FAQs

Rimfire Energy Logo

Rimfire Energy is an NT family-owned electricity business operating in the Territory since 2014, and we are the largest non-government electricity retailer operating in the Territory.

Our team has extensive experience in the electricity industry, and we are committed to providing you with competitive energy prices and quality customer service.

You can find out more about Rimfire Energy and our team at the About Us page.

Rimfire Energy currently sells electricity to the following types of customers:

  1. Residential customers eligible for standard regulated tariffs;
  2. Small Business customers eligible for standard regulated tariffs; and
  3. Large Business customers eligible for negotiated pricing.

Please note that due to the current regulated pricing and associated subsidy arrangements set by the NT Government, we are currently unable to offer pensioner and concession discounts, or sell electricity to the following customer types:

  1. Multipurpose customers;
  2. Caravan park residents; and
  3. Customers with prepayment meters.

We currently offer pay-on-time discounts on regulated tariffs for our residential and small business customers.

Our small business and residential customers can choose between a flat tariff pricing structure, where the same charge rate applies to all periods, or a time-of-use pricing structure, where separate charge rates apply for peak and off-peak periods.

Please refer to our Product and Price Sheet for further details on the current regulated pricing order tariffs for small business and residential customers.

For large customers on negotiated agreements our competitive customised prices have saved tens of thousands, and in some cases hundreds of thousands, of dollars on their electricity bills each year.

Our large business customers are all provided with customised pricing specific to their consumption patterns, payment terms, and external market prices at the time of contracting. If you are a large business customer and would like to get more information, please go to our Large Business Customers page.

We sell electricity to eligible customers in the following grid-connected regions:

  • Darwin
  • Katherine
  • Tennant Creek
  • Alice Springs

Absolutely. At Rimfire Energy, we are strong supporters of renewable energy and offer competitive solar feed-in tariffs to customers with solar PV installed at their premises.

As an electricity retailer, we do not control the physical supply of electricity to your premises.

Power and Water Corporation owns the electricity network (meters, poles and wires) and is responsible for the physical supply of electricity to your premises and the reliability of the network.

They are also responsible for connecting your premises to the network, however we can arrange this with Power and Water Corporation on your behalf if you would like us to.

Note residential electricity transfers take place on the first day of each month if application is received and accepted on or prior to the 15th and may incur a transfer fee.

In order to choose your electricity retailer and become a Rimfire Energy customer, you must have an eligible “smart meter” or a remotely-read interval meter installed at your premises.

These are computerised meters fitted with a SIM card to allow the meter to take a consumption reading every 15 minutes and communicate the data to Power and Water Corporation via the mobile communications network without the need for a meter-reader to attend your premises.

Power and Water Corporation have information about the types of meters used and how to identify them.

Power and Water Corporation imposes charges for smart meter upgrades and these costs are normally passed through to customers at cost by electricity retailers. The costs related to smart meter upgrades vary depending on the extent of the upgrade work required.

Please refer to our Product and Price Sheet for further details on typical meter upgrade charges for small business and residential customers.

We will consider you to be a small business customer if your premises are used for operating a business and has annual electricity usage of less than 750 MWh p.a.

It is likely that we will consider you to be a small business customer if you are a business customer with a standard contract containing regulated commercial pricing tariffs.

Indicatively, this means that if your current bills are less than $18k per month, then you will probably fit into the category of a small business customer. You can find further details at our Small Business Customers page.

We will consider you to be a large business customer if your premises are used for operating a business and has an annual electricity usage of more than 750 MWh p.a.

We will likely consider you to be a large business customer if you are a business customer and you meet either of the following arrangements:

  • A negotiated contract, and you are currently being charged based on negotiated rates (instead of standard published rates); or
  • A standard contract, and you are currently being charged based on unregulated commercial default tariffs.

Indicatively, this means that if your current bills are more than $18k per month, then you will probably fit into the category of a large business customer.

You can find further details at our Large Business Customers page.

We will consider you to be a residential customer if your premises are used for domestic purposes and has an annual electricity usage of less than 160 MWh p.a.

This does not include hostels, motels, guest houses, caravan parks, or premises wherein a caretaker resides, which are otherwise used for non-residential purposes.

You can find further details at our Residential Customers page.

Some reasons may include:

⦁ Weather conditions: PV solar panels require sunlight to generate electricity, and cloudy or overcast days can reduce output.
⦁ Obstructions: Buildings or trees that cast shade on the panels can also reduce production, as can dust build up.
⦁ System age: The efficiency of PV solar panels degrades over time, reducing their production capacity.
⦁ Inverter failure: An inverter failure can cause the system to produce less electricity.
⦁ Problems with wiring can cause voltage drops and reduce production.
⦁ Maintenance issues: Failure to perform routine maintenance, such as cleaning the panels or replacing faulty components, can reduce a solar system’s production.

