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We’re continuing to support our customers
At EnergyAustralia, we’re standing by you through COVID-19 and our assistance programs are still in place for you to access when you need them. Please check our updates and our Residential or Business sections below to see what help is available.
Remember also to continue to follow all government health advice and guidelines to keep safe and healthy.
How to receive help
Financial support
Please know that we don’t disconnect residential customers in financial stress who reach out for help. Our EnergyAssist hardship program helps residential customers in financial stress through flexible ways including payment extensions, payment plans and advice.
Setting up payment extensions
If you need more time (up to four weeks) to pay your energy bill, you can set up a payment extension for some breathing space to get back on your feet.
You can do this through:
- My Account
- The EnergyAustralia mobile app
- Requesting a payment extension form
- Phone – call us on 133 466 and follow the prompts
Government assistance
Visit here for Australian Government COVID-19 support information.
Visit here for ACT Government COVID-19 support information.
Visit here for QLD Government COVID-19 support information.
Visit here for NSW Government COVID-19 support information.
Visit here for Victorian Government COVID-19 support information.
Visit here for South Australian Government COVID-19 support information.
Please see our Hardship Policy for further information.
Financial support
We appreciate a lot of Australian businesses are continuing to do it tough during these challenging times of COVID-19. Each business is unique and we're working on a case-by-case basis with our customers to find solutions and help them through the pandemic.
Reach out
We’ll work with you as you continue to get back to business as usual. We have a specialised support channel to have these conversations with you and the right tools to provide a customised plan that suits you – so get in touch if you need assistance.
Our team of Australia-based business energy specialists is available from 8.00am to 6.30pm Monday to Friday.
If you’ve reached out to us before for support and have arrangements in place that will end soon, give us a call on 1800 709 985 so we can continue to help you.
If you’re a large business customer, please email your account manager or the large business customer service team to discuss your needs .
Rapid Business Assist (RBA)
We’ve designed Rapid Business Assist (RBA) to support you as a business customer and help you get through crises such as COVID-19.
We know every business faces different circumstances and we're working on a case-by-case basis with our customers to find solutions. Through our RBA program, we can help you by:
- Providing access to our Cashflow Assist program for eligible customers*
- Offering advice for your business to plan and prepare for the future (including standard free disconnections and reconnections)
- Ensuring your business is on the right EnergyAustralia business plan
- Undertaking a free energy efficiency assessment to help you reduce your business’ energy use
- Giving advice on state government energy subsidies and how these will apply to your business
Call us on 1800 709 985 to talk through your business options and whether you’re eligible for assistance through our RBA program during COVID-19.
*Cashflow Assist provides tailored financial assistance to eligible business customers to help navigate through COVID-19.
Government assistance
Currently, individual state governments have launched specific COVID-19 energy support packages – please discuss with our business specialists to see if these apply to your business.
Energy Efficient Communities Program
From 6 July small businesses across Australia can apply for a share in grants under the Government's Energy Efficient Communities Program, to help them as they come out of COVID-19 hibernation.
Up to $20,000 will be available to small businesses with an annual turnover of less than $10 million to upgrade equipment to reduce energy consumption, invest in monitoring systems to better manage energy use and conduct energy audits to investigate other opportunities for efficiency.
Up to three grants per electorate will be awarded to eligible small businesses.
Interested small business owners can access the guidelines and application forms at business.gov.au, or by phoning 13 28 46.
Small Business Electricity Rebate
- Small business owners with electricity usage below 100 megawatts per year will be eligible for a $750 (including GST) one off rebate on their electricity bill. This rebate is applied once per business.
- Businesses do not need to apply for the rebate.
- The rebate will be applied to eligible accounts on 31 May 2020. Once applied, the rebate will appear on front page of the bill as: ACT Government Electricity Rebate.
Extending the Small Business Electricity Rebate to non-licensed sporting and community clubs.
The ACT Government has extended the $750 (including GST) small business electricity rebate to ACT non-licensed sporting and community clubs. This one-off $750 (including GST) rebate will be applied as a credit to electricity accounts for the first half of the 2020-21 financial year.
The rebate applies to electricity small business customers (i.e. with less than 100 megawatt hours per year).
To be eligible for the rebate:
- The business must be an active sporting or community-based club without a liquor licence.
- The applicant must have an electricity account in their name.
- The rebate will be applied per business (and not per account or site).
- The business must have been an EnergyAustralia customer from early April 2020, when the small business rebate was originally implemented.
How to apply
The ACT Government will determine eligibility for this rebate. Apply for the rebate at the Access Canberra website.
The following information is required:
- Business details such as name, address, phone number, email address
- Australian Business Number (ABN)/ Australian Company Number (ACN)
- Description of business and service it provides
- Business registration number
- Contact person name, phone number and email address
- Name of electricity retailer
- Electricity account number
- Electricity account name
- Copy of an electricity bill, including April 2020 or a recent electricity bill.
Applications must be submitted by 31 December 2020. For any other enquiries, email covid19electricityrebate@act.gov.au
Cafes and Restaurants Rebate
The ACT Government has announced that cafes, restaurants and takeaways can receive a one-off $1000 (including GST) rebate on their electricity bills. Applications for the rebate close on 30 June 2021.
