Lumo Energy review

Lumo Energy supplies electricity and gas to almost 204,000 customers in Victoria and South Australia. Here's what you need to know before deciding whether to switch to Lumo Energy.

CHOICE staff

Last updated: 09 February 2023

Lumo Energy is owned by Australian company Snowy Hydro. The company was established in 2010, and offers energy supplied by one of the biggest and longest running renewable energy generators operating in Australia.

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

Lumo Energy was established in 2010, and is owned by one of the biggest and longest running renewable energy generators in Australia, Snowy Hydro. The company's head office is in Melbourne, Victoria, with call centres in Cremorne, and it serves the gas and electricity needs of customers across Victoria and South Australia.

Snowy Hydro owns and operates 16 power stations, including two gas peaking plants. Neither the organisation nor its product, offered through Lumo Energy, are carbon neutral.

Contact details for Lumo Energy

lumoenergy.com.au

1300 115 866

Which states does Lumo Energy supply?

CHOICE Expert Rating on Lumo Energy

CHOICE verdict on Lumo Energy

Environment

Through its parent company (Snowy Hydro), Lumo Energy owns and operates predominately renewable power plants. The company's emissions intensity is close to zero.
However, Snowy Hydro still owns and operates three gas-fired power stations and is currently building another one.
Lumo offers a lower-than-average price on GreenPower offsets, and has equitable solar offers for customers. However, the company is not carbon neutral.
Lumo Energy and Snowy Hydro have not made their position on investment in coal and coal seam gas known.
Snowy Hydro claims to deliver one third of total renewable energy to the National Electricity Market (NEM).

Customer service

4,345 (2.1%) of Lumo Energy customers filed complaints against the company, according to the Australian Energy Regulator's 2021–22 data.
73% of customer service calls made to Lumo are answered within 30 seconds.
The average wait time for calls made to the company is 51 seconds.
2.9% of calls made to Lumo Energy are abandoned before being answered.

Lumo Energy's energy sources

Lumo's energy sources were not transparent during our 2020-21 survey. Sources listed below are from our 2019-20 survey.

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 – Why electricity spot prices are hitting zero – When Snowy Hydro underwrote the Tailem Bend solar farm in 2017, it included a safety net allowing the $170 million plant to be switched off if power prices ever went below zero.

June 2019 – 'Significant shift' as big three power retailers lose share – Australia's "big three" electricity retailers have lost their outright dominance in south-east Queensland and South Australia as new competitors entered the market and switching rates reached record levels, undermining the justification behind the federal government's threatened "big stick" divestment legislation.

February 2019 – Simple deals, no discounts: Small power companies beat big end of town – Big power bill discounts are no longer attracting customers as consumers flock to more simple, less confusing deals from small electricity retailers.

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Stock images: Getty, unless otherwise stated.

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