It is recommended that cleaning and a maintenance inspection be conducted at least once each year and will identify many of these issues. Your solar installer can arrange repairs and warranty claims if required.

Rimfire Solar offer set-rate maintenance inspections which include cleaning as required, based on your system size.

This depends on many factors, such as:

  • The setup of your current solar system.
  • Your current production and usage.
  • Your inverter type.
  • The network rules in your area.

A CEC accredited solar designer or installer can advise you what are the best options for your installation and usage.

Rimfire Solar can provide a quote and tailored recommendations for both solar and battery systems, including when you have an existing system. You can find further details at our Solar Energy page.

Depending on your services there may be different charges. For most residential or small business customers:

  • Daily Charge: This is the fixed charge per day for your connection. This fee is regulated by the NT Government.
  • Anytime Energy: This is the per kilowatt-hour (kWh) rate for the electricity you consume. This rate is regulated by the NT Government.
  • Peak Energy/Off Peak Energy: These are the per kilowatt-hour (kWh) rate for the electricity you consume on time of use tariffs, between 6am to 6pm or 6pm to 6am.
  • Feed In Energy: This is the per kilowatt-hour (kWh) rate for the electricity you generate with solar and feed back into the grid. Most solar systems provide for your electricity use before feeding to the grid, so this may not reflect the total production of your solar system.

Rimfire invoices detail an amount due if the invoice is paid by the due date, which includes a pay-on-time discount, and the invoice also details an amount due if paid after the due date, which does not include a pay-on-time discount.

To be certain that you receive the pay-on-time discount be aware that some payment methods may have delays at your financial institution and plan this into your payment date.

If you or someone residing at your premises require uninterrupted power supply for life support equipment then you can notify us or the network service provider (PowerWater). More information on the registration process is available in our Life Support Equipment Customer Policy

We understand that sometimes our customers may experience difficulties that affect how you do business with us.

If you are having trouble paying your bills then it’s important that you reach out to discuss this with us early and there are various ways that we can help you through these times. There is more information about this in our Residential Customer Hardship Policy.

We can also provide support to do business with us safely if you are experiencing family violence. More information is available in our Family Violence Customer Policy.

We operate under a commitment to continuous improvement and so welcome any feedback. You can let us know about any issues either verbally or in writing through any of our contact methods. More information on what you can expect from us is available in our Customer Complaints Policy

GreenPower is a government-managed program that lets individuals and businesses support renewable energy generation. When you buy GreenPower from Rimfire Energy, you’re supporting renewable energy that meets GreenPower’s strict criteria.

You can learn more about the benefits of GreenPower on the government website greenpower.gov.au

By purchasing GreenPower you’re minimising your impact on the environment by supporting Australia’s Renewable Energy Target and leading to continued growth, investment and promotion of the Australian renewable energy sector.

Not only that, but you can also feel great about investing in the future of Australia.

Depending on the percentage of purchased GreenPower, you’ll be eligible to use the GreenPower Customer Logo, list your business on the GreenPower government website and receive a GreenPower promotional pack to promote your support of renewable energy at your business.

You can learn more about usage of the GreenPower Customer Logo here.

You can email our GreenPower specialists:

Allan Duffell – aduffell@rimfireenergy.com.au

Kylie Bonanni – kbonanni@rimfireenergy.com.au

Kim Howlett – khowlett@rimfireenergy.com.au

Or, you can call us on 1800-RIMFIRE

Product and Price Sheet

Mark Staunton

Development Finance Manager

Mark Staunton has wide ranging finance experience in the electricity industry including m&a, development, generation, retailing and metering across Australia, Asia and the USA. His most recent role was as the Corporate Finance Manager for CleanCo where he was responsible for funding and capital structuring. Prior to CleanCo Mark worked for Shell Energy Australia, ERM Power and Suncorp. He holds a Bachelor of Actuarial Studies.

Wayne Moulday

General Manager Development

Wayne Moulday is a seasoned mechanical engineer with over two decades of leadership in the power industry. He has directed major energy infrastructure projects across Australia and Asia, including coal, gas, solar, battery, and hydro developments. Wayne brings deep expertise in project development, technical due diligence, and strategic acquisitions, and has held executive roles spanning development, production, marketing, and sustainability.

Allan Duffell

General Manager Retail

Allan Duffell brings over 20 years of Risk and Compliance, and electricity retail experience to the Rimfire Group, including stints with SP Ausnet and Energy Australia and most recently as Compliance Manager with Lasseters Casino in Alice Springs.

Rimfire has a proven track record in delivering power projects across the Northern Territory. Our capability spans the full project lifecycle, from origination and feasibility to structuring, financing, detailed design, construction, and operations.