How to apply
- Eligible businesses are required to apply for this rebate via the Access Canberra website.
- For more information regarding this rebate see the ACT Government website.
- Once the ACT Government has approved your application, they will notify EnergyAustralia.
- Applications for this rebate cannot be made via EnergyAustralia.
- Small business owners with electricity usage below 100 megawatts per year will be eligible for a $500 (GST exempt) one off rebate on their electricity bill.
- Businesses do not need to apply for the rebate.
- The rebate will be applied to eligible accounts on 30 April 2020. Once applied, the rebate will appear on front page of the bill as: Qld Govt Utility Relief Payment.
If you are an embedded network and/or a proprietor of tenants, a residential home park, a multi-unit residential premise or another residential installation, whose residents do not have accounts with EnergyAustralia, then you can claim the QLD Govt Utility Relief Payment by completing and returning one of the attached forms. The completed form should be provided to your normal contact at EnergyAustralia.
For all other states, please contact us if you need assistance.
Latest updates
2021
If you’re a customer struggling to pay your energy bill, please get in touch. Residential customers accessing EnergyAustralia’s EnergyAssist program have peace of mind that the power won’t be disconnected and debt collection activities won’t be initiated, and they can also access tailored payment plans, energy audits, information on grant programs and advice on energy usage.
Business customers dealing with the ongoing challenges of COVID-19 can get help through our Rapid Business Assist program.
The Australian Government announced that the JobKeeper subsidy stops on 28 March 2021
2020
The Australian Government announced measures to help small businesses reduce their power bills. Read more at the Business tab below.
If you’ve experienced a huge cut in your income because of coronavirus, you might be worried about being able to pay your energy bill on time. The best thing to do is reach out for help sooner rather than later. There a number of ways to contact us listed below.
EnergyAustralia Chief Customer Officer Mark Collette said: “The earlier people get in touch the better we can help with payment plans and bill extensions. We can put people in touch with trained financial advisors to talk about their individual situation. And we can connect people with government support programs that they may not have known about.” Read more about how we can help.
EnergyAustralia now has a special program for business customers called Rapid Business Assist – check the business tab below to find out more.
The NSW and Victorian state governments recently released information about various rebates and assistance. Check the relevant state tabs below for more information.
Both the ACT and QLD governments have launched specific COVID-19 energy rebates. There are rebates for both residential and business customers. Read about government assistance in the tabs below for more information.
EnergyAustralia has reaffirmed commitment to our customers doing it tough during the Coronavirus pandemic in Australia.
The COVID-19 situation is unlike anything we have seen or experienced before. We support the call by the Australian Energy Regulator for a whole-of-industry response to help households and businesses nation-wide get through this challenging time.
Read on below for ways we can help and how you can get in touch.
Please reach out if you need more support
Log in, or register in just a couple of minutes, to manage your energy accounts in one secure place. You can also arrange a payment extension.
Download our app for your smartphone from the App Store or Google Play. You can also arrange a payment extension.
You can also interact with us through our live chat platform, our consultants will help you with your enquiry.
Monday to Friday
8.00am to 8.00pm AEST
If these online options aren’t suitable for you, call us on 133 466.
Monday to Friday
8.00am to 6.30pm AEST
FAQs
We understand that there will be many customers needing help and flexibility with their energy bills during this time. You can arrange a payment extension or set up an instalment plan to spread out your payments over time.
If you need more time to pay your bill, we can help with a payment extension, you can arrange a payment extension via:
- My Account
- The EnergyAustralia mobile app
- Requesting a payment extension form
- Phone – call us on 133 466 and follow the prompts
If you’d like to set up a payment plan, we have two options.
- Set up a plan to pay your energy accounts in regular, affordable monthly instalments.
- Make payments as you go and make up the difference when you get your bill
Please call us on 133 466 to discuss the option that will suit you best.
We’re more than happy to help every customer in financial stress who reaches out, for example through payment extensions.
Sometimes we all can face really tough times and that’s what our EnergyAssist program is for. We’re here to help customers facing financial hardship - whether it be through payment plans, advice on grant programs or advice on energy usage.
All EnergyAssist customers remain connected to our energy system - we do not disconnect residential customers in financial stress who have reached out for help.
Through our hardship program, EnergyAssist, we can:
- remove your accounts from our standard credit and collection activities – including disconnection and any debt recovery action
- help you apply for government grants or any other assistance schemes that may be available to you
- give you energy-saving tips to help reduce your energy bills
- give you details of a financial counsellor to help manage your finances
Please call us on 133 466 to discuss the option that will suit you best.
As long as you have reached out to us, we do not disconnect residential customers in financial stress. If you feel you will be unable to pay for the next four weeks, please contact us on 133 466 and we’ll be happy to work out what’s best for you.
We’re working hard with all industry stakeholders and the government to create a workable solution for customers and the community. We know that the lights must stay on during this unprecedented, challenging time and understand the importance of supporting our customers and the community.
For more COVID-19 updates, there are many available resources.
The World Health Organization’s official COVID-19 page provides rolling updates and advice on the current status of COVID-19 globally as well as advised actions to keep yourself safe.
To stay up-to-date with the Australian Government’s official recommendations, you can visit the official health.gov COVID-19 dashboard.
