On 1 July, new electricity prices took effect under the Australian Energy Regulator's latest Default Market Offer (DMO 8). For most households and every small business in the regions where it applies, the headline is good news: prices are coming down. But if you run a business and you're expecting your next bill to shrink on its own, it's worth a reality check.  

 

What actually changed on 1 July  

The DMO is the maximum price a retailer can legally charge a customer on a standing offer — the default plan you land on if you've never actively chosen one. It's reset once a year by the AER and applies in New South Wales, South East Queensland and South Australia. (Victoria has its own equivalent, the VDO.)  

Under the 2026–27 determination, small business standing-offer prices fell across all three DMO regions. Residential flat-rate prices dropped by 3.4–5.0% in NSW and 7.2% in South East Queensland, with South Australia the exception at a 1.4% rise.1  

 

Why your bill might not move  

Here's the catch. The DMO only sets the price for standing offers – and most businesses aren't on one. The AER estimates only about 15%2 of small businesses (roughly one in seven) – are on the DMO at all.   

If you're already on a market offer, the DMO reduction doesn't automatically flow through to you. Your rate is whatever your contract says — and an older market offer can quietly drift above the deals available today.   

There's another wrinkle this year. The new DMO puts more weight on fixed daily supply charges than before. When Zembl reviewed some of our customers’ price change 
letters so far, we saw a consistent increase in supply charges – by up to 103%.3 These increases can offset the impact of any decreases in usage charges, so that the net result it not a lower bill, but potentially actually a bigger one.  

 

The reality check  

A lower benchmark is genuinely good news for the market. But "prices are down" and "your bill is down" are two different things. Whether the reduction reaches your business depends entirely on the plan you're on right now – and that's something no government determination can fix for you.  

The businesses that come out ahead are the ones that check where they stand and act, rather than waiting for a saving that may never arrive.  

 

What to do about it  

The good news is that finding out takes almost no effort. A quick bill review with a Zembl energy expert will tell you exactly what you're on, whether the July change helps you, and whether there's a better deal on the table. In June 2026, 89%4 of businesses who talked to Zembl uncovered savings they didn't know were there.   

It's a 5–10 minute conversation, and if a better plan is available, the switching is handled for you – no supply interruption, no paperwork on your end. We take energy off your hands, so a price drop actually turns into a saving.  

 

1. Source: AER, Final Default Market Offer 2026–27 determination, 26 May 2026 2. Source: AER, DMO 2026–27, May 2026. 3. Based on a sample of business energy price change notices reviewed by Zembl as at 30/06/2026, with new rates effective 1 July 2026. 103% is the highest daily supply charge increase observed in the sample not the average. Refers to daily supply charge only, not the total bill. Figures include GST. Results vary by retailer, plan, distributor and individual usage. 4. 89% is the percentage of SME customers who requested a Zembl business energy bill comparison between 1–30 June 2026 (NSW, ACT, SA, VIC, QLD, limited TAS/WA) for whom Zembl identified a lower available offer than their current rate. Data extracted 1/07/2026. Not the percentage who switched. Percentages vary by usage, rates and offers; results not guaranteed.