The Ergon Network, Agriculture, and Why Energy Strategy Matters More Than Farmers Realise
Modern agriculture is no longer low-energy.
Today’s farms operate more like light-industrial facilities than traditional primary production. Irrigation systems, refrigeration, packing lines, ventilation, and monitoring equipment all rely on continuous electrical supply. As a result, electricity has become one of the most significant operating costs for many agricultural businesses.
For larger operations, the issue is not just how much electricity is used, but how the site is connected and billed. This is where the Ergon Network becomes important.
Many agricultural businesses now operate across multiple locations, which further complicates billing and contract structures. Termina works with these kinds of portfolios through its multi-site energy management services, helping businesses manage energy consistently across regions.
What the Ergon Network Is
The Ergon Network is the electricity distribution network servicing regional and rural Queensland. Agricultural sites connected to Ergon are often metered and priced differently from standard small-business connections, particularly where interval metering or higher demand thresholds apply.
Once a farm moves beyond basic usage, through irrigation, cold storage, processing, or automation, electricity pricing becomes more complex. Retailers begin assessing not just total consumption, but when and how electricity is used.
This change often happens gradually, and many operators do not realise their site is no longer being priced like a simple business connection.
Why Agriculture Is Harder to Price Correctly
Agricultural electricity usage is uneven. Power demand may be steady for long periods and then rise sharply during irrigation cycles, harvest processing, or extreme weather.
Common characteristics include:
• large pumps or motors starting together
• refrigeration running overnight
• seasonal processing peaks
• weather-driven load changes
From a retailer’s perspective, this creates uncertainty. When usage patterns are unpredictable, contracts are priced conservatively to manage risk. This is why many farms end up paying for worst-case scenarios that only occur briefly each year.
The same challenges are seen in industrial operations more broadly, which is why Termina applies similar analysis used in energy management operations to agricultural sites.
The Hidden Cost Most Farms Miss: Demand Charges
For many Ergon-connected meters, demand charges are a major cost driver.
Demand charges are based on the highest 15–30 minute electricity usage period in a billing cycle. One short spike can influence network charges for months.
These spikes commonly occur when:
• multiple pumps activate at once
• compressors cycle simultaneously
• irrigation runs during heat events
• processing equipment overlaps
Many operators assume rising bills are caused by higher usage. In reality, a single unmanaged demand event can reset network costs.
This issue is also common in businesses with refrigeration and continuous equipment. Termina explains this further in its hospitality energy management resources, where demand pricing plays a similar role.
Why Retailers Rarely Solve the Issue
Retailers sell electricity contracts; they do not manage site behaviour. Without reviewing interval data, they cannot accurately assess how a farm uses power. Instead, they price for uncertainty.
As a result, many agricultural businesses renew contracts without addressing the underlying pricing structure, and costs remain high even after switching providers.
How Termina Helps Ergon-Connected Agricultural Sites
Agricultural sites on the Ergon Network benefit from analysis before procurement. Rather than simply comparing rates, Termina reviews how electricity is used and removes pricing risk before going to market.
This typically involves:
• interval data analysis
• identification of demand events
• tariff suitability checks
• contract timing based on market conditions
• retailer selection aligned to load profile
For many farms, correcting the pricing structure delivers greater savings than switching retailers alone. This approach is part of Termina’s role as a business energy broker, rather than a simple comparison service.
Energy Is Now a Managed Input in Agriculture
Farming has always optimised water, feed, fertiliser, and labour. Energy is increasingly joining that list.
As automation increases and climate conditions become more volatile, electricity reliability and cost stability directly affect production capacity. Businesses that understand tariffs, demand behaviour, and contract timing are gaining a cost advantage over competitors.
Key Takeaway
Most agricultural businesses do not have an electricity usage problem.
They have a pricing structure problem.
Once connected to the Ergon Network, farms are often priced using commercial or industrial rules. Without analysing demand behaviour and tariff suitability, retailers price defensively and operators pay for risk they never intended to create.
Understanding how electricity is billed, not just how much is consumed, is often the difference between a manageable cost and an ongoing margin leak.
