Powerclub saves you money by providing access to electricity at wholesale prices. We don’t profit from your usage and we exist solely for the benefit of our members. We’re the Club bringing the community together with a better way to buy, sell and use energy.

We function on the basis that when people join, they become a part owner, just like a shareholder in a conventional company. Powerclub is bringing forward new ideas, new methods and new approaches that enable our members to take control. Our aim is to make the energy industry work for people, not against them.

Fundamentally our philosophy is to be the people’s innovator.

We exist solely for the benefit of our members. You see, Powerclub is a company limited by Guarantee, which means that like a not-for-profit or charity, the company is not allowed to distribute profits.

Under the Powerclub constitution, if we receive more revenue than what we need to cover our operational costs, we return the excess charges to our members. Once staff, bills and licenses have all been paid, any extra revenue must be used by Powerclub for the benefit of its members.

So, what you see really is what you get.

No tricks. Just innovative thinking.

Powerclub provides members with access to electricity at wholesale prices. Wholesale energy will normally vary between minus 1c - 10c per kWh but on rare occasions can go as high as $15 per kWh for very short periods of time.

Your Powerbank acts as a buffer to smooth the highs and lows of the wholesale energy market - covering the difference when prices are high and replenishing when energy prices are low.

At the end of each year, Powerclub will calculate the difference between what went into your Powerbank and what has been paid out for wholesale energy. Any difference is applied to the following year's bills to recover the shortfall or pay back the excess. You only ever pay the wholesale value for your electricity usage.

Powerclub uses the latest technology, a lean approach and low overheads to be more efficient than many other retailers. Our operational costs are less than 1c per kWh and 26c per day. If we receive more revenue than what we need to cover our operational costs, we return the excess charges to our members.

Why do we do this? Because we're sick of paying too much for energy too!

The wholesale energy market is where energy products such as electricity and natural gas is traded.

The Australian wholesale energy market is managed by the Australian Energy Market Operator, or AEMO. You can go to the AEMO website any time and see the current wholesale prices on their Data Dashboard. You will find it here:

https://www.aemo.com.au/Electricity/National-Electricity-Market-NEM/Data-dashboard

It’s simple really – Join the Club.

To join Powerclub, you will pay an annual membership fee of $39 (or $79 for business) and open your Powerbank account by depositing an amount which we will tailor to your personal usage. Powerclub provides energy at wholesale prices so you only pay for the energy you use, nothing more.

That means no steep overheads. No shocking bills. No tricks. No worries.

Networks are the companies that own the poles and wires that deliver power to your home. They charge various tariffs for delivery which are included in your Powerclub bill.

There are two basic types of network tariffs you can choose from:

Peak: which charges you at a flat rate, regardless of the time of day that you use it.

Time-of-use: splits the price into peak (2pm – 8pm), shoulder (between 7am – 2pm and 8pm – 10pm) and off-peak (between 10pm – 7am) and you are charged different delivery rates for each of these time periods.

Some people also have a controlled load meter which makes power available at times of low demand between 10pm – 7am and have special low delivery rates.

How would a tariff make any difference?

With Powerclub, you will always pay for power at wholesale rates regardless of what tariff you choose but each tariff will charge you different rates for delivery.

The delivery you choose could make a difference

You can’t change networks at your property, but you can choose a different network tariff. Each tariff charges different rates for periods of the day. You can choose a tariff depending on what works best for you

Everybody uses power differently, so depending on when you use most of your power, one tariff may give you cheaper delivery than another. Powerclub will show you what your energy usage looks like to help you work out the best tariff for you. It costs nothing to change provided you don’t do it too often. If you qualify for multiple tariffs you are entitled to swap from one to the other.

Your energy bill is made up of different charges to cover the cost of generation, renewables and efficiency schemes, operational costs and transmission cost. The actual cost of your electricity usage is less than half of your total bill. Many of the items in your bill are fixed and compulsory charges to keep our country powered up.

So, let’s break down what you're paying for? Your bill consists of four main components:

Cost of electricity – the wholesale cost of producing electricity

Network Fees – the cost of the poles and wires that deliver electricity

Schemes – such as state and/or national renewable schemes

Retailer Costs – such as operational costs, retailer charges and retailer profit

Powerclub and other retailers all incur the same charges for network fees and schemes. What differs is Powerclub’s method of buying wholesale energy direct from the market on your behalf. Retailer costs also vary considerably as do the plans they offer.

Powerclub, uses the latest technology, a lean approach and low overheads to be more efficient than many other retailers. Our operating costs are less than 1c per kWh and 26c per day. We don’t profit from your energy usage and we don’t add profit margins to your supply charges.

Simply put - your Powerbank will smooth out wholesale energy prices. Wholesale energy will normally vary between minus 1c - 10c per kWh but on rare occasions can go as high as $15 per kWh for very short periods of time. Traditional retailers must take steps to insure themselves against these wholesale market fluctuations – an expense they pass onto their customers.

Powerclub puts you in control by using your Powerbank as a buffer to smooth out the highs and lows of the wholesale energy market - covering the difference when prices are high and replenishing when wholesale prices are low. It's designed to grow over time to slowly increase the level of coverage you receive from it. Importantly, your Powerbank will always remain your money - if you choose to leave the Club one day, you will take your Powerbank balance with you.

