Pros
- 100% Australian customer support
- $50 referral bonus
- NextConnect system offers 24/7 energy monitoring across all your devices
Cons
- Slightly below-average solar tariffs in some states
Next Business does a couple of things to stand out from other business plans.
The main draw is the NextConnect system that offers 24/7 energy monitoring. It lets you access a personal energy management dashboard on all your devices. This dashboard lets you:
That said, most business providers have a similar system available for customers.
Other benefits of Next Business Energy include the following:
If you refer a colleague or other business and they sign up to Next Business Energy directly, you'll both receive a $50 credit on your account.
Next Business Energy sells electricity plans to small, medium and large businesses in QLD, VIC, SA, NSW and the ACT.
Click on your state below to get started. Please note that rates and other details were last checked 3 June 2022.
Plans | Difference from reference price | Rates | Annual bill estimate |
---|---|---|---|
Business Single Rate - Assured | 30% | Variable | $ |
Estimated cost including GST for an average household using 3,900 kWh yearly on a flat rate tariff in the Ausgrid network.
Plans | Difference from reference price | Rates | Annual bill estimate |
---|---|---|---|
Business Single Rate - Assured | 3% | Variable | $ |
Estimated cost including GST for a household using 4,000 kWh yearly on a flat rate tariff in the Citipower network.
Plans | Difference from reference price | Rates | Annual bill estimate |
---|---|---|---|
Business Single Rate - Assured | 1% | Variable | $ |
Estimated cost including GST for a household using 4,600 kWh yearly on a flat rate tariff in the ENERGEX Ltd network.
Plans | Difference from reference price | Rates | Annual bill estimate |
---|---|---|---|
Business Single Rate - Assured | 1% | Variable | $ |
Estimated cost including GST for an average household using 4,000 kWh yearly on a flat rate tariff in the SA Power Networks - NSP network.
Plans | Difference from reference price | Rates | Annual bill estimate |
---|---|---|---|
Business Single Rate - Assured | Variable | $ |
Estimated cost including GST for a household using 4,600 kWh yearly on a flat rate tariff in the ActewAGL network.
Yes, Next Business Energy offers a feed-in tariff to any businesses that already have solar panels installed.
However, it doesn't help with the installation process for new solar panels.
Next Business offers a flat 7c/kWh across the states (except SA, where it doesn't publish its feed-in tariff).
This is slightly above the 6.7c/kWh average in VIC, but about 0.5–1c/kWh lower than average in QLD, NSW and the ACT. It's decent but nothing special.
Here's a state-by-state breakdown.
Next Business Energy is certified for GreenPower, a government-backed program where customers can pay extra to support Australian renewables.
It also owns Next Generation & Renewables, which aims to partner with major solar projects along the Eastern Seaboard. It's not clear how large this partnership is at present.
If you want a portion, or all, of your energy to be GreenPower, you'll be charged an extra 4.95c/kWh. To give you an idea how that could affect your bill, it may cost you an extra:
Note: 5,000 kWh was used as an average annual power consumption figure based on data from the 2020 Residential energy consumption benchmarks report for the AER. Power consumption varies by state and household size.
Next Business Energy scored extremely well on customer service, with short wait times and below-average complaints.
Data is provided by the AER's Annual retail markets report 2020–2021, which contains information on the call centres of many energy providers.
Next Business Energy | Market Average | Major provider average | |
---|---|---|---|
Average call wait time | 15 seconds | 58 seconds | 116 seconds |
Calls abandoned before being answered | 1% | 7% | 7% |
Complaints (% of total customers) | 1% | 3% | 1.5% |
Have a problem or question you need to sort out? Next Business Energy's support team is available from 9am to 5pm (AEST), Monday to Friday. You can:
All of Next Business' customer support representatives are based in Australia.
If you're looking to switch to an energy plan from Next Business Energy, you'll have to head to the Next Business website and fill out the sign-up form there. Next Business will call you back and get you sorted with an energy plan.
For more details, take a look at our guide on switching energy plans.
Important notes: The estimated prices on this page default to single rate tariffs. On your power bill this could be written as a "peak tariff", "peak only", or "anytime tariff". Other tariffs are available, so you may need to check with your provider if you have any of these tariffs:
The price estimate should not be used as official quotes, they're an indication of what your costs might be on a given plan. These quotes vary based on whether you provide us with bill details and you can learn more here.
Our energy guides can help you compare and understand what plan is best for you.
Best energy plans: 5 plans selected by our experts, assessed and updated regularly
Cheap energy plans: Find the cheapest energy plans available this month
Solar power plans: Got rooftop solar? Compare your options and save even more
Average energy bill: Find out how your energy bill compares to the rest of Australia
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