Scott McLaren

Operations Manager

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Mike Ricketts

Sales Director

This is just placeholder text. Don’t be alarmed, this is just here to fill up space since your finalized copy isn’t ready yet. Once we have your content finalized, we’ll replace this placeholder text with your real content.

Sometimes it’s nice to put in text just to get an idea of how text will fill in a space on your website.

Traditionally our industry has used Lorem Ipsum, which is placeholder text written in Latin. Unfortunately, not everyone is familiar with Lorem Ipsum and that can lead to confusion. I can’t tell you how many times clients have asked me why their website is in another language!

There are other placeholder text alternatives like Hipster Ipsum, Zombie Ipsum, Bacon Ipsum, and many more. While often hilarious, these placeholder passages can also lead to much of the same confusion.

If you’re curious, this is Website Ipsum. It was specifically developed for the use on development websites. Other than being less confusing than other Ipsum’s, Website Ipsum is also formatted in patterns more similar to how real copy is formatted on the web today.

Maria Iglesias

Finance Manager

Maria has worked more than 10 years in accounting in both chartered accounting and corporate environments. Maria brings to Rimfire Group experience covering finance and management reporting, payroll and accounts payable/receivable in industries including utilities, tech startups and healthcare. Maria’s experience covering different industries and including startups, supports Rimfire Group’s diverse and fast-growing business.

Maria Walters

Chief Financial Officer

Maria Walters brings over 15 years of experience in the Northern Territory’s energy industry and more than 20 years of finance and accounting experience. Formerly CFO at Territory Generation, she led major transitions toward cost efficiency and renewable energy. A Fellow of CPA Australia, Maria is recognised for her technical expertise, strategic insight, and leadership across finance and business services. She also serves on several boards, demonstrating her commitment to strong governance and industry progress.

Kim Howlett

Chief Operating Officer

Kim Howlett brings more than 23 years of power generation experience to Rimfire Group, most recently as the Regional Manager for the Northern Territory overseeing an engineering team for the design and commissioning of numerous power generation systems in the Northern Territory, including the development of Rimfire’s 10MW ac solar generation facility at Batchelor, NT and Rimfire’s 12.5 MW gas-fired power station at Hudson Creek.

Michael Allen

Managing Director

Michael Allen brings more than 30 years of experience to Rimfire Group. In addition to establishing the electricity retail, project development and solar PV installation businesses of Rimfire Group, this includes as the former Executive General Manager Finance & CFO for a tier one electricity company operating in the National Electricity Market. Prior to this, Michael held a variety of senior positions representing developers and banks across energy, resources and industry based in Australia and Asia.

Karen Green

Advisory Board

Karen has over 37 years of experience in business advisory services across WA and the NT, where she’s lived since 1991. A former equity partner at Deloitte for more than 20 years, she led private advisory teams across NT, SA, and Tasmania, and served as Deloitte NT’s Office Managing Partner.

Karen currently holds several board roles, including Non-Executive Director and Chair of Risk and Audit Committees at Airport Development Group and Beetaloo Energy Australia, and Advisory Board Member at Rimfire Energy. She is also Chair of the NT Screen Industry Advisory Committee and President of the NT Council of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Her previous roles span government, energy, and cultural sectors. Karen is passionate about rural Australia and dedicated to building a sustainable future for the Northern Territory.

Peter Finnimore

Advisory Board

Peter is a sales and marketing executive with over 30 years’ experience in the mining and metals sector. He is currently Vice President Sales & Marketing at ASM, an ASX listed critical minerals company. Peter was previously the Chief Commercial Officer at South 32 and held various senior roles at BHP. During his career, Peter has worked in various marketing roles in Japan, Australia, Russia, Cyprus and Switzerland, including for Rio Tinto and Rusal. He was a Director of the International Aluminium Institute and the International Nickel Institute

Relevant Qualifications and Memberships:

  • B. Com – University of Queensland
  • LLB (Law) – University of Queensland
  • Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD)

Andy Cowan

Advisory Board

Andy brings an extensive background in trade and investment and strong leadership in the technology, defence and regional economic development. With over 15 years working at State and Federal Government levels, Andy has in-depth experience in government relations, foreign affairs and trade both within Australia and abroad.

Prior to joining Rimfire Energy, Andy was the inaugural Investment Commissioner for the Northern Territory Government of Australia with responsibility for promotion and attraction of investment in the Territory and driving governments plan for a $40 billion economy by 2030.

Preceding this role, Andy was the Deputy Chief Executive of the Department of the Chief Minister and Cabinet and the Department of Trade, Business and Innovation in the Norther Territory of Australia. Over a period of 8 years in these two roles, he had responsibility for defence and national security, regional economic development, international engagement, trade and investment, workforce development and small business portfolios.

He has over 2 decades of executive leadership experience in the public and private sectors. Andy has tertiary qualifications in science and education and is an Executive Fellow of the Australia and New Zealand School of Government.