Tariff scenario cost calculator

Use this calculator when the work question is a simple two-scenario comparison: the same usage period, two manually entered energy rates and two manually entered daily supply charges. It is useful for Australian estimating notes, facility reviews, tenant discussions and early operating-cost comparisons where the user already has tariff assumptions from a documented source.

This page is deliberately not a retailer plan comparison. It does not search live offers, read bills, apply discounts, model time-of-use bands, include solar exports, include GST treatment, interpret demand charges or decide whether a contract should be changed. It makes one comparison transparent so the source values can be checked.

Field Use Cases

A useful scenario record names the source. A note such as "30 c/kWh vs 24 c/kWh" is weak if it does not show where the rates came from, what period they apply to and whether the daily supply charges are comparable.

Scenario Boundary

The boundary matters because many Australian bills have more than one component. A simple comparison can still be valuable, but only when the user understands that the result is a worksheet line, not a bill interpretation.

Input Checklist

If the usage came from a load profile, keep that profile record with the tariff comparison. If the usage came from a bill, record the bill period and whether the value is total site kWh or only one load group.

Review Workflow

1. Define the site, meter, load group or estimate being compared.
2. Confirm the same daily kWh and period days apply to both scenarios.
3. Enter scenario A energy rate and daily supply charge from a documented source.
4. Enter scenario B energy rate and daily supply charge from a documented source.
5. Read the two costs, the lower-cost scenario and the absolute difference.
6. If the difference is small, check fixed charges, GST, time bands, demand charges and contract terms before treating it as meaningful.
7. If peak demand is part of the tariff, move to the demand charge calculator instead of forcing it into this page.
8. Export only when the source and scope of both scenarios are recorded.

The workflow is intentionally conservative. It keeps the arithmetic visible while leaving tariff interpretation with the project, retailer or qualified reviewer.

Worked Australian Examples

These examples are not retailer recommendations. They show how the same kWh period reacts to different entered rate and daily-charge assumptions.

Related Tools

Use the energy cost calculator when the question is one load, one usage pattern and one entered tariff. Use the load profile kWh calculator when the daily kWh should come from multiple load blocks before comparison. Use the demand charge estimate calculator when the bill component depends on peak kW or kVA. Use the kVA, kW and power factor calculator only when the tariff input depends on a power relationship that needs its own record.

Stop Points

• The two scenarios are not for the same site, meter or usage period.
• One scenario includes GST and the other does not.
• One scenario includes discounts, solar export or controlled load effects and the other does not.
• Time-of-use bands are material but have been collapsed into one rate without explanation.
• Demand charges affect the decision but are not recorded separately.
• The result is being used as a public savings claim or retailer recommendation.

Keep the entered rates, daily supply charges, usage basis and source dates with the export. The result is a scenario worksheet for review, not a plan selector.