NSW regulator IPART’s 2024 Annual Report finds that customers on demand tariffs face annual bills $200 to $300 higher than flat-rate or time-of-use plans
A long overdue reset to the tariff reform agenda promises better outcomes for energy consumers. Plus a new report finds that retailers really do charge residential customers more than business.
The Federal Government is funding $300 toward household energy bills in the 2024-25 financial year. Most households will receive quarterly rebates of $75 that will appear in the bills. Here’s everything you need to know.
Here's a summary of the facts about how this program actually works.
Key Information for Households
What is the Energy Bill Relief Fund (EBRF)?
The Energy Bill Relief Fund was announced in December 2022 as part of the Commonwealth Government’s broader Energy Price Relief Plan.
Under the initial EBRF, up to $3 billion of electricity bill relief was available to eligible households and small businesses, delivered in partnership with state and territory governments in the 2023-24 financial year.
The EBRF has been extended to deliver an additional $3.5 billion of energy bill relief in 2024-25. As part of the extension, households will receive up to $300 of energy bill rebates in 2024-25 to ease cost of living pressures.
For households with an active electricity account, payments will appear on electricity bills as quarterly credits of $75 in all jurisdictions except WA where households will receive two payments of $150.
For households in embedded networks in jurisdictions where they are eligible, payments may be made as a one-off $300 rebate subject to jurisdictional requirements. Contact your relevant jurisdiction for more information.
Where can household electricity customers find more information on the EBRF?
Households can find additional information at: https://www.energy.gov.au/energy-billrelief-fund
Final implementation details are being developed with state and territory governments. As they become available, households can find further information at the below websites:
NSW: https://www.energy.nsw.gov.au/households/rebates-grants-andschemes/national-energy-bill-relief#national-energy-bill-relief-for-households Q&As: 2024-25 Energy Bill Relief for Households Last updated: 4 July 2024
Most households do not need to apply for bill relief and will see the rebate automatically applied on their electricity bill.
Customers in embedded networks may need to apply for bill relief and should refer to their state and territory processes for further information.
Are concession card holders eligible to receive bill relief?
The EBRF in 2024-25 will provide up to a $300 rebate for all households, including concession card holders.
When will households receive bill relief?
From July 2024, households will see a $75 rebate on their next electricity bill.
Households in WA will see half-yearly credits of $150 applied to electricity bills in 2024-25 to align with the WA Household Electricity Credit scheme.
Timing of the first rebate may vary across jurisdictions and retailers. Households with bills issued in July may not see their first bill relief payment until the following electricity bill.
Most households in embedded networks will receive their rebate through a different process. See Key Information for Households in Embedded Networks section.
What happens if a household changes retailer or moves houses?
Retailers are responsible for providing rebates to their customers with an active electricity account on the following census dates, for all jurisdictions except WA:
Quarter 1: 31 July 2024 (1 July 2024 for QLD)
Quarter 2: 1 October 2024
Quarter 3: 1 January 2025
Quarter 4: 1 April 2025
In WA, rebates under the EBRF will be aligned with half-yearly payments under the WA Household Electricity Credit scheme with the following census dates:
Census Date 1: 17 June 2024
Census Date 2: 18 November 2024
Changing retailer or moving houses will not affect a household’s rebate if they still have an active electricity account at each census date. For example, if a household changes retailer after the first $75 rebate, they will receive the remaining three $75 payments on subsequent bills under the next retailer.
Depending on census dates and when households change retailers or move, households may receive one electricity bill from their new retailer that does not have a rebate for that quarter but should have received that quarter’s rebate from their previous retailer. These households are still eligible for the total $300 payment and will see a $75 rebate for the next quarter on their electricity bill.
Where customers change retailers with a positive balance, retailers and jurisdictions’ relevant standard business rules apply.
Households in WA that move from a retailer to an embedded network after the first census date may not be eligible for further rebates. See Key Information for Households in Embedded Networks section.
