If you’re experiencing financial hardship resulting in the inability to or struggles with paying your power bills, you could be entitled to help from the NSW government. Read on to see if you’re eligible and what you need to do.
Electricity & Gas Rebates in NSW
NSW has a good range of energy rebates and concessions available to residential customers. Households may be eligible to apply for more than one, so it’s best to read the terms and conditions and find out how you can maximise your assistance.
Here are the rebates on offer from the NSW government:
Energy Accounts Payment Assistance Vouchers
If you’re having trouble paying your electricity bills due to a financial crisis, you could be eligible to receive vouchers directly to your power bill.
- Rebate amount: Based on application.
- Eligibility: Households experiencing short-term financial crisis impacting their ability to pay bills must provide evidence of hardship. It’s at the discretion of Service NSW to judge the severity of the hardship.
- Applied to: Electricity or natural gas bills.
- How to apply: Apply online through the Service NSW website, making sure to have proof of identity documents, your current power bill and evidence of financial crisis at hand. Your power provider may get in contact with you at some stage to discuss longer term plans and hardship programs.
Low Income Household Rebate
The Low Income Household Rebate is supplied by the NSW government to households that can prove their concessional status.
- Rebate amount: $285 (excluding GST) yearly.
- Eligibility: Applicants must hold a DVA or Services Australia Pensioner Concession Card, Services Australia Health Care Card or DVA Gold Card marked with ‘War Widow’, ‘War Widower Pension’, ‘Totally and Permanently Incapacitated’ (TPI) or ‘Disability Pension’ (EDA). Holders of a Commonwealth Seniors Health Card are not eligible.
- Applied to: Electricity bills only.
- How to apply: Customers who pay their bills directly to their retailer (e.g. Origin, AGL etc.) should contact that company to apply. Have your concession card handy as evidence of eligibility. For those that pay their power through strata, residential or retirement communities, you need to access the NSW Low Income Household Rebate Application Form on the state government website and email or post the completed form as directed.
Gas Rebate
The NSW Gas Rebate goes towards residential gas payments, whether that be natural gas or LPG. To qualify for this rebate, households must prove they’re within a low income bracket.
- Rebate amount: $110 (excluding GST) per year for natural gas, $121 each financial year for LPG and strata/residential community households.
- Eligibility: Individuals must hold either a Pensioner Concession Card issued by the Services Australia/DVA, Services Australia Health Care Card or DVA Gold Card marked with ‘War Widow; or ‘War Widower Pension’, ‘Totally and Permanently Incapacitated’ (TPI), or ‘Disability Pension’ (EDA). LPG customers must also purchase cylinders of equal to or more than 45kg/88L for domestic use at the principal address only. Proof of LPG supply is required.
- Applied to: Natural gas or LPG costs.
- How to apply: Natural gas customers can contact their provider directly and alert them that they wish to receive the rebate. You’ll be asked to provide proof of eligibility. Strata and LPG customers must fill out and submit the NSW Gas Rebate form found on the Service NSW website.
Seniors Energy Rebate
Seniors in NSW could also be eligible to receive a direct deposit into their bank or credit union account for the purpose of paying electricity bills. Please note, applications for 2023-2024 don’t open until August 2023.
- Rebate amount: $200 per household, per year.
- Eligibility: Seniors looking to apply must have be a self-funded retiree and hold a valid Commonwealth Seniors Health Card (CSHC) from Services Australia or the Department of Veterans Affairs, as well as be the account holder on the electricity bill for their primary place of residence.
- Applied to: Bank/credit union account.
- How to apply: You’ll have the choice of either applying online, through a service centre or over the phone. Online applications are found on the Service NSW website, where if you’re eligible you could receive a deposit into your elected bank account within just five business days.
Family Energy Rebate
This power rebate is designed for families with dependents, such as children. How much you’ll be able to receive from the government will be determined by the NSW government. Please note, applications for the 2022-2023 year closed on June 30 2023. New applications for the 2023-2024 year will open on August 1 2023.
- Rebate amount: Varies depending on circumstances, up to $180 a year.
- Eligibility: Households will be eligible for this rebate if they’ve received the Family Tax Benefit (FTB) in the last financial year, with entitlements to the FTB payments finalised by Centrelink.
- Applied to: Electricity bills for direct power customers, a nominated bank account for residential and retirement communities and strata schemes.
- How to apply: You can apply for the Family Energy Rebate online, or through the post. The application process varies slightly for those that pay their bills directly and those that pay it to a residential body corp. If you don’t have a printer, you can contact Service NSW and ask them to send a form to your address.
Life Support Rebate
For struggling individuals with life support equipment at home, the NSW government provides an electricity rebate to help cover the large power bills these machines can contribute to.
- Rebate amount: Varies according to the machine and number of days in billing period.
- Eligibility: Those experiencing medical hardship and have approved life support equipment at their place of residence should apply for this rebate. A registered medical practitioner must verify the type and usage of this machinery.
- Applied to: Electricity bills only.
- How to apply: You must download the NSW Life Support Rebate Application Form from the Service NSW website, and complete all areas of the form. Your medical practitioner should then complete their relevant sections and sign the declaration. At that stage, you’ll send your form directly to your electricity provider.
Medical Energy Rebate
Individuals in NSW that have medical issues causing them to be unable to self-regulate body temperature, and therefore rely on air conditioning and heating, may be entitled to the Medical Energy Rebate.
- Rebate amount: Approximately $71 per quarter, up to a max of $285 a year.
- Eligibility: To be successful in this application, individuals must be able to prove they have an inability to self-regulate body temperature as assessed by a registered medical practitioner. This condition must also cause other medical immobilities or dysfunctions, as outlined in the application form. Applicants may also be asked to present a Pensioner Concession Card, Health Care Card or DVA Gold Card.
- Applied to: Electricity bills only.
- How to apply: Obtain the Medical Energy Rebate form online or over the phone through Service NSW, fill it out, and then ask your GP or specialist to complete their relevant sections. Your form can then be sent directly to the provider handling your energy account.
NSW Energy Prices
Here are some sponsored deals from the retailers on our database that include a link to the retailer’s website for further details. These are products from referral partners†. These costs are based on the Ausgrid energy network in Sydney but prices may vary depending on your circumstances. This comparison assumes general energy usage of 3911kWh/year for a residential customer on a single rate tariff. Please use our comparison tool for a specific comparison in your area and to see other products in our database that may be available. Our database may not cover all deals in your area. As always, check all details of any plan directly with the retailer before making a purchase decision.
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18% Less than reference price |
$1,498 Price/year (estimated) |
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15% Less than reference price |
$1,553 Price/year (estimated) |
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Here are some of the cheapest published deals from the retailers on our database that include a link to the retailer’s website for further details. These are products from referral partners†. These costs are based on the Ausgrid network in Sydney but prices may vary depending on your circumstances. This comparison assumes general energy usage of 3911kWh/year for a residential customer on a single rate tariff. Please use our comparison tool for a specific comparison in your area and to see other products in our database that may be available. Our database may not cover all deals in your area. As always, check all details of any plan directly with the retailer before making a purchase decision.
Image credits: Markus J/shutterstock.com, fizkez/shutterstock.com, goodbishop/shutterstock.com, Fabio Principe/shutterstock.com
Original Author: Jared Mullane
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