At the moment, the general public has no option but to buy its electricity from Western Power.

The State Government is moving cautiously on the introduction of full retail contestability (FRC) – the system where you can choose who provides your electricity. FRC will be introduced only after careful consideration by Government and the other major electricity reforms are in place.

If FRC is implemented, residential consumers will be able to choose their electricity retailer. This means they will have the same ability to obtain lower prices as all other customers, but with the continuing protection of the uniform tariff.

The State Government wants to make sure the new electricity system is working well before considering the introduction of FRC. However, customers with annual usage above 50 megawatt  hours per annum – for example, a small corner shop with an annual electricity bill of approximately $8,000– have been eligible to shop around for their electricity supply since 1 January 2005.

Click here for an information brochure on the reduction in the contestability threshold