To open your Powerbank, you will make a one-off deposit which is tailored based on your estimated annual usage, multiplied by the level of coverage you need. These levels range from $40 per 1000 kWh to $80 per 1000 kWh.

Opening your Powerbank account is easy. Your one-off deposit is tailored based on your estimated annual usage, multiplied by the level of coverage you need. These levels range from $40 per 1000 kWh to $80 per 1000 kWh.

It’s important to note that if your initial annual usage estimate is under, you will not be sufficiently covered to deal with normal wholesale market fluctuations and will need to top up the difference into your Powerbank. Some States, such as South Australia, have a more volatile wholesale market and will require more than the minimum Powerbank to cope.

Your Powerbank is designed to grow to a maximum of $120 per 1000 kWh over time which will give you the highest level of coverage over wholesale market fluctuations. To help it grow, we include a 10% buffer into your fixed price forecast which tops up your Powerbank every month. When your Powerbank has grown sufficiently to cover any wholesale event, the overflow will be given back to you as extra savings.

Your Powerbank is always yours. If you choose to leave Powerclub one day, we will refund you the balance.

While depleting your Powerbank is highly unlikely, an unusual circumstance could cause prices to spike well above normal. Powerclub has created the members app, Powerwatch, to give you more knowledge and control over these wholesale price fluctuations.

But things can happen that we can’t plan for. For example, in January 2019, an extremely unusual circumstances caused the wholesale energy price in Victoria to jump to over $10 per kWh for 5 hours. This was triggered by a heat wave combined with a scheduled maintenance of a primary generator which put pressure on supply. Analysis of this event showed that some Powerclub members with solar could have made money out of this event, while others with high consumption during that period who took no action to reduce their consumption would have needed more than the minimum in their Powerbank.

There has never been an incident to date that would deplete a full Powerbank. To minimise your risk, open your Powerbank account with the full $80 per 1000 kWh.

The members app, Powerwatch, will alert you when wholesale prices are high and advise you of ways to reduce your energy use at that time. A price spike typically doesn't last very long so it's important to act fast. Taking control of your usage will ensure you don't deplete your Powerbank by paying too much for power.

We will also monitor your usage patterns. If we consider you to be at risk of draining your Powerbank, we will get in touch to recommend some actions you could take. If by coincidence, you happen to be entering the market at a particularly volatile time, Powerclub may request that you top up your Powerbank to make sure you’re fully covered for the current market conditions.

Powerclub exists for the benefit of its members. If we believe your current Powerbank balance to be insufficient coverage, we will contact you to suggest actions you could take.

Wholesale energy will normally vary between minus 1c - 10c per kWh but on rare occasions can go as high as $15 per kWh for very short periods of time.

The members app, Powerwatch, will alert you when wholesale prices are high and advise you of ways to reduce your energy use at that time. A price spike typically doesn't last very long so it's important to act fast. Taking control of your usage will ensure you don't deplete your Powerbank by paying too much for power.

By shutting down unnecessary appliances during a $10 per kWh price spike, you could save yourself $40 an hour or more depending on your consumption levels. By learning to exploit the wholesale market like this, you are taking control and making it work for you.

There are many tried and tested ways to reduce your energy consumption, lower your carbon footprint, protect the environment and save money. Here are our top five tips to lower your energy usage:

Choose the right lights

Replace your bulbs with LED lights. They last longer, are more durable and are the most energy efficient using 75% less power than incandescent bulbs. They also have no mercury, and last about 25 times longer.

Don’t waste power

Turn off lights and don’t use heating or cooling when you don’t need it. Some devices are known to pull small amounts of energy, even when they are turned off such as computers, TV’s, microwaves, printers and scanners. Power down and unplug idle electronics to prevent phantom energy loss.

Check the energy star rating

Star ratings are a government and industry initiative to encourage you to buy more energy efficient products. Appliances with a high star rating use less electricity and will cost you less to run. Energy efficient products include air conditioners, freezers and fridges, dryers and washing machines, computer monitors, TVs and more. So, when it comes time to upgrade or replace your appliances, check out the ratings of the replacement as it may impact your energy consumption for many years to come.

Heating and cooling

The average home uses 40% of their energy on heating and cooling and that doesn’t include hot water. Your family’s comfort is of the utmost importance, but you don’t have to break the bank in doing so. Find the right heating and cooling systems for your home that will be cheaper to run and better for the environment. How you operate and maintain your system will also have a big impact on reducing your energy bill. We recommend that you never over heat or over cool as those extra degrees cost a lot more than you might think.

Take back control with Powerclub

Wholesale energy prices change every five minutes and there are circumstances that cause prices to spike above normal fluctuations. You can use the members app, Powerwatch, to check the current market price. We will alert you when prices are high and advise you of ways to minimise your usage during these times.

You can also use the Powerclub member's portal which will display graphs showing the normal highs and lows across the day. This will help you plan the best time to use appliances that use lots of power.

Energy shouldn’t break the budget. Being conscious of price fluctuations will help you make better choices at the right time. Making small changes to how you use energy can make a big difference to your annual cost of power.

Want to chat to a real person? Our Melbourne based call centre will be opening soon. Our Team Members will be on standby to answer your questions and help you save your energy for life - not huge energy bills.

In the meantime, you can shoot an email to Powerclub HQ and we will get back to you during normal office hours - [email protected]