerservice@1stenergy.com.au, customer.service@alintaenergy.com.au, support@sumo.com.au, support@covau.com.au, customerservice@diamondenergy.com.au, hello@discoverenergy.com.au, support@elysianenergy.com.au, hello@energylocals.com.au, care@futurexpower.com.au, service@engie.com.au, info@indigopower.com.au, info@powerdirect.com.au

your email: (that you’ve updated)

[Your Name]
[Your Address]
[Your Suburb, State, Postcode]

[Date] 

[Energy Retailer Name]
[Retailer Address]

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am writing to request a custom quote for my energy plan, as I believe my individual circumstances may require a tailored approach. I am a person living with a disability and reside at [Your Address, Suburb, State, Postcode]. My meter's NMI number is 5552226667.

To assist in providing an accurate quote, I would like to offer some information about my general energy usage:

* Meter Type: [Insert meter type]
* Average Daily Electricity Consumption: [x electricity consumption per day in kW/hrs]
* Solar Panels: [Yes/No]
* Electric Vehicle: [Yes/No]
* Time of Use Savings: [Of benefit/Not of benefit]
* Heating: [x technology]
* Cooling: [y technology]
* Number of Fridges: [X]
* Number of Bedrooms: [Q]
* Number of Occupants: [W]

I would greatly appreciate it if you could provide me with specific plans that you believe may be suitable for my circumstances, along with an explanation of why you recommend them. Please include the daily rate and the tariff per kilowatt-hour, adjusted for any applicable discounts. It is important to me that all prices are quoted GST inclusive so I can effectively compare the rates.

Additionally, I would like to inquire about the possibility of signing up for the plan without needing to navigate complex websites or call the call centre. I would be grateful if you could provide me with the quote in writing and outline alternative signup methods that may be available.

Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Sincerely,

[Your Signature]
[Your Name]

Given the nature of the note written, I’d expect

Acknowledgement of the email within 1 business day
A full response addressing the customer's inquiry within 2-3 business days

What to do when you get the results:

Create a new notion page, or text file page.
Copy the contents of each and every return email you receive and include them on a single page.

Go to your AI, and upload the full set of emails in a single text string.

Result prompt:

You are a financial analyst that's been provided with a list of quotes for Electricity services at a private residence. 

The offers will present you with:
- a daily charge expressed in dollars per day
- and a schedule of rates per kilowatt hour potentially to a number of thresholds

Your job is to compare all the offers provided from the File Attached. 

As an OUTPUT I'd like you to rank the best offer to the worst in your opinion and provide the advantages and disadvantages of each plan. 

At the conclusion of the analysis, draft a short email template for the person to respond the best provider accepting their offer on the terms they've suggested, and include those in the letter as a way of confirming the offer. Also ask a question as to how they should process the acceptance if email is not the right mechanism.

Caveats:

If you are not comfortable with number based analysis, you may just want to provide the emails to a trusted friend or family member to work through the quotes for you. They’ll be impressed that you were able to get this far.

Final comments:

Power companies are not your friend.

Over time they will jack your rates up on a semi regular basis, and they assume 1/3 of customers will churn each year.

Once you do sign up to a new plan, make sure you watch it; and don’t be afraid to do a variation of the above email to look for new details on a semi regular basis.

At least every 12 months using this process or when a price reset notice comes through.

**BTW, I check my electricity prices each and every month on the energy compare site. Don’t be afraid to change. They acquire you and jack the rates up. Return the favour. Don’t be a stooge!

Cheers and enjoy cheaper electricity!

Tim Beevor.