Blog
Guides to energy, health insurance and broadband
Plain-English explainers from the people who write them. Prices and plans are on the comparison pages; these articles explain how to read them.
Looking for a figure? The guides answer the "how do I choose" questions with today's prices, dated, and hand off to the provider.
Rory DavisBroadband and energy · PerthAnalyst and content creator at OpenStream, fractional and remote, based in Perth. Writes about NBN, home broadband and electricity bills for OpenStream: speeds, prices and the fine print.
Jessi WangHealth and energy · SydneyAnalyst and content creator at OpenStream, fractional and remote, based in Sydney. Writes about private health insurance and electricity discounts for OpenStream: what cover includes, what it costs and how to compare it.
Broadband and energy
- FTTP, FTTC, HFC, FTTN: what your connection type means for your NBN
You cannot choose it, but it decides your top speed and who can fix problems. How to find out what you have.
Rory Davis29 Oct 2026 · 2 min read - How to read your electricity bill in five minutes
Two numbers decide most of what you pay. Here is where to find them, and what the rest of the page is doing.
Rory Davis27 Oct 2026 · 2 min read - Introductory prices: the real cost of an NBN plan over two years
The price in the advert is often the price for the first six months. Here is how to work out what you will pay in total.
Rory Davis23 Oct 2026 · 2 min read - What NBN speed do you actually need?
Seven speed tiers, one honest question: how many things are using the connection at the same time?
Rory Davis16 Oct 2026 · 2 min read - The Default Market Offer, and how to tell when it is time to switch
The regulated reference price is not the cheapest option. It is the most you should be paying on a standing offer.
Rory Davis14 Oct 2026 · 2 min read
Health and energy
- How to compare health insurance without being sold to
A short, practical way to shop for cover using the regulator's own information.
Jessi Wang26 Oct 2026 · 2 min read - Pay-on-time discounts: what the percentage is actually taken off
A big discount on a plan is only as good as the number it is applied to. How to read the fine print without a calculator.
Jessi Wang22 Oct 2026 · 2 min read - Waiting periods, excess and Lifetime Health Cover: the three things that catch people out
What is not in the headline premium, and why it can matter more than the price.
Jessi Wang19 Oct 2026 · 2 min read - Gold, Silver, Bronze, Basic: what the hospital tiers do and do not tell you
The tier is a label for how much a policy covers. The detail that matters is which services are left out.
Jessi Wang12 Oct 2026 · 2 min read