Energy concessions and rebates in Victoria

Annual Electricity Concession

Who can get it? You may apply for the Victorian Annual Electricