Yahoo Finance Up to $1,600 a year: Your guide to energy rebates
Soaring energy costs may have households wondering if they are eligible for any government assistance to pay their energy bills.
There are several existing concessions offered to energy users, with many state and territory governments bumping up existing programs or introducing new energy-relief mechanisms in response to the escalating energy crisis.
These rebates and subsidies are mostly conditional and targeted at concession-card holders or low-income Aussies.
However, some are available to broad cohorts, such as the Victorian government’s $250 payment available to any household that logs into its comparison website.
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Victoria
As well as the $250 payment for logging in to the Energy Compare website designed to encourage people to compare their plans and switch to a better deal, the Victorian government has several other concessions for energy users.
These concessions are open to energy users with Pensioners Concession Cards, Health Care Cards (available to JobSeeker recipients) and Veterans' Affairs Gold Cards.
According to One Big Switch, these concessions are automatically applied if households advise their retailers they are concession-card holders.
Under what’s known as the Annual Electricity Concession, eligible Victorians can get 17.5 per cent off the cost of their electricity use and service, up to a maximum of $2,890 per year.
The government also offers a 17.5 per cent Winter Gas Concession for Victorian concession-card holders, and several other specialist rebates.
NSW
Households in NSW struggling to pay increasing energy bills will be able to access up to $1,600 cash a year, under a boosted Energy Accounts Payment Assistance (EAPA) program.
The NSW government announced a boost to the scheme last month in response to skyrocketing energy prices.
The limit under the scheme, which is available for people living in the state experiencing short-term financial crisis or emergency, has been upped to a maximum of $1,600 per year for electricity and gas.
The NSW government also offers a suite of other conditional rebates, including the Low Income Household rebate of $285 per annum for pensioners and other concession-card holders, as well as a $180 Family Energy Rebate for recipients of the Family Tax Benefit and a $200 Seniors Rebate for self-funded retirees.
Queensland
The Queensland government recently launched a $175 Cost of Living rebate to help households deal with the burden of rising energy prices.
Electricity providers will automatically apply the credit, according to the state government.
Queensland pensioners and seniors may also be eligible for the Electricity Rebate of $340.85 per year and the Reticulated Natural Gas Rebate of $76.19 per year.
The state also has a Home Energy Emergency Assistance Scheme for people experiencing unforeseen emergencies or financial crises. This scheme is capped at $720.
South Australia
South Australia has Energy Bill Concessions (both gas and electricity) up to $227.67 a year for people with eligible concession cards or Centrelink payment.
The state government also recently boosted its Cost of Living Concession payment - for low-income earners, Centrelink recipients and others eligible for concessions - from $231.80 to $449.
Western Australia
Western Australia offers people with certain concession cards an Energy Assistance Payment of $305.
Tasmania
Concession card holders in Tasmania may be eligible for a $513.70 Annual electricity concession and a $56 per annum Heating allowance.
Australian Capital Territory
The ACT has a $700 a year Utilities Concession for concession-card holders and people living in caravan parks and retirement villages with embedded electricity networks.
Northern Territory
People receiving Centrelink payments or who hold a concession card may be eligible for an Electricity concession of $465 per annum.
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