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With the cost of electricity and gas rising it’s worth checking if you might be eligible for any energy rebates. Also known as concessions, rebates offer you money back to help you pay your bills. In Australia, the most common energy rebates are for low-income earners and concession card holders. Some regions also offer rebates for people with certain medical conditions.

So, let’s take a look around Australia and see if we can help you save on those energy bills.

 

In this article we look at energy rebates in:

  • Australian Capital Territory
  • New South Wales
  • Victoria
  • Queensland
  • Western Australia
  • South Australia

 

Tip: These rebates may change or be added to from time to time. If you think you might be eligible, check your state’s or territory’s website for the latest details. Or visit the Commonwealth Government energy savings website.

Australian Capital Territory (ACT)

 

ACT rebates include:
  • Economic Survival Package for families and households
  • Economic Survival Package for local businesses
  • Combined Utilities Concession
  • Home Haemodialysis Rebate
  • Life Support Rebate

 

Economic Survival Package for families and households
Rebate value:

$200 applied to your next electricity bill in June or July 2020.

Eligibility:

Valid concession cards, including: Pensioner Concession Card (PCC), Health Care Card (HCC), Department of Veterans Affairs Card (DVA).

How to apply:

You don’t need to apply for this rebate. It will be automatically applied to your electricity bill by your retailer.

 

Economic Survival Package for local businesses
Rebate value:

$750 applied to your next electricity bill in June or July 2020.

Eligibility:

Small business owners with electricity usage below 100 megawatts per year.

 How to apply:

You don’t need to apply for this rebate. It will be automatically applied to your electricity bill by your retailer.

 

Combined Utilities Concession

This rebate appears on your electricity bill but helps with your electricity, gas and water bills.

Rebate value:
  • $700 (excl GST) / $770 (incl GST) per year, from 2019–2020
  • OR 89.15c (excl GST) / 98.10c (incl GST) per day from 1 November to 31 May (Summer)

AND $3.34 (excl GST) / $3.64 (incl GST) per day from 1 June to 31 October (Winter).

 Eligibility:

Valid concession cards, including: Pensioner Concession Card (PCC), Health Care Card (HCC), Department of Veterans Affairs Card (DVA).

 How to apply:

You don’t need to apply for this concession. It will be automatically applied when your valid concession is registered with your energy retailer.

 

Home Haemodialysis Rebate
Rebate value:

$1,200 (excl GST) / $1,320 (incl GST) per year OR $3.29 (excl GST) / $3.62 (incl GST) per day.

Eligibility:

People receiving treatment from a home dialysis machine, or their parents/guardian.

Tip: if you’re eligible for the Home Haemodialysis Rebate, you will also be eligible for the Life Support Rebate.

How to apply:

Contact your energy retailer.

To find out more, visit the ACT Community Assistance website.

 

Life Support Rebate
Rebate value:

$128.00 (excl GST) / $140.80 (incl GST) per year OR 35.068c (excl GST) / 38.60c (incl GST) per day.

Eligibility:

People using life support equipment for the treatment of a life-threatening condition such as: dialysis machine, oxygen concentrator, respirator, CPAP regulator, long-stay life support, nebuliser, LS reference, TPN device or other apparatus subject to approval.

How to apply:

Contact your energy retailer.

To find out more, visit the ACT Community Assistance website.

New South Wales (NSW)

 

Rebates available in NSW, include:
  • Family Energy Rebate
  • Low Income Household Rebate
  • Life Support Rebate
  • Medical Energy Rebate
  • Gas Rebate
  • Energy Accounts Payment Assistance (EAPA) Vouchers

 

Family Energy Rebate
Rebate value:
  • $180 a year to eligible customers that do not hold a DHS Concession Card or Health Care Card; or
  • $20 a year to eligible customers that hold a DHS Concession Card or Health Care Card and also qualify for the Low Income Household Rebate.
 Eligibility:
  • People who have received the Family Tax Benefit (FTB) for the previous financial year and have had their entitlement to the FTB payments finalised by Centrelink.
    Tip: To check this you can contact the Department of Human Services (DHS) on 136 150.
How to apply:

Visit Service NSW.

 

Low Income Household Rebate
 Rebate value:
  • $285 (excluding GST) to eligible customers who already hold an electricity account; or
  • $313.50 to eligible long-term residents of residential communities (caravan and mobile home parks), retirement villages and strata schemes.
Eligibility:

Pensioner Concession Card (PCC), Health Care Card (HCC), Department of Veterans Affairs Card (DVA).

How to apply:

Visit Service NSW.

 

Life Support Rebate
Rebate value:

The rebate value varies depending on the equipment used. Example rebates include $0.71 per day for a Continuous Positive Airways Pressure (CPAP) machine and $1.54 per day for a home dialysis machine.

Eligibility:

Concession card holders using electrically-operated life support equipment to treat life-threatening conditions.

How to apply:

Visit Service NSW.

