Staying connected – how to help

UNABLE TO PAY A BILL

DISCONNECTION FOR NON-PAYMENT

RESOLVING DISPUTES

Have all concession entitlements been claimed?

Has the household been disconnected?

If a dispute arises with Aurora Energy, contact Aurora to try to resolve the issue.

Information on concessions can be found at www.concessions.tas.gov.au.

YES

NO Talk to Aurora about claiming concession(s).

Is the bill accurate?

If the bill is much higher than usual, check the reasons why: were there any changes to the household numbers, routines or are there new appliances? There could be an error.

YES

UNSURE / NO Talk to Aurora Energy about getting the bill adjusted – or having the meter checked (note that there is significant cost involved in this option).

Tell Aurora Energy about payment difficulties and discuss options and assistance for bill payment. If Aurora is unable to help, follow the steps on the right under ‘Resolving Disputes’.

The householder may be eligible for emergency assistance through the Energy Hardship Fund. It is distributed by various emergency relief providers throughout Tasmania (see findhelptas under ‘Useful Contacts’, over)

YES

NO

Explore the situation and check if all necessary steps have been followed before disconnection (see ‘Electricity Dis– connection Rules’, over).

Notify Aurora Energy that the household is having difficulty paying and negotiate an affordable payment plan.

Work out what is affordable and negotiate a payment plan with Aurora Energy to arrange reconnection.

If payment difficulties are likely to be ongoing, ask to speak to Aurora’s YES (Your Energy Support) Hardship team for extra assistance.

If there is still a problem, follow steps under ‘Resolving Disputes’ on the right.

If the household is having ongoing difficulty, ask about assistance available under Aurora’s YES (Hardship) Program.

If a household is participating in the YES Program they should not be disconnected.

If disconnection does occur, contact the Tas Energy Ombudsman (see ‘Resolving Disputes’ on the right).

If first contact is unsuccessful, ask to speak to a supervisor or manager.

If the issue is not resolved after two attempts with Aurora, lodge a complaint with the Tasmanian Energy Ombudsman (www.energyombudsman.tas.gov.au).

STAYING CONNECTED

HOW HELP

TO

ONGOING AFFORDABILITY Talk to Aurora about options to make bill paying easier, including payment options and plans, or assistance under Aurora’s YES Program to help avoid problems in the future. You may also seek longer term help from a financial counsellor (see ‘Useful Contacts’, over).

STAYING CONNECTED

USEFUL CONTACTS

ELECTRICITY* DISCONNECTION RULES

If someone you are working with is having difficulties paying a gas or electricity bill, it’s really important that they contact their retailer

AURORA ENERGY (electricity and gas retailer) Phone: 1300 132 003 www.auroraenergy.com.au/your-home/billsand-payments/trouble-paying-your-bill

All households have protections under the law, some of these relate to disconnection. Electricity retailers must follow set procedures before they

(Aurora Energy or Tas Gas) early to let them know about the problem. But before they do so, discuss the situation together and decide what’s needed – is it short-term help to pay one bill or are there longer term affordability problems?

Also help work out what payment amount and schedule is affordable.

If your client needs help to negotiate an extension of time to pay a bill, to repay a debt or to manage ongoing payments through a payment plan – contact the retailer’s call centre.

If there are longer term financial or personal problems that make it hard to manage bills on a regular basis, ask to be put through to Aurora Energy’s YES (Your Energy Support, or Hardship) team directly.

Note that Aurora gas customers are also able to get assistance through the Aurora YES Program; Tas Gas does not have a hardship program but must offer customers a payment plan.

Energy retailers will offer flexibility to customers who need it, but they rely on customers identifying themselves as having payment difficulty, so it’s vital that customers let their retailer know there is a problem and tell them exactly what they are able to afford to pay.

Otherwise they may end up with an unaffordable payment plan that can lead to increased debt and possibly, to disconnection.

TAS GAS (gas retailer) Phone: 1800 438 427 CONCESSIONS Electricity Concession Life Support Concession Medical Cooling or Heating Concession For information about all of the above concessions, contact Aurora Energy: 1300 132 003 Heating Allowance Contact Department of Health & Human Services: 1800 300 068 FINANCIAL COUNSELLING 1800 007 007 TASMANIAN ENERGY OMBUDSMAN Phone: 1800 001 170 www.energyombudsman.tas.gov.au NILS – NO INTEREST LOANS SCHEME No Interest loans for energy efficient household appliances: 1300 301 650 FINDHELPTAS www.findhelptas.com.au An online directory to community services in Tasmania. For help with bills, look under ‘Finances’.

can disconnect their customers. These include making reasonable attempts to contact the customer, offering a customer a payment plan and assistance from its Hardship Program (Aurora’s YES Program), and giving adequate notice before disconnection.

Additionally, households cannot be disconnected from electricity supply if: −− it’s a Friday; the weekend or a public holiday; the day before a public holiday; between 20 December and 31 December inclusive; or before 8am or after 3pm on a weekday −− you are registered with Aurora Energy as a life support customer −− a complaint to the retailer or Energy Ombudsman that is directly related to the reason for disconnection is still in progress −− you are in the Aurora YES Program −− you are meeting the agreed payments on your payment plan (whether you’re in the YES Program or not) −− you have informed Aurora that you have applied to an organisation for assistance with the payment of your bill and are waiting to hear the outcome −− you owe Aurora less than $300. *The rules for gas are similar but not exactly the same.

STAYING CONNECTED

HOW HELP

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