Why is the rebate only being paid to accounts that are active on the census dates?
Delivering EBRF requires a consistent approach for all Australian households across jurisdictions, where possible. Establishing consistent census dates will enable retailers to identify eligible and active accounts to apply rebates for that point in time.
The 2023-24 targeted EBRF provided payments for eligible households from 1 July 2023 to 30 June 2024, in most jurisdictions. Applying rebates under the extended and expanded EBRF from July 2024 means all households receive payments as soon as possible to ease cost-of-living pressures.
Are customers who receive their electricity bill from an embedded network provider (e.g. a body corporate or a site manager) eligible to receive bill relief?
Yes. A customer who resides in an embedded network and receives their electricity bill from their landlord, property manager, park owner or body corporate based on their metered consumption, is eligible for the $300 energy bill relief payment. See further information under Key Information for Households in Embedded Networks section.
Is the rebate inclusive of GST?
No. The rebate credits are not taxable or relevant for GST purposes. Bill relief will be inclusive of GST (that is, applied post-GST to bills) for both households and small businesses.
Are customers in credit eligible to receive bill relief?
Yes. Energy bill relief will still be applied to the customer’s electricity account and any credit should be carried over to future bills.
What happens to bill relief for customers with ongoing credit balances?
Energy bill relief will remain as a credit on the customer’s bill with no expiry date.
With the customer’s approval, credit may be allocated by the retailer to another bill under the customer’s account or be managed in line with existing retailer policies for accounts with a positive balance.
Are households that don’t get a separate electricity bill (e.g. off-grid homes or customers that have electricity included in their rental agreement) eligible to receive bill relief?
No. To receive energy bill relief, a customer must be separately metered and charged for their electricity supply/consumption.
Are deemed (occupier) accounts eligible to receive bill relief?
Yes. If a customer moves into a new property and starts using electricity without entering into an electricity contract with the retailer, the rebate should be applied to the deemed account if the retailer is applying a residential tariff.
Are households with more than one property under one account eligible to receive multiple bill relief rebates?
Rebates should be applied on an account basis (i.e. one rebate per customer account) so households only receive one rebate, where possible. This includes accounts with multiple properties that share a connection and accounts with multiple properties that are separately metered.
If a customer receives multiple bills, retailers should only apply one rebate per customer account, where possible. It is at the retailer’s discretion which bill receives the rebate.
Are households eligible for bill relief if they receive another energy payment funded by their state and territory government?
Yes. Energy bill relief is a Commonwealth funded payment and does not prevent eligible households from receiving other payments delivered by their state or territory government.
What happens if a customer closes their account after the rebate has been applied to the bill?
Normal retailer business processes would apply and any credit against a customer’s account should be settled as per the terms and conditions of the customer’s contract.
In WA, the rebate is applied through an offset and no refund is available. Key Information for Households in Embedded Networks
Are households in embedded networks (e.g. apartment buildings, caravan parks, and other premises where they receive their electricity bill from an embedded network operator) eligible to receive energy bill relief?
Yes. Households in embedded networks will be eligible for the $300 energy bill relief. Households should refer to their relevant jurisdiction’s application process.
Why are households in embedded networks receiving one-off payments, rather than quarterly?
To reduce administrative burden and due to the complexity of embedded networks and system limitations, households in embedded networks will receive one payment of $300.
How will households in embedded networks access the bill relief?
To apply for rebates, embedded network customers should refer to the process in their respective state or territory.
All required forms should be available from each jurisdictions’ relevant government website.
Applications for households in WA close on 30 November 2024.
Any eligible household in Queensland who has not received their payment by 31 December 2024 should contact their embedded network operator. If customers are not happy with the response, they should speak to the relevant regulator or ombudsman in their jurisdiction.
NSW regulator IPART’s 2024 Annual Report finds that customers on demand tariffs face annual bills $200 to $300 higher than flat-rate or time-of-use plans
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