 

Medical Energy Rebate
 Rebate value:
  • $285 (excluding GST) a year to eligible customers who hold an electricity account with an electricity retailer of their choice; or
  • $313.50 a year to eligible residents of on-supplied residential communities, retirement villages, and strata schemes.
Eligibility:

Concession card holders with a medical condition that makes it difficult to self-regulate their body temperature when exposed to extreme heat or cold.

How to apply:

Visit Service NSW.

 

Gas Rebate
The Gas Rebate provides:
  • $110 (excluding GST) each financial year to eligible customers who hold a natural gas account with a gas retailer of their choice; or
  • $121 each financial year to eligible customers with on-supplied LPG or natural gas and living in residential communities, retirement villages and strata schemes; or
  • $121 each financial year to eligible customers that use delivered LPG (bottled gas) for basic household needs such as cooking, heating or hot water. Note: This rebate cannot be claimed for the use of small BBQ gas bottles or bottled gas less than 45Kg/88L in mass.
 Eligibility:

Valid concession cards including: Pensioner Concession Card (PCC), Health Care Card (HCC) Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) Gold Card. Note: if you have a Commonwealth Seniors Health Care Card, Low Income Health Care Card, Foster Child Health Care Card or Ex-Carer Allowance (Child) Health Care Card you won’t qualify for this rebate.

 

 

Energy Accounts Payment Assistance (EAPA) Vouchers
Rebate value:

$50 (excl GST) / $55 (incl GST).

Eligibility:

Households having difficulty paying their electricity or natural gas bill.

 How to apply:

EAPA vouchers are distributed to electricity and gas customers by a range of community welfare organisations. Find out more at Service NSW.

 

Victoria (VIC)

 

Rebates available in Victoria, include:
  • Utility Relief Grant Scheme (URGS)
  • Controlled Load Electricity Concession
  • Annual Electricity Concession
  • Controlled Load Electricity Concession
  • Medical Cooling Concession
  • Service to Property Charge Concession
  • Winter Gas Concession
  • Life Support Concession

 

Utility Relief Grant Scheme (URGS)
Rebate value:

Up to $650 toward your electricity account and up to $650 toward your natural gas account, once in a 2-year period. If you only have electricity, you can get the full $1,300 towards your electricity account.

Eligibility:

Low-income households who can’t pay their utility account.

How to apply:

Visit Victoria’s grants website.

 

Annual Electricity Concession
Rebate value:

17.5% of your total bill amount (after any retailer discounts and solar feed-in tariff credits have been applied).

Eligibility:

Valid concession card holders with an annual electricity bill more than $2,948 (incl GST) (from 1 Dec 2019 to 30 Nov 2020).

How to apply:

Visit Victoria’s Excess Electricity Concession web page.

 

Controlled Load Electricity Concession
Rebate value:

13% of the controlled load usage charges for your electric hot water or slab heating.

Eligibility:

Valid concession card holders whose home has a dual element or smart electricity meter.

 How to apply:

Your retailer will automatically apply the concession to your bill if you are eligible and you have provided your concession details.

To find out more, visit Victoria’s Controlled Load Electricity Concession web page.

 

Non-Mains Energy Concession
Rebate value:

Depends on the annual cost of each non-mains energy source. (All non-mains energy costs are covered from 1 January to 31 December each year.)

 Eligibility:

Valid concession cardholders who:

  • Rely on liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), firewood (special conditions apply) or heating oil for domestic heating, cooking or hot water, or
  • Access non-mains electricity via an embedded network, or
  • Rely on a generator.
How to apply:

Visit Victoria’s Non-Mains Energy Concession web page.

 

Medical Cooling Concession
Rebate value:

17.5% of electricity charges from 1 November to 30 April (the hottest 6 months of the year).

Eligibility:

Valid concession card holders with a medical condition that makes it difficult to self-regulate their body temperature when exposed to extreme heat or cold.

How to apply:

Visit Victoria’s Medical Cooling Concession web page.

 

Service to Property Charge Concession
Rebate value:

The concession is based on your usage cost before any solar credits are deducted. If 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:

Valid concession card holders who don’t use much electricity.

 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 natural gas charges from 1 May and 31 October (after any retailer discounts).

 Eligibility:

Valid concession card holders with a natural gas bill more than $1,613 (incl GST) (from 1 May to 30 October 2020).

 How to apply:

Visit Victoria’s Excess Gas Concession web page.

 

Life Support Concession
Rebate value:

The Life Support Concession can give you a rebate on your electricity bills, equal to the cost of 1,880 kWh of electricity per year. The rebate is calculated using the general domestic tariff of your retailer and is paid quarterly.

Eligibility:

Eligible concession card holders who use an eligible life support machine or has a household member who uses an eligible life support machine.

 How to apply:

Visit Victoria’s Life Support Concession web page.

Queensland

 

Rebates offered to Queensland residents include:
  • Household Utility Assistance Package
  • Power Bill Relief Package for small and medium businesses
  • Electricity and Natural Gas Rebates
  • Electricity Only Rebate
  • Home Emergency Assistance Scheme
  • Electricity Life Support
  • Medical Cooling and Heating Electricity Concession Scheme

 

Household Utility Assistance Package
Rebate value:

$200 will applied to your upcoming electricity bill (as of 24 March 2020).

