Help with energy and water bills
If you are struggling to pay your energy bills, you may be eligible for financial support or payment assistance.
This page provides information about rebates and financial assistance available to NSW energy and water consumers.
Energy assistance
Energy Accounts Payment Assistance (EAPA) Vouchers
Water assistance
NSW water utilities provide a range of assistance programs for customers experiencing financial hardship. This can include flexible payment arrangements, pensioner rebates, and Payment Assistance Scheme (PAS) vouchers.
As conditions vary, PIAC recommends that you contact your water supplier for more information on available assistance:
General assistance
No Interest Loans Scheme (NILS)
Energy assistance
On 1 July 2011, the NSW Government introduced the Low Income Household Rebate.
The Government provides this rebate to eligible account holders to help cover their electricity costs. For this financial year, the Low Income Household Rebate will cover up to $200 of a household’s energy bill. The rebate is paid through credits on a household’s bill at a rate of just over 54 cents per day.
To be eligible for the rebate, the account holder must have a Commonwealth Pensioner Concession Card, Health Care Card, or a Gold Card issued by the Department of Veterans Affairs.
The Low Income Household Rebate replaces what was known as the Energy Rebate.
Households that previously received the Energy Rebate should have been automatically transferred to the Low Income Household Rebate from 1 July 2011.
If you are eligible for the Low Income Household rebate, and have not previously received the Energy Rebate, you must apply to your electricity retailer. If you have recently moved home, or switched your supplier, you should also contact your retailer to reapply for the rebate.
More information on the Low Income Household Rebate is available via the Energy Information Line on 1300 136 888 or online.
The NSW Government funds a Medical Energy Rebate. This is available to eligible customers who have a medically diagnosed inability to self-regulate their body temperature. This is often a symptom associated with medical conditions such as Parkinson’s disease and multiple sclerosis.
The Medical Energy Rebate was increased to $200 on 1 July 2011, in line with the Low-Income Household Rebate.
Applications for the Medical Energy Rebate should be made through your energy retailer. Applications need to include medical evidence supplied by a GP proving that the account holder or resident is unable to self-regulate their body temperature.
Eligible households are able to receive the Medical Energy Rebate in addition to other assistance such as the Low Income Household Rebate, the Life Support Rebate and the Energy Accounts Payment Assistance (EAPA) scheme.
More information on the Medical Energy Rebate is available via the Energy Information Line on 1300 136 888 or online.
The NSW Government provides a Life Support rebate for customers who have increased electricity costs because they use vital medical equipment to sustain life. The Life Support Rebate is offered in addition to other energy rebates. A range of medical equipment is covered under the rebate, including Positive Airways Pressure (PAP) devices machines, ventilators and home dialysis machines.
Information on eligibility for the Life Support Rebate, and the list of Life Support equipment covered under the rebate, can be found via the Energy Information Line on 1300 136 888 or online.
Energy Accounts Payment Assistance (EAPA) Vouchers
Another avenue of assistance for NSW energy consumers is the Energy Accounts Payment Assistance (EAPA) scheme. This is designed to assist financially disadvantaged people in crisis or emergency situations. EAPA vouchers can be used to make payments on electricity and gas bills, and are distributed by participating Community Welfare Organisations (CWO) such as St Vincent de Paul, Salvation Army and Anglicare.
Individuals who wish to secure EAPA vouchers should contact a distributing agency to make an appointment. Eligibility for the scheme is assessed by interview with a CWO staff member.
Each EAPA voucher is worth $30. The number of vouchers available per household is at the discretion of the CWO. The CWOs do not usually distribute enough vouchers to cover payment for an entire bill, and vouchers are not available for consecutive bills.
Though EAPA vouchers are not intended to provide ongoing assistance, the scheme does play an important role in helping people in difficult circumstances to stay connected to an essential service. EAPA vouchers may also be used to pay gas bills, however EAPA is not available for bottled gas (LPG).
More information on the EAPA scheme is available via the Energy Information Line on 1300 136 888 or online.
All electricity retailers are obliged to have Customer Hardship Charters that are publicly available on their websites. Under these charters, consumers who are experiencing payment difficulties have access to two payment plans and some additional protection from disconnection. More information is available by telephoning the relevant energy retailer or visiting their website.
Home Power Savings Program
Households can bring down their energy bills by reducing consumption. The Home Power Savings Program is a free service that provides eligible low-income households with a power savings kit, as well as offering household assessments by an energy expert who can provide an energy saving action plan.
The power savings kit includes energy saving tools such as energy efficient light globes and an eco switch — a device that shuts down standby power. According to the NSW Government, the Home Power Savings Program can help households reduce their energy consumption by up to 20 per cent.
For more information on the Home Power Savings Program, call the Home Power Saving Info Line on 1300 662 416 or go online.
Cut your power bills
A website called ‘Cut your power bills’ is a one-stop-shop for information about reducing energy consumption and saving money on bills.
The website includes links to other sites where you can review the energy ratings of household appliances, compare the contracts and electricity prices offered by various retailers, evaluate the energy efficiency of your home, and access the information on all the available NSW energy rebates.
Visit the NSW Government’s Cut your power bills website, or call the Energy Information Line on 1300 136 888.
General Assistance
No Interest Loans Scheme (NILS)
As many low-income households are often unable to afford efficient household appliances, it can be very difficult for them to reduce their energy and water costs by controlling consumption.
To assist with this, many community groups and charitable organisations run ‘No Interest Loan Schemes’ (NILS). A typical NILS loan is valued between $800 - $1200, and can be used to cover any essential household appliances, including energy efficient whitegoods. As loans are repaid over 12-18 months, the money can be reinvested and lent out to other people in the community.
For more information visit the NILS NSW website.
Financial counselling services are an excellent avenue of support for households struggling to manage their electricity bills.
Financial counselling is a free community service provided by many non-profit organisations across NSW. Financial counsellors assist people who are experiencing financial problems, providing complete assessments of their financial situations and assisting them in managing debt.
More information on Financial Counselling services is available by calling 1300 914 408 or online.
Centrepay is a service offered by Centrelink. It helps customers to pay bills by having regular amounts deducted from their Centrelink payments. It is a voluntary payment scheme, offered at no cost to customers. Regular payments are arranged by the customer for a nominated amount to be automatically transferred from their regular Centrelink payment to their energy account.
Anyone receiving a Centrelink payment is eligible for the scheme. Contact Centrelink to find out more about the service or visit Centrelink online.
