Sumo Energy

Sumo Energy, a local electricity retailer in Australia

Sumo Energy is an electricity and gas retailer serving households and businesses in Australia. Its offering centres on signing up for comparable energy plans online, with a sign-up process that the company itself describes as taking about five minutes. The company presents itself as Australian-owned and operated, with the idea that customers' money stays in the country, and bases customer service in a local call centre staffed by local people.

The site lets you enter your postcode to get results tailored to your area and compare electricity-only, gas-only or bundled plans. The company says the comparison takes a couple of minutes.

Electricity, gas and bundled plans by state

The offer is organised by type of supply and state:

• Electricity only: available in Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland and South Australia.
• Gas only: available in Victoria and New South Wales.
• Electricity and gas bundled: available in Victoria and New South Wales.

The site announced the release of new plans for Victoria and a winter offer called Winter Saver, which you access by entering your postcode.

Clear billing and switching handled by the company

Among the features the company highlights about its service are billing with plain pricing and plain English, and Sumo handling the entire switch of retailer, so the customer doesn't have to deal with the paperwork. Support is provided from a local call centre with local staff.

Positioning: deliberate size and local focus

Sumo Energy describes itself as a company that doesn't aim to be the biggest in the Australian market and that grows deliberately, focusing on the points where customers notice it. The company links that scale to accessible support and nearby community projects, and targets its offering at both Australian households and businesses.

Customer rewards programme

Eligible Sumo Energy customers have access to Sumo Energy Rewards, a programme that brings everyday benefits together in one app:

• Up to 10% off eGift cards for groceries, fashion and other retailers.
• Up to 20% off dining at hundreds of venues.
• More than 1,000 spots nationwide, all in one app.

The programme is limited to Sumo Energy customers who meet the eligibility requirements.

Regulatory documentation and phone support

The site publishes information about prices and plans: the energy price fact sheets for Victoria and the basic plan information documents for the other states. It also includes links to its blog, corporate information, privacy policy, terms and conditions, an enforceable undertaking and customer data rights. Phone support is available on 13 88 60.