Eligibility:

The Household Utility Assistance Package will go to all households.

How to apply:

You don’t need to apply. The rebate will be automatically applied to your electricity bill.

 

Power Bill Relief Package for small and medium businesses
Rebate value:

$500 applied will be applied to your business’ upcoming electricity bill (as of 24 March 2020).

Eligibility:

All small businesses whose total consumption is less than 100,000 kilowatt hours (kWh).

How to apply:

You don’t need to apply. The rebate will be automatically applied to your electricity bill.

 

Electricity and Natural Gas Rebates
Rebate value:

Electricity

  • $309.86 (excl GST) / $340.85 (incl GST) per year
  • OR 84.89c (excl GST) / 93.38c (incl GST) per day.

Natural gas

  • $66.90 (excl GST) / $73.60 (incl GST) per year
  • OR 18.33c (excl GST) / 20.16c (incl GST) per day.
Eligibility:

Valid concession card holders.

How to apply:

Register with your electricity or natural gas retailer.

To find out more, visit the Qld energy rebates website.

 

Electricity Only Rebate
Rebate value:
  • $309.86 (excl GST) / $340.85 (incl GST) per year
  • OR 84.89c (excl GST) / 93.38c (incl GST) per day.
Eligibility:

Eligible concession card holders.

How to apply:

Contact your electricity retailer.

To find out more, visit the Qld energy rebates website.

 

Home Emergency Assistance Scheme
Rebate value:

$720 to use towards your electricity or natural gas accounts, once every 2 years.

Eligibility:

Low-income households who face a short-term financial crisis or an unforeseen emergency.

 How to apply:

Contact your energy retailer.

To find out more, visit the Home Emergency Assistance Scheme web page.

 

Electricity Life Support
Rebate value:
  • $694.18 per year, or $57.85 per month ($173.55 per quarter) for each oxygen concentrator, or
  • $464.88 per year, or $38.74 per month ($116.22 per quarter) for each kidney dialysis machine.
Eligibility:

People who are seriously ill and need to use a home-based oxygen concentrator or kidney dialysis machine.

 How to apply:

This may vary depending on the equipment used.

To find out more, visit the Qld Electricity Life Support web page.

 

Medical Cooling and Heating Electricity Concession Scheme
Rebate value:

$340.85 (incl GST) per year.

Eligibility:

Anyone with a qualifying medical condition that needs cooling or heating to prevent their symptoms becoming significantly worse.

How to apply:

Download an application form from the Qld Government website or call 13 QGOV (13 74 68) if the PDF form is not accessible to you.

Western Australia (WA)

 

Energy rebates available to WA residents, include:

 

Hardship Utility Grant Scheme (HUGS)
Rebate value:

This will depend on the value of any outstanding utility accounts.

Eligibility:

WA utility customers who are in financial hardship and are unable to pay their utility account.

How to apply:

Contact your utility provider to discuss your financial situation.

To find out more, visit the WA HUGS web page.

South Australia (SA)

 

If you live in South Australia, you may be eligible for the following rebates:
  • Energy Bill Concession
  • SA Medical Concession
  • Cost of Living Concession
  • Emergency Electricity Payment Scheme (EEPS)

 

Energy Bill Concession
Rebate value:

$226.67 to cover both electricity and gas.

Eligibility:

Hold a Pensioners Card, Seniors Card, Health Care card, DVA Gold Card or receive certain Centrelink benefits.

How to apply:

Apply online at the SA concessions website.

 

SA Medical Concession
Rebate value:

$226.67 to cover both electricity and gas.

Eligibility:

A person who has been diagnosed with a condition that makes it difficult to regulate body temperature.

How to apply:

Apply online at the SA concessions website or call 1300 735 350 to ask for an application form to be sent to you.

 

Cost of Living Concession
Rebate value:
  • Homeowner-occupiers: $215.10
  • Homeowner-occupiers who are self-funded retirees with a Commonwealth Seniors Health Card: $107.60
  • Tenants: $107.60
  • JobSeeker Payment homeowner-occupiers: $715.10
  • JobSeeker Payment tenants: $607.60
Eligibility:

Hold a pension card, DVA card, health care card, seniors card, receive a selected Centrelink payment, or can show low income provisions are met.

How to apply:

Apply online at the SA concession website.

 

 

Emergency Electricity Payment Scheme (EEPS)
Rebate value:

Up to $400 (excl GST) / $440 (incl GST).

Eligibility:
  • Households with significant financial difficulties; or
  • Households who receive an energy bill concession from the Department of Human Services (DHS) and have had their electricity disconnected (or are at risk of disconnection).
 How to apply:

If you’re in South Australia and think you meet the criteria, visit a financial counsellor to assess your situation. To find out more, visit the SA concessions website or call the Department of Human Services (DHS) ConcessionSA hotline on 1800 307 758.

 

 

More ways to save on your power bill

Even if you’re not eligible for an energy rebate, you might be able to make some savings by changing your energy plan – especially if you’ve been on the same plan for a long time.

See how you could save – compare energy bills.

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