If you live in Newcastle, compare electricity or gas plans using your postcode, recent bill and estimated usage, rather than choosing on the headline discount alone. Check the daily supply charge, usage rates, contract terms, exit fees, solar feed-in rates and whether the retailer offers payment assistance or hardship support. The Energy Made Easy website is the Australian Government comparison service and can show available offers for your address. Your local distributor maintains the network, while the retailer bills you, so contact the retailer first about plans or billing and the distributor about outages.