The NSW and Federal Governments provide
certain people and households with rebates on their electricity
bills, and other forms of help to meet their electricity costs (for
example, the EAPA Scheme).
Low Income Household
Rebate
All NSW residents who have a
Commonwealth Health Care Card or other eligible concession card
(see below) and have an electricity account in their name are
eligible to receive the NSW Government's Low Income Household
Rebate. The rebate is provided as a credit to your electricity
bill.
The $200 Low Income Household Rebate
replaced the Energy Rebate from 1 July 2011. People that previously
received the Energy Rebate automatically receive the Low Income
Household Rebate. The Low Income Household Rebate will rise
to $235 by 2014. The Government also intends implement a
Family Energy Rebate from 1 July 2012.
The Low Income Household Rebate is
available to electricity account holders who hold either a:
- Commonwealth Health Care Card issued by Centrelink,
- Pensioner Concession Card issued by Centrelink or the DVA
or
- Gold Card issued by the DVA (marked with War Widow or War
Widower pension*, Totally and Permanently Incapacitated (TPI)*
or Disability pension (EDI)*)
* Note that while a Gold Card must be
marked with one of these codes, customers may be receiving or have
received payments with different names depending on whether they
qualify for this category of Gold Card under either the
Veterans' Entitlements Act 1986 (VEA) or the Military
Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 2004 (MRCA).
If you are eligible and have not
registered for the Low Income Household Rebate, contact your
electricity retailer.
Eligibility for the rebate is not
dependent on which retailer you are supplied by. If you
change retailers and you currently receive the Low Income
Household Rebate, you will need to apply for the rebate with your
new retailer. If you stay with your current retailer you do
not need to do anything and will continue to receive the rebate
while you continue to hold an eligible concession card and you have
an electricity account in your name.
For more information on the Energy Rebate, see http://www.industry.nsw.gov.au/energy/customers/rebates
Commonwealth Government's
Household Assistance Package
The Commonwealth Government's Household
Assistance Package is designed to assist low and middle-income
households with increases in the cost of living including energy
(electricity and gas) as a result of the carbon price.
The
Household Assistance Package will increase the disposable
income of low- and middle-income households in 2 ways:
- providing government payments to low-income and middle-income
households
- providing tax reforms targeted at low- and middle-income
households.
The package has been designed so
that:
- all low-income households will be eligible for assistance that
at least offsets their expected average price impact from the
carbon price
- middle-income households will be eligible for assistance that
helps them meet their expected average price impact, and
- households with people who have a relevant concession card and
face higher essential electricity costs due to medical condition or
disability will be eligible for additional assistance.
For more information on the Household
Assistance Package, see
http://www.fahcsia.gov.au/about-fahcsia/benefits-payments/clean-energy-future-household-assistance-package
Life Support Rebate
If you require certain life sustaining medical equipment in your
home - such as a kidney dialysis machine or a respirator/ventilator
- you may be able to receive a Life Support Rebate on your
electricity bills. If you change retailers and you currently
receive a life support rebate, you will need to reapply for the
rebate with your new retailer.
For more information on this rebate, see www.industry.nsw.gov.au/energy/customers/rebates/life-support-rebates-questions
Medical Energy Rebate
If you are unable to self-regulate your body temperature when
exposed to extreme (hot or cold) temperatures due to a medical
condition (such as Parkinson's disease or multiple sclerosis), you
may be eligible for the NSW Medical Energy Rebate.
To be eligible for this rebate, a doctor who has been treating
you for at least 3 months needs to compete a form to verify that
you are unable to self-regulate your body temperature, and the
electricity account holder in your home must hold either a
Pensioner Concession Card, a Department of Veterans Affairs Gold
Card or a Commonwealth Health Care Card.
If you change retailers and you currently receive a medical
energy rebate you will need to reapply for the rebate with your new
retailer.
For more information on the Medical Energy Rebate, see www.industry.nsw.gov.au/energy/customers/rebates/medical-energy-rebate-questions
Home Power Savings Program
Households that are eligible under the NSW Home power Savings
Program can receive a free home energy assessment, a power saving
kit, and expert advice on reducing their energy consumption.
See http://www.savepower.nsw.gov.au/households/home-power-savings-program/about-the-program.aspx
Australian Government Utilities Allowance
If you are under the pension age and receive a partner allowance
or widow allowance, or you are under 21 years of age and receive a
disability support pension, you may be eligible for a Utilities
Allowance. This allowance designed to help those on low fixed
incomes with the costs of regular bills such as gas, electricity
and water. For more information, see http://www.centrelink.gov.au/internet/internet.nsf/payments/utilities_allowance.htm