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Energy Concessions – New South Wales

Published on October 10, 2017 3:09 am, by Jen Bakker

The cost of electricity and gas has risen significantly in recent years. The media attention this issue has been given has provided the motivation for people to talk more and compare prices, however by not shopping around, 70% of us are still paying 20% more than we need to for our electricity.

Electricity and gas retailers talk about rising wholesale prices and while there is truth in that, it is only one side of the story as the retailers continue to report huge profits.

MoneyBrilliant’s Bill Watch feature has been designed to help you find the lowest cost electricity and gas plans for your usage in your area. This is a good first step to decreasing your energy bills.

For customers who meet certain criteria, most typically pensioners and low-income earners, there are further concessions you can apply for. These vary state by state and are set by the state government.

In New South Wales, low-income earners may apply and be eligible for the following annual rebates:

Electricity Concessions:

• $285.00 (excluding GST) for eligible customers who hold an electricity account
• $313.50 for long-term residents of residential communities, retirement villages and strata schemes who receive bills from or on behalf of their community operators

Gas Concessions:

• $110.00 (excluding GST) for eligible customers who hold a gas account
• $121 for eligible customers with on-supplied LPG or natural gas who live in residential communities, retirement villages and strata schemes
• $121 to eligible customers that use delivered LPG for basic household needs like cooking, heating or hot water

To apply for the above electricity or gas concession you must be a NSW resident and:

• be a customer of the retailer, or a long-term resident of an on-supplied residential community, retirement village, or on-supplied strata scheme and have their name appear on the electricity account for supply to their principal home; and
• hold a Pensioner Concession Card issued by the DHS/DVA or
• DHS Health Care Card or
• DVA Gold Card marked with War Widow or War Widower Pension or
• Totally & Permanently Incapacitated or
• Disability Pension
• For the LPG rebate, you must purchase LPG in cylinders 45kg/88L or larger to use for domestic cooking, heating or hot water in your home; you must have a tax invoice from your LPG supplier that includes your name, your address, the LPG cylinder size & the date of purchase/refill

If you are an individual retail customer you can contact your electricity or gas provider and request the Low-Income Household concession directly.

If you are an on-supplied customer you will need to complete a paper application form for the NSW Low Income Household Concession and post it into the Department of Planning & Environment.

People applying for the LPG rebate will also need to complete the paper application form for the NSW Low Income Household Rebate and post it into the Department of Planning & Environment.

For more information on Electricity and Gas Concessions, go here

https://energysaver.nsw.gov.au/households/rebates-and-discounts/energy-rebates

Other concessions:

• Family Energy Rebate
• Seniors Energy Rebate
• Life Support Rebate
• Medical Energy Rebate

To apply for these concessions, you must meet the eligibility criteria which are different for each rebate type. More information can be found on the NSW government website listed above.

Update 12 November 2019

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