Concessions
If you require an interpreter, please call us on 1300 622 718.
As a customer, you may qualify for various concessions administered by EnergyAustralia on behalf of the VIC Government. Eligibility conditions vary and are subject to change from time to time. These concessions may be applied partially or to a whole bill based on your eligibility during a billing period Please read the information provided for each concession below to see if you are eligible.
The Annual Electricity Concession is currently calculated at the rate of 17.5% off energy usage and supply costs after deducting any retailer ongoing discounts or solar credits and a deduction of $0.09053 (GST inclusive) per day.
This concession is available all year round on electricity bills up to a cap of $704.99 (GST inclusive). If you exceed this cap, you may apply for an additional concession called the Excess Electricity Concession. If you are close to exceeding the cap or have exceeded the cap, EnergyAustralia will send you the required application form.
To be eligible you must hold one of the following concession cards:
- Centrelink Pensioner Concession Card
- Centrelink Health Care Card
- Department of Veterans’ Affairs Pensioner Concession Card
- Department of Veterans’ Affairs Gold Card (for recipients of War Widow or War Widower, Totally and Permanently Incapacitated rate or Extreme Disablement Adjustment rate pensions)
The concession can be claimed if:
- The electricity account is in the name of the concession cardholder,
- The supply address is the domestic primary residence of the cardholder and
- The electricity account is billed on a domestic tariff.
To find out more about eligibility for this concession call DFFH on 1800 658 521, view our FAQs or visit the VIC Government’s website.
The Winter Gas Concession is currently calculated at the rate of 17.5% off energy usage and supply costs after deducting any retailer ongoing discounts and a deduction of $0.06523 (GST inclusive) per day.
This concession is available from 1 May to 31 October each year, up to a cap of $425.35 (GST inclusive). If you exceed this cap, you may apply for an additional concession called the Excess Gas Concession. If you are close to exceeding the cap or have exceeded the cap, EnergyAustralia will send you the required application form.
To be eligible you must hold one of the following concession cards:
- Centrelink Pensioner Concession Card
- Centrelink Health Care Card
- Department of Veterans’ Affairs Pensioner Concession Card
- Department of Veterans’ Affairs Gold Card (for recipients of War Widow or War Widower, Totally and Permanently Incapacitated rate or Extreme Disablement Adjustment rate pensions)
The concession can be claimed if:
- The gas account is in the name of the concession cardholder,
- The supply address is the domestic primary residence of the cardholder and
- The gas account is billed on a domestic tariff.
To find out more about eligibility for this concession call DFFH on 1800 658 521, view our FAQs or visit the VIC Government’s website.
The Life Support concession provides additional financial support to accounts where the account holder or a permanent member of the family uses a qualifying life support machine. The Life Support concession is equal to cost of 1,880 kilowatt hours of electricity used per annum.
This concession is available all year round and can also be received in addition to the Annual Electricity Concession.
Qualifying life support machine types:
- Oxygen concentrators
- Intermittent peritoneal dialysis machines
- Haemodialysis machines.
Other life support machines can qualify for the life support concession if the machine is approved by the supervising officer at the department.
Customers who have a life support machine that is eligible for concession or any other type of machine prescribed by a doctor for life support purposes, should contact EnergyAustralia to ensure their life support details are added to EnergyAustralia’s Life Support Register.
Eligibility is based on the following criteria:
- The electricity account holder or a permanent member of the family must use a qualifying life support machine
- An approved Life Support Concession and Machine Notification application form has been signed by a doctor and returned to EnergyAustralia
- The electricity account has an account holder who holds one of the following concession cards:
- Centrelink Pensioner Concession Card
- Centrelink Health Care Card
- Department of Veterans’ Affairs Pensioner Concession Card
- Department of Veterans’ Affairs Gold Card (for recipients of War Widow or War Widower, Totally and Permanently Incapacitated rate or Extreme Disablement Adjustment rate pensions)
- The electricity account is in the name of the concession cardholder,
- The supply address is the domestic primary residence of the cardholder and
- The electricity account is billed on a domestic tariff.
Application form
A copy of the latest approved Life Support Concession and Machine Notification application form from the DFFH can be downloaded here:
For applicants with a qualifying life support machine, please send your completed form to:
Post:
EnergyAustralia
Life Support Administrator
Locked Bag 14060
MELBOURNE VIC 8001
Email:
LifeSupport@energyaustralia.com.au
To find out more about eligibility for this concession call DFFH on 1800 658 521, view our FAQs or visit the VIC Government’s website.
The Medical Cooling Concession provides a 17.5% discount off electricity costs over a six month period from 1 November to 30 April each year for accounts where a permanent member of the family has a medical condition that affects the body’s ability to regulate temperature.
Accounts that are eligible for the Medical Cooling Concession will also receive the Annual Electricity Concession.
Qualifying medical conditions include:
- Multiple Sclerosis
- Lymphedema
- Parkinson’s disease
- Fibromyalgia
- post-polio syndrome/poliomyelitis
- motor neurone disease.
-
muscular dystrophy
-
quadriplegia
-
scleroderma
-
systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)
All other conditions must be approved by the DFFH.
Eligibility is based on the following criteria:
- The electricity account holder or a permanent member of the family must have a qualifying medical condition that affects the body’s ability to regulate temperature.
- An approved Medical Cooling Concession application form has been signed by a doctor and returned to EnergyAustralia
- The electricity account has an account holder who holds one of the following concession cards:
- Centrelink Pensioner Concession Card
- Centrelink Health Care Card
- Department of Veterans’ Affairs Pensioner Concession Card
- Department of Veterans’ Affairs Gold Card (for recipients of War Widow or War Widower, Totally and Permanently Incapacitated rate or Extreme Disablement Adjustment rate pensions)
- The electricity account is in the name of the concession cardholder,
- The supply address is the domestic primary residence of the cardholder and
- The electricity account is billed on a domestic tariff.
Application form
A copy of the latest approved Medical Cooling Concession application form from the DFFH can be downloaded here:
For applicants with a qualifying medical condition, please send your completed form to:
Post:
EnergyAustralia
Life Support Administrator
Locked Bag 14060
MELBOURNE VIC 8001
Email:
LifeSupport@energyaustralia.com.au
For applicants with a non-qualifying medical condition, please send completed form to:
Department of Health and Human Services
Concessions Unit
GPO Box 4057
Melbourne VIC 3001
To find out more about eligibility for this concession call DFFH on 1800 658 521, view our FAQs or visit the VIC Government’s website.