ShatabdiTo compare electricity plans for a dental practice in NSW, calculate what each offer would charge for the same usage history. Include usage rates, any demand charge, the daily supply charge and other fees. Then compare the estimated annual total and contract terms.
The right comparison reflects your appointment hours, equipment and plans for the practice. A low overnight rate may have little value if most electricity is used during the working day. Check the price against the practice’s actual appointment and cleaning schedule.
What drives electricity costs in a dental practice?
Compressed air, suction, sterilisation equipment, air conditioning, lighting and computers all contribute to a practice’s electricity use. Their contribution depends on the equipment, its operating cycle and how many rooms are working at once.
A compressor can serve more than one treatment room. Sterilisation equipment operates in cycles. Air conditioning may run throughout appointments and cleaning. The combination matters when comparing both energy consumption and demand.
Start with the practice’s bills and interval meter data, which records electricity use across the day. Equipment specifications help explain the pattern; the meter history shows the combined load.
| Practice detail | Why it matters to the comparison |
|---|---|
| Appointment, cleaning and opening hours | Determines which usage-rate windows apply |
| Treatment rooms operating together | Helps explain periods of higher combined demand |
| Compressors, suction and sterilisation equipment | Operating cycles affect both consumption and overlapping loads |
| Heating, cooling and after-hours equipment | Can change seasonal use and the load outside appointments |
| Planned extra rooms or equipment | Historical data may understate future requirements |
How should you account for another treatment room?
If you plan to add a chair, describe how the extra room will operate. Will another clinician work alongside the current team, or will appointments move between rooms? Will the room share the existing compressor and suction equipment, or require new plant? Those details are more useful to an estimate than chair count alone.
Keep the sterilisation and treatment schedule you need as the basis of the comparison. Include early preparation, cleaning after appointments and any evening sessions. Ask the provider to distinguish the current meter record from assumptions about the expanded practice.
Which charges should you compare?
An electricity offer can contain several charges:
- Usage: electricity consumed, measured in kilowatt-hours (kWh), multiplied by the applicable rate.
- Demand, where applicable: a charge based on the power drawn during the intervals specified by the tariff, commonly measured in kilowatts (kW) or kilovolt-amperes (kVA).
- Daily supply: a fixed amount for each day in the billing period.
- Other items: metering and other fees, discounts and solar credits, including their conditions.
Compare the offers on the same GST basis. The NSW business electricity bill guide explains where to find these items.
Time-of-use or flat rate: match the plan to your appointments
A time-of-use offer charges different usage rates during specified periods. Peak is usually the highest rate, off-peak the lowest, and shoulder an intermediate rate where offered. A flat-rate offer applies one usage price throughout the day.
Check the actual windows in each offer. Evening appointments, Saturday opening and cleaning after the last patient may fall into different bands. NSW does not have one universal peak schedule: the applicable hours can vary by tariff, retailer, season and day.
For time-of-use pricing, multiply the kWh used in each band by that band’s rate. Use a full year of history where available to capture seasonal heating and cooling and holiday closures.
Check demand separately. A plan can have a flat usage rate and still include demand charges. In the comparison below, the TOU offer charges for demand and Cable absorbs network demand charges.
How demand charges affect dental electricity bills
When several treatment rooms operate alongside sterilisation equipment and air conditioning, the combined load can increase the practice’s measured demand.
An average load of 20 kW sustained for half an hour uses 10 kWh. The 10 kWh contributes to usage charges. If that interval sets the chargeable demand under the tariff, the 20 kW may also enter the demand calculation.
A momentary equipment start-up spike is different from a half-hour average. Check the measurement interval, eligible hours, units and any look-back period before interpreting the figure on your bill.
The business demand charges guide explains the calculation. Base the comparison on the sterilisation and treatment schedule the practice needs, including preparation and cleaning outside appointment hours.
Worked example: compare time-of-use with Cable
This practice uses 3,000 kWh in 30 days. Half falls in shoulder periods, with another 30% in peak periods. The comparison prices that same appointment-day pattern on both offers.
Illustrative Cable rate: 23c/kWh, above the 20c TOU off-peak rate. Actual pricing is set for the site. The battery supports flat-rate pricing by shifting electricity purchases towards lower-cost periods.
| Charge | Quantity | Time-of-useWith demand charges | Cable flat rateBacked by a battery | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rate | Total | Rate | Total | ||
| Peak usage | 900 kWh | 48c/kWh | $432.00 | 23c/kWh | $207.00 |
| Shoulder usage | 1,500 kWh | 30c/kWh | $450.00 | 23c/kWh | $345.00 |
| Off-peak usage | 600 kWh | 20c/kWh | $120.00 | 23c/kWh | $138.00 |
| Usage subtotal | 3,000 kWh | — | $1,002.00 | — | $690.00 |
| Demand | 20 kW × 30 days | 30c/kW/day | $180.00 | Absorbed by Cable | $0.00 |
| Supply | 30 days | $2.663967/day | $79.92 | $2.663967/day | $79.92 |
| Total for 30 days | — | — | $1,261.92 | — | $769.92 |
The difference is $492 over these 30 days: $312 from usage and $180 from demand. Most of the usage difference comes from the 900 peak-period kWh, which cost $225 less at 23c. The practice pays $18 more for its off-peak usage in the Cable column.
These are illustrative electricity charges, including GST, not typical savings or a site quote. Both columns use the same supply input; other fees and contract costs are excluded. See how we built this example for the assumptions, exclusions and full calculation.
How to compare offers before renewing or expanding
- Gather your current information. Use bills, interval data and the current agreement. A full year of usage provides a stronger basis than one month.
- Describe planned changes. Include extra treatment rooms, new equipment, longer hours or a move. Ask the provider to separate measured history from assumptions about future use.
- Price the same usage on each offer. Apply each offer’s time bands and demand formula, then add supply and other fees. Include applicable discounts and credits.
- Check the commitments. Compare the term, rate-change conditions, deposit and return conditions, and early-exit costs. Include costs of leaving the current agreement.
- Review the total and its assumptions. Check the GST treatment and whether the estimate reflects the practice you expect to operate.
A flat rate describes pricing across the day. The agreement determines whether that rate can change during the term.
How Cable’s electricity and battery offer works
Cable funds, owns and operates a battery at suitable practices, charging in lower-cost wholesale periods and using stored power when prices rise. Cable absorbs network demand charges. The bill has one usage rate across the day plus daily supply, so consumption still affects the total.
For leased consulting rooms, discuss landlord consent, battery placement, additional site work and installation timing around appointments. Standard installation does not provide outage backup for clinical equipment.
Eligibility covers suitable Ausgrid and Endeavour Energy sites in NSW, with at least six months of smart-meter data required to join. An earlier quote enquiry is possible. The initial term is three years; annual CPI adjustments and other permitted rate changes apply. Review the deposit, return conditions and early-exit charges in the personalised offer.
Dental practice electricity questions
Can a practice with evening appointments benefit from a flat rate?
It may, depending on the rates and the amount of electricity used in each period. Evening appointments do not automatically make a flat rate cheaper. Compare usage, demand, supply and other charges using the practice’s actual hours.
Does an autoclave’s kW rating tell me its cost per cycle?
No. A power rating alone does not tell you the electricity consumed throughout a cycle. Use model-specific energy-per-cycle information or suitable measurements, then apply the electricity rate. Other equipment and site-level charges still contribute to the practice’s total bill.
Can I request a comparison before adding a treatment room?
Yes. Provide the planned equipment and operating hours alongside current usage. Ask which assumptions have been included, because historical meter data describes the existing practice.
Can a new practice join Cable immediately?
Joining currently requires at least six months of smart-meter data. You can request a quote earlier and discuss the site, equipment and timing, but confirm eligibility before relying on an installation date.
Get an electricity quote for your dental practice
Share your contact and energy-account details, then authorise access to your usage history. Cable prepares a personalised offer showing estimated costs and terms for your practice.
Get a quote for your dental practice
Sources
Sources checked 3 November 2026. Comparison and pricing explanation updated 5 November 2026.
- AER: electricity tariff guide — usage structures and demand charges.
- Australian Government: review your business energy contract — comparing costs and demand calculations.
- Ausgrid: 2026–27 network prices — the EA256 network access input used in the illustration.
- Dürr Dental: dental compressors — model-specific equipment and shared compressed-air systems.
- Cable FAQs and service areas — published offer conditions and coverage.