How to connect electricity to your property

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Despite what may be your best efforts to avoid your energy company most of the time, you will have to get in contact when you move properties. Fortunately, electricity and gas retailers have generally made this a simple and hassle-free process. Here’s how to get power and gas set up at your new home.

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Connecting electricity to your property: A quick checklist

1. Be sure to check your current electricity or gas deal for any exit fees if you plan on switching providers during your move. This information can be found on the Energy Price Fact Sheet.
2. Whether you’re sticking with the same electricity plan, or are looking to switch to a new deal, you need to let your existing provider know that you’re moving in advance. This is to ensure your plan is either transferred to your new home on time, or so your account can be closed on your moving date.
3. If you’re looking for a new electricity or gas plan, compare the best offers at your new address with Canstar Blue’s free comparison tools.
4. Once you’ve decided on your new plan, sign up with with your new provider. Make sure your new provider knows your move-in date so you won’t be stuck without power on the day.
5. If possible, ensure there is clear and safe access to the meter at your new property. This will help your energy provider when they are organising a new connection to your home.
6. It may be handy to take note of the meter reading at your old home and new home on the move-in/move-out dates. This way you can ensure your provider is charging you correctly.

Connecting electricity to a new property with an existing connection

If you are moving to a brand-new property, you’ll likely need to organise the connection of your utilities. The best way to go about this is by getting in touch with your electricity retailer either over the phone or via the website. From here, you can inform them of your upcoming move, share your new address and desired connection date, and they can take care of the rest.

Typically, setting up electricity at a property will only require transferring your account from one address to another. Most major energy providers can generally organise a new connection within three business days, however, if you find yourself in a jam and urgently need power, then you can call your provider and ask for an ‘urgent connection’.

Major retailers have a 13-hundred number you can contact to book a connection as soon as possible. Keep in mind though, urgent connections usually incur additional fees, so it’s best to try and not leave your energy connections to the last minute.

Connecting electricity to a newly-built property

If your home is newly built, it will need to be connected to the electricity grid for you to access power. This is done by submitting a connection application form to the electricity distributor that services your area. The distributor will then dispatch a technician to your address to first complete the connection, and later to install a meter.

Your electricity distributor may charge a connection fee ranging between $10 and $100. As this is a distribution charge, the size of the fee will depend on location, not your choice of electricity retailer.

In most cases, the electrician, builder or contractor involved in your home’s construction can do this on your behalf before you move in. However, you’ll still need to pay for connection costs, and the actual process may take several business days – so it’s best to have this finalised before your move date.

Cheap electricity deals

Here are some of the cheapest electricity plans currently on our database. Be sure to click on your state to get an idea of what you can expect to pay from each retailer.

Connecting electricity to a rental property

With a rental, you’ll need to transfer your electricity account details from your current property to the new location. This can be done by giving your retailer a call and sharing your new address and move-in date; you can also do this online through your retailer’s customer portal. Transferring your account information to a new rental property can typically be done in one day and generally comes with no fees.

If you’re sticking with the same electricity retailer, your contract will typically carry over to your new premise. If you live in Queensland, New South Wales or Victoria, you should also check whether you’re moving to another distribution network. If you are, then your current electricity contract cannot be carried over with you when you move.

Just make sure to confirm with your retailer that the new property is currently connected to the grid. If the property has been vacant for an extended period or is newly built, the power supply may have been switched off. If this is the case, this may take a few extra days to connect, which could incur additional fees.

Energy plans for renters

While you’ll be able to take your existing energy retailer with you when you move home, you could also take the opportunity to find a better deal. If you’re moving into your own place for the first time, you’ll need to add finding a plan and provider to your to-do list.

Renters will be able to pick from the same range of electricity and gas plans as their neighbour who owns their property. Some retailers, namely Lumo Energy and Momentum Energy, used to offer renter-specific electricity plans with reduced connection and disconnection fees: however, most of these deals have since been retired for new customers.

Connecting gas to a new house

Connecting natural gas at a new property is similar to electricity. Simply call or visit the website of your natural gas retailer, give them the new address as well as the connection date and they can handle the rest.

The actual process of connecting gas can be a little trickier than electricity, and retailers will often require between three and five days to set up a new connection – longer if you need a new meter. Natural gas connection fees are between $10 and $50, but possibly more if any work needs to be done to the residency’s gas infrastructure. Once again, this is a distributor charge meaning you can’t avoid it by switching gas retailers.

Keep in mind that you will need to confirm whether you have access to natural gas at the new property first. If the house is on a mains gas network but doesn’t already have the necessary piping to set up a connection, you may be able to organise one for yourself. You may want to weigh up the pros and cons of setting up a gas connection first.

How to change electricity providers when moving house

Moving house offers the perfect opportunity to switch electricity or gas providers. Switching energy retailers when organising a moving house electricity connection is very straightforward: simply contact your current retailer and inform them you’d like to close your account on a particular date.

You will continue to receive electricity and/or gas services until the designated date. If you’re moving from a rental property, you don’t need to disconnect the energy supply. Usually, the retailer will automatically transfer the property back to the energy account of the real estate or landlord.

After you’ve cancelled your old plan, sign up at your new address with your new energy retailer, commencing from the date you move in. Make sure you’ve done your research before sign-up so you know which tariff and plan best matches your needs.

FAQs about connecting electricity and gas