How to get cheaper energy in VIC.
Victoria has a well-developed energy concessions and rebates program, with a range of benefits available for eligible homes and businesses.
This guide explains the energy savings available in Victoria, and how to get them.
VIC energy rebates and concessions
The following energy concessions are available in Victoria.
| Rebate | Eligibility Requirements | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Energy Supplement | Receiving other benefits | Automatic rebates for your energy bill |
| Annual Electricity Concession | Eligible concession card | Electricity discounts for concession cardholders |
| Winter Gas Concession | Eligible concession card | Gas discounts for concession cardholders |
| Non-Mains Energy Concession | Eligible concession card | Rebate for on-supplied homes using LPG or natural gas for heating or cooking |
| Life Support Concession | Eligible concession card, medical equipment requirements | Rebates for people with energy-intensive life support equipment |
| Medical Cooling Concession | Eligible concession card, medical requirements | Rebates for people who are medically unable to regulate their body temperature |
| Electricity Transfer Fee Waiver | Eligible concession card | Full waiver of electricity transfer fee when moving |
| Service to Property Charge Concession | Eligible concession card | Discounts for low energy use |
| Excess Electricity Concession | Eligible concession card, annual electricity bill of more than $2,672 | Concessions for high energy use |
| Excess Gas Concession | Eligible concession card, annual gas bill of more than $1,439 | Concessions for high gas use |
| Controlled Load Electricity Concession | Eligible concession card | Discounts for separately metered hot water or slab heating |
| VEET Scheme | Varies | Numerous benefits for more energy-efficient homes and businesses |
| Solar feed-in tariffs | Solar panels | Gives rebates for energy fed back into the power grid |
Eligible concession cards
Many of the concessions will require you to hold an eligible Department of Human Services or Department of Veterans’ Affairs card.
Having any one of the following concession cards will entitle you to energy discounts and rebates in Victoria:
Energy supplement
You may receive regular rebates towards your energy bill if you are receiving other forms of assistance payments.
The size of the rebate depends on how you qualified for it and your current situation.
Who can get it? To qualify, you must currently be receiving at least one of the following:
How to apply: This rebate is automatically awarded with other benefit payments. Note that this is a Commonwealth scheme, and is not exclusive to Victoria. Because this rebate is automatically applied, a number of other concessions will not apply to your entire energy bill.
Annual Electricity Concession
This concession will give you a discount of 17.5% off household electricity bills. This discount is applied after any solar credits or other discounts your provider may offer are taken into account and after any Energy Supplement benefits.
This concession will not apply to the first $171.60 of your energy bill.
Who can get it? You may apply for the VIC Annual Electricity Concession if you hold any one of the following cards:
How to apply: Phone your electricity retailer and give your concession card details.
Winter Gas Concession
This concession lets you get a 17.5% discount on your mains gas bill during the winter period from May 1 to October 31 each year. This concession will not apply to the first $62.40 of your gas bill.
If your household gas bill is over $1,523 during the winter period, this discount will only apply up to that limit. You need to get the Excess Gas Concession for discounts above this amount.
Who can get it? You may apply for the VIC Winter Gas Concession if you hold any one of the following cards:
- Pensioner Concession Card
- Health Care Card
- Veterans’ Affairs Gold Card
How to apply: Phone your gas retailer and give your concession card details.
Non-Mains Energy Concession
If you don’t use the main energy grid as much as others do, you may be entitled to the Non-Mains Energy Concession. Non-mains energy refers to the following:
- Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG)
- Firewood
- Heating oil
- Generators
The rebate only applies to LPG, firewood and heating oil when you are using it for domestic heating, cooking and hot water. Also, firewood rebates are only available if your home has no other form of heating.
The rebate depends on how much you are spending on these per year and is reviewed annually.
2016 VIC Non-Mains Energy Rebates
| If you spent…. | Your rebate is... |
|---|---|
| $100 to $267.99 | $47 |
| $268 to $805.99 | $140 |
| $806 to $1340.99 | $235 |
| $1341 to $1913.99 | $335 |
| $1914 to $2448.99 | $428 |
| $2449 or more | $528 |
Who can get it? You may apply for the Non-Mains Energy Rebate if you hold any one of the following cards:
- Pensioner Concession Card
- Health Care Card
- Veterans’ Affairs Gold Card
How to apply: Mail a completed application form to the Victoria Department of Human Services. The deadline for 2016 rebates is June 30, 2017 and you should allow at least six weeks for processing.
Victoria Department of Human Services
GPO Box 4057
Melbourne, VIC, 3001
Life Support Concession
If you or another member of your household requires energy-intensive medical equipment at home, you may be entitled to a quarterly discount for the power used. The discount is equal to 1,880 kilowatt hours per year at your supplier’s current rates. Both renters and homeowners may access this concession year-round.
- If you are claiming this concession, you will also receive the Excess Electricity Concession without needing to apply for it separately.
Who can get it? You can apply for this discount if you or someone in your household requires a machine that uses at least 1,880 kilowatt hours of electricity per annum. These include the following machines:
- Intermittent peritoneal dialysis machines
- Oxygen concentrators
- Haemodialysis machines. These will also qualify you for concessions on your water bills.
Most continuous positive airways pressure (CPAP) machines will not qualify. You can call 1800 658 521 (toll free) for more information on qualifying machines.
In addition, you must hold one of the following cards:
- Pensioner Concession Card
- Health Care Card
- Veterans’ Affairs Gold Card
How to apply: Send a completed application form to your energy supplier. Your doctor, nurse or hospital social worker will need to complete the form.
