Aurora Energy review

Aurora Energy supplies gas and electricity to over 240,000 customers in Tasmania. Here's what you need to know before deciding whether to switch to Aurora Energy.

CHOICE staff

Last updated: 09 February 2023

Established in 1998, Aurora Energy operates throughout Tasmania and is owed by the State Government. Power supplied by Aurora is generated by Hydro Tasmania, and the company's head office is located in Hobart, with call centres in Hobart and Launceston.

Aurora is one of only two power companies currently serving the needs of Tasmanian customers, both business and residential.

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Which states does Aurora Energy supply?
CHOICE Expert Rating on Aurora Energy
CHOICE verdict on Aurora Energy
Aurora Energy's Energy Sources

Aurora Energy is 100% Tasmanian owned, and claims to be committed to supporting local communities, supporting the environment through sustainable power solutions, and supporting its customers.

Power is supplied by Hydro Tasmania's generation assets, which include hydroelectric power plants, wind farms and natural gas assets. The exact mix of energy sources is not publicly available.

Neither Aurora Energy's organisation or the product the company offers are carbon neutral. It is not considered climate active by the Green Electricity Guide.

Contact details for Aurora Energy

auroraenergy.com.au

1300 13 2003

Which states does Aurora Energy supply?

CHOICE Expert Rating on Aurora Energy

CHOICE verdict on Aurora Energy

Environment

Aurora Energy does not own any generation plants itself, but its parent company, Hydro Tasmania, only owns renewable assets including hydroelectric power stations, wind farms and natural gas plants.
These gas plants continue to cause climate pollution.
It generates predominately renewable energy.
The company offers a lower than average price for GreenPower carbon offsets.
It's green energy rating has increased to 8 out of 10 stars, up from 6 out of 10 in 2019–20.
Aurora and Hydro Tasmania have not made their position on coal and coal seam gas public.
The company's emissions intensity is close to zero.

Customer service

8,621 customers (or 3.6%) made complaints against Aurora Energy in 2021–22.
47% of customer service calls made to Aurora were answered within 30 seconds. This is an increase on 36% in 2020–21 .
The average wait time for a customer service call to be answered is 158 seconds. This is a significant decrease from the 242 second wait time recorded in 2020–21 and the second longest wait time in our survey.
13.9% of calls made to Aurora were abandoned before being answered.

Aurora Energy's Energy Sources

The exact mix of Aurora Energy's power generation sources is not readily available, however the mix is made up of gas, hydro and wind power.

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.

December 2020 – Aurora Energy's chairwoman Mary O'Kane holds fears for company's financial position in 2021 – Aurora Energy will face further financial headwinds next year, its chairwoman says.

October 2020 – Aurora Energy releases its 2020 Energy Charter Disclosure – AURORA Energy has today released its 2020 Energy Charter Disclosure, underlining its commitment to delivering better energy outcomes for all Tasmanians.

September 2020 – Coronavirus has left many Tasmanians facing electricity bill shock. What can you do? – Many Tasmanians are receiving power bills that are much higher than they were last winter.

January 2020 – Aurora launches new energy usage app – Tasmanian energy retailer Aurora Energy has recently launched a new digital product to provide consumers with a better insight into their energy usage.

December 2019 – Aurora Energy getting fewer billing complaints – The Tasmanian Ombudsman has revealed how many complaints his office is receiving about Aurora Energy power bills.

December 2019 – More than one-third of Aurora Energy customers on payment plans for their power bills – There were 106,000 payment plans put in place by Aurora Energy over 2018-19 for people struggling to pay their power bills.

November 2019 – 1414 Degrees to power SolarReserve's Port Augusta site – A Port Augusta site, where plans for a massive $750 million solar project were abandoned earlier this year, has been bought by a South Australian company with its own powerful plans for it.

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Stock images: Getty, unless otherwise stated.

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