1st Energy review

1st Energy is one of the smaller electricity retailers in Australia. Here's what you need to know before deciding whether to switch to 1st Energy.

CHOICE staff

Last updated: 09 February 2023

1st Energy sells electricity to almost 40,000 households, or 0.42% of Australia's residential customers, according to 2022 figures. 1st Energy joined the Australian market in 2014, claims to be Australian based and dedicated to "providing energy that actually reflects the real cost of doing business whilst giving our customers confidence and peace of mind that we care about them". 1st Energy is considered to be a smaller retailer in the Australian market.

On this page:

Which states does 1st Energy supply?
CHOICE Expert Rating on 1st Energy
CHOICE verdict on 1st Energy
1st Energy's energy sources

1st Energy was established in 2014 and currently has almost 40,000 customers – it is Australian based. Its head office is in Melbourne, though its call centre is in Brisbane. It's partly Australian owned.

The company does not own or operate any coal, gas, solar or wind energy. It was the first competitor to enter the Tasmanian energy retail market.

Contact details for 1stEnergy

1stenergy.com.au

1300 426 594

Which states does 1st Energy supply?

CHOICE Expert Rating on 1st Energy

CHOICE verdict on 1st Energy

Environmental

1st Energy has a Green Energy Guide score of 3.5/10 which is a slight improvement on it's 2018 figures which were 2/10.
It is not involved in fossil fuel extraction.
However, it provides very little support for new, renewable energy.
It also buys energy from markets where coal dominates, has not committed to ending coal use by 2030 and has not taken an active stance on strong climate policy.

Customer service

1029 (or 2.6%) of 1st Energy's customers lodged complaints again the company in 2021-22.
66% of calls made to 1st Energy are answered within 30 seconds.
The average wait time is 66 seconds.
Only 5.8% of callers hang up before their call is answered.

1st Energy's energy sources

We were unable to find any information around the mix of energy sources from 1st Energy.

Green Electricity score

This score is based on the company's Green Electricity Guide star rating.

Complaints score

This score is based on the number of complaints measured as a proportion against the number of customers. The higher the percentage, the better. Data via the Australian Energy Regulator – updated annually.

Call response score

This score is based on how likely the retailer is to answer a call within 30 seconds. The higher the percentage, the better. Data via the Australian Energy Regulator – updated annually.

July 2019 - New Tasmanian energy company 1st Energy has revealed how many Tasmanians have signed up - A new energy provider entered Tasmania's Aurora-monopolised market earlier this year, but the number of Tasmanians who've made the switch might come as a surprise.

May 2019 - 1st Energy power company fined after telemarketers sign up woman with dementia - An energy company has been fined and criticised for "human stupidity" after it wrongly signed up an elderly woman with dementia, billed her thousands of dollars, and used debt collectors to recover the money.

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