Medical Cooling Concession
The Medical Cooling Concession gives you a 17.5% discount on electricity during the summer, from November 1 to April 30 each year, if you or someone in your household has a medical condition which prevents effective regulation of body temperature. This is given on top of the Annual Electricity Concession.
- If you are claiming this concession, you will also receive the Excess Electricity Concession without needing to apply for it separately.
Who can get it? You or someone in your household must have been diagnosed with one of the following qualifying conditions:
- Multiple sclerosis
- Lymphoedema
- Parkinson’s disease
- Fibromyalgia
- Post-polio syndrome/poliomyelitis
- Motor neurone disease
All of the above conditions will pre-qualify you for this benefit. Other conditions may also qualify for the benefit when approved by the Department of Health and Human Services.
You will also need to hold one of the following cards:
- Pensioner Concession Card
- Health Care Card
- Veterans’ Affairs Gold Card
How to apply: Send a completed application form to your energy supplier. Your doctor, nurse or hospital social worker will need to complete the form.
Electricity Transfer Fee Waiver
This concession will fully waive the transfer fee that typically applies when switching on the power at a new address.
Who can get it? The following cards entitle you to the Electricity Transfer Fee Waiver:
- Pensioner Concession Card
- Health Care Card
- Veterans’ Affairs Gold Card
How to apply: Phone your electricity supplier and give them your card details.
Service to Property Charge Concession
When your energy bill’s usage charge is less than your energy supplier’s service charge, your bill can be reduced to the usage charge only.
Who can get it? The following cardholders may access the Service to Property Charge Concession:
- Pensioner Concession Card
- Health Care Card
- Veterans’ Affairs Gold Card
How to apply: This concession is automatically applied to billing periods where the usage charge is less than the service charge.
Excess Electricity Concession
Households with annual electricity bills of more than $2,882 may be eligible for the Excess Electricity Concession. This gives a 17.5% discount on electricity costs above this amount.
- This concession kicks in when the Annual Electricity Concession reaches its limit. If you are eligible for the Excess Electricity Concession, you are also eligible for the Annual Electricity Concession.
- If you are receiving the Medical Cooling or the Life Support Concession, then you will automatically get the Excess Electricity Concession as well without applying for it.
How to apply: It is rare for households to use this much energy. If you are eligible, your electricity retailer will let you know and provide an application form to submit to the Department of Health and Human Services. You must hold one of the following cards to be eligible:
- Pensioner Concession Card
- Health Care Card
- Veterans’ Affairs Gold Card
Excess Gas Concession
Households with a gas bill of more than $1,439 for the winter period, from May 1 to October 31 each year, can apply for the Excess Gas Concession to receive a 17.5% discount on gas costs above this amount for the winter.
- This concession kicks in when the Annual Gas Concession reaches its limit. If you are eligible for the Excess Gas Concession, you are also eligible for the Annual Gas Concession.
- If you are receiving the Medical Cooling or the Life Support Concession, then you are automatically eligible for the Excess Gas Concession, but you will still need to submit an application form.
How to apply: Your gas provider will inform you if you are eligible for this concession and will provide you with an application form to submit to the Department of Health and Human Services. You must hold one of the following cards:
- Pensioner Concession Card
- Health Care Card
- Veterans’ Affairs Gold Card
Controlled Load Electricity Concession
This concession gives you a 13% discount on controlled load usage charges for separately metered hot water or slab heating systems. This concession will require you to have a suitable dual element electricity meter or dual element smart meter.
The discount is available all year round, but will apply only to the controlled load or dedicated circuit parts of your bill for the heating system.
Who can apply? You must have a hot water or slab heating system, a suitable meter, and hold one of the following cards:
- Pensioner Concession Card
- Health Care Card
- Veterans’ Affairs Gold Card
How to apply: Call your electricity retailer and give your concession card details.
The VEET Scheme
Both homes and businesses can benefit from the Victorian Energy Efficiency Target (VEET) Scheme. You can get significant discounts on new energy saving appliances (and removal of old ones), as well as discounts on the purchase and installation costs of other energy-saving measures such as home insulation.
These discounts are only available from accredited companies. Check whether the seller or service-provider is accredited before buying. Accredited businesses include appliance stores, plumbers, builders and many more.
- Both homes and businesses can get discounts under the VEET Scheme, although certain discounts are only available to one or the other.
- Eligible cardholders may receive an additional $100 Whitegoods Rebate when purchasing an energy efficient refrigerator or washing machine.
The discounts are applied at the point of purchase without you needing to do anything other than make sure the provider is accredited. The easiest way to do this is by specifically looking for products or services from accredited providers.
If you’re looking to upgrade appliances or renovate, it’s a good idea to do it through the VEET Scheme to save money.
The links below include a way to find accredited providers in your area and get VEET discounts on the following home goods:
- Water heating systems
- Air conditioning and heating
- Lighting
- Energy efficient power boards and power controllers
- Shower heads
- Televisions
- Clothes dryers
- Pool pumps
- In-home displays
- Weatherproofing and insulation
These do not have to be for domestic use, and you can get many of the same discounts when buying for your business.
The following VEET concessions are for businesses only:
- Commercial lighting upgrades
- High-efficiency refrigerated display cabinets
- Refrigeration fans
- Motors
- Low-flow trigger nozzles
- Water efficient pre-rinse spray valves
Solar energy rebates
Solar feed-in tariffs in Victoria let you get rebates for having home or business solar power. These systems feed energy back into the grid, and you get a rebate depending on how much power your system is producing. These tariffs will vary between energy companies, and if you have solar panels, it can be worth looking for a provider that offers more competitive solar rebates.
- Claim your solar rebates through your energy company.
- Learn more about solar energy rebates here.
