Australian households overpay $150–500 per year on electricity and gas due to the “loyalty penalty.” Square Deal’s coaching engine identifies every retention tactic, benchmarks your rate against the government reference price, and guides you to the best available deal — on the same grid, with the same electrons.
In telco, providers can claim network superiority. In energy, every retailer delivers the same product via the same grid. This eliminates the rep’s strongest defence.
Unlike telco (where networks differ), every energy retailer delivers identical power via the same distribution network. The rep cannot claim product superiority.
The government sets a maximum standing offer price (Default Market Offer). Good market offers are 15–25% below this benchmark. We score every offer against it.
No PAC codes, no port-out process. Sign up with the new retailer online in 5 minutes. Transfer is automatic with zero supply interruption.
Energy pricing varies by state and distribution zone. Our engine loads zone-specific rates and reference prices for VIC, NSW, QLD, and SA.
15 retailers mapped across Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland, and South Australia — covering approximately 85% of Australian residential energy customers.
Australia’s largest energy retailer. Highest loyalty penalty — loyal customers routinely pay 15–20% more than new sign-ups on the same plan.
Second-largest retailer with aggressive new-customer promos that existing customers never see. Strong retention team when you push.
CLP Group–backed (Hong Kong). Only Big Three retailer growing market share. Competitive digital UX but benefit-period honeymoon traps.
Frequently the cheapest major brand in every NEM state. The strongest anchor against the Big Three.
100% Australian Government–owned (Snowy Hydro). Local call centres, hydro-backed generation. Credible mid-market alternative.
Market-floor pricing in Victoria — consistently the cheapest or near-cheapest plan available. The universal anchor.
25+ objection handlers across 10 categories, purpose-built for energy and gas retention calls. The coaching engine detects each pattern in real-time and delivers a tailored counter-response.
“We value you as a customer” — the same emotional stall as telco, but weaker. The AER’s own data shows loyal customers pay MORE, not less.
A single credit that closes the complaint ticket without changing your ongoing rate. Your next quarterly bill returns to the same inflated amount.
A high feed-in tariff (12c/kWh) paired with a higher usage rate. You export 5–8 kWh/day but consume 10–15 kWh. Usage rate matters 2–3× more.
Miss one payment by one day and you lose the entire discount. Capped at 5.93% in VIC. Always compare the unconditional rate.
A competitive rate for 12 months that quietly reverts to near the Default Market Offer. The retailer is betting on your inertia.
The #1 lie in energy retention. Switching retailer NEVER interrupts electricity or gas supply. It’s a billing change on the same grid.
Every offer is scored as a percentage below the DMO/VDO reference price — the government’s own benchmark for a fair energy price.
Time-sensitive opportunities the engine monitors and surfaces during your call.
New reference prices take effect 1 July. Media coverage peaks. Maximum retention pressure window: May–August 2026.
Retailers limited to 1 price rise per year. Excessive late-payment fees banned. Better-offer messaging now mandatory on bills. Stronger consumer position.
Energy Bill Relief ended December 2025. Households seeing full-price bills for the first time since 2023. Bill shock is driving record switching activity in 2026.
First winter quarter bills are 2–3× summer bills. Retailers are in defensive mode. The optimal window to negotiate gas rates.
Two AI agents conduct a full energy retention negotiation while the coaching engine analyses every tactic and offer. Select your retailer and state to begin.