INTRODUCTION

When I moved into a non-bills included apartment in Melbourne, I had no idea how expensive electricity would be. In my first month, I used the wall-mounted heaters to stay warm and ended up with a $400 bill. I was shocked. As an international student on a tight budget, this was completely unaffordable. Since then, I’ve turned off heaters, unplugged devices, and tried everything to cut usage but even now, my monthly bill is around $130.

This personal experience motivated me to explore electricity costs in Australia using public data. This dashboard combines insights from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) and the Australian Energy Regulator (AER) to tell a story — not just through numbers, but through the lived realities of people trying to get by. I wanted to better understand who benefits from this system, and whether the rising costs match what providers are earning.

Through visual storytelling, I hope this dashboard makes that struggle visible.

Electricity Price Index Over Time

Electricity costs have risen steadily year after year, with no signs of relief. Even over just a few years, electricity prices in Australia have shown a consistent upward trend. From 2021 to 2024, the cost of energy has climbed steadily, as seen in this index. This isn’t just a policy change — it’s a lived burden, especially for low-income renters and international students like me. These rising costs impact decisions around comfort, safety, and affordability in our daily lives.

My Electricity Bill Breakdown

Even with major cutbacks, basic energy needs still cost too much. This simulated breakdown shows where my $130 monthly electricity bill likely goes. The majority is spent on heating, followed by essential uses like cooking, fridge, lighting, and device charging. Even after cutting back no heater, shorter showers, unplugged devices these basic needs still push the bill past what many students and renters can afford. Energy poverty isn’t just a statistic. It’s real.

Allowed Returns Across Electricity Providers

Electricity providers continue earning high returns — even as we struggle to pay. While households struggle to reduce usage, many electricity providers continue to receive high, regulated returns from the government. This heatmap shows that, despite inflation and demand stress, returns stayed consistent or even increased across providers. The imbalance raises ethical questions: Are consumers paying more than necessary, while corporations maintain guaranteed profit margins?

CONCLUSION

For students like me, the struggle to stay warm without breaking the bank is real. These charts are more than numbers they reveal a gap between the rising costs we face and the stability guaranteed to electricity providers.

If affordability continues to decline while profits remain high, we need to ask: Who is the energy system really serving? My hope is that this dashboard sparks reflection and maybe, one day, change. This dashboard began with a personal struggle moving into a non-bills-included apartment and facing a $400 electricity bill. Since then, I’ve been trying to minimise usage, yet I still receive monthly bills around $130. Through this experience, I started questioning: Is the cost we pay truly fair?

By combining public data from the ABS and AER, this dashboard reveals a deeper reality. While prices rise for everyday users, returns remain stable for providers. For international students and low-income residents, this creates a burden that’s often invisible in statistics.

In the end, this isn’t just about charts or numbers it’s about energy hardship, and the need for more transparency, equity, and support in how we manage essential services like electricity.

References

Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2024). Electricity Price Index Australia. https://www.abs.gov.au/

Australian Energy Regulator. (2024). State of the Energy Market Report. https://www.aer.gov.au/