Your network provider owns and operates the poles and wires in your state or region. Networks are monopolies (no one wants two parallel sets of poles and wires to choose from) and they are heavily regulated. In some states they are still owned by the state government. Regardless of who owns them, they are regulated by the Australian Energy Regulator.

We used your state to identify your electricity network provider. When there was a choice, we asked you to choose. Here is a rough guide to the options:

Victoria has five network providers:

• Ausnet covers the outer northern and eastern suburbs of Melbourne and eastern Victoria
• Jemena covers northern and north-western suburbs of Melbourne
• Powercor covers western suburbs of Melbourne and western Victoria
• United Energy covers southern suburbs of Melbourne and the Mornington Peninsula
• CitiPower covers only the city and some inner suburbs

New South Wales has three network providers

• Ausgrid covers Sydney metro (inner, northern and eastern) and surrounds
• Endeavour covers Greater Western Sydney, the Blue Mountains, Southern Highlands and the Illawarra, and the South Coast
• Essential covers country and regional NSW, with some lines over the border into southern regional QLD

ACT is surrounded by the NSW network Essential, which in some cases crosses the border. Most of ACT is served by EvoEnergy.

Queensland has two network providers (and some service from Essential in NSW)

• Energex serves Brisbane, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast and surrounds
• Ergon serves country and regional Queensland which is mainly the north of the state

South Australia is served by SA Power Networks

Tasmania is served by TasNetworks

In Western Australia

• Western Power operates the whole of the South West Interconnected System which stretches north to Kalbarri and east to Kalgoorlie
• Horizon Power operates the remote and northern parts of WA, served as individual microgrids for each township

Northern Territory is served by numerous individual microgrids centred around townships, all operated by NT Power & Water.

Off-grid arrangements typically combine a private operator with government rules