VIC energy rebates and concessions
Utility Relief Grant Scheme (URGS)
Rebate value:
Up to $650 toward your natural gas bill and up to $650 toward your electricity, once in a 2-year period. Households with electricity only will be eligible to receive the full $1,300 towards their account.
Eligibility:
Low-income earners who have difficulty paying their gas and/or electricity bills.
How to apply:
Visit Victoria’s grants website.
Annual Electricity Concession
Rebate value:
17.5% of your bill (after any discounts and feed-in tariff credits have been applied).
Eligibility:
Eligible concession card holders with a yearly electricity bill greater than $2,948 (including GST).
How to apply:
Visit Victoria’s Excess Electricity Concession web page.
Controlled Load Electricity Concession
Rebate value:
13% of the controlled load charges for electric hot water or slab heating.
Eligibility:
Householders with a concession card that have a home with a dual element or smart electricity meter.
How to apply:
The concession will automatically be applied to your bill if you are eligible and have provided a valid concession card.
To find out more, visit Victoria’s Controlled Load Electricity Concession web page.
Non-Mains Energy Concession
Rebate value:
This will depend on the annual cost of each non-mains energy source.
Eligibility:
Concession cardholders who:
- Rely on LPG, firewood or heating oil for domestic heating, cooking or hot water; or
- Use non-mains electricity via an embedded network, or
- Rely on a generator for their power.
How to apply:
Visit Victoria’s Non-Mains Energy Concession web page.
Medical Cooling Concession
Rebate value:
17.5% of the electricity charges for the period 1 November to 30 April.
Eligibility:
People with concession cards that cannot self-regulate their body temperature when it’s very hot or cold.
How to apply:
Visit Victoria’s Medical Cooling Concession web page.
Service to Property Charge Concession
Rebate value:
This will be based on the usage cost before any solar credits are deducted. When the electricity use on a bill is lower than the service charge, the service charge is reduced to the cost of the electricity used.
Eligibility:
Concession card holders with low electricity usage.
How to apply:
Register your concession card with your electricity retailer.
To find out more, visit Victoria’s Service and Property Charge Concession web page.
Winter Gas Concession
Rebate value:
17.5% of your gas charges from 1 May and 31 October (after any discounts).
Eligibility:
Concession card holders with a natural gas bill of more than $1,613 (incl GST) (between 1 May to 30 October 2020).
How to apply:
Visit Victoria’s Excess Gas Concession web page.
Life Support Concession
Rebate value:
This rebate is calculated using the general domestic tariff of your retailer and is paid quarterly. People be eligible for a rebate equal to the cost of 1,880 kWh of electricity per year.
Eligibility:
Concession card holders who use an eligible life support machine or have a household member who uses an eligible life support machine.
How to apply:
Visit Victoria’s Life Support Concession web page.
Other ways to save on your energy bills
If you’re not eligible for an energy rebate, you might be able to make some savings by switching your energy plan – especially if you’ve been on the same plan for a long time.
See how much you could save. Compare electricity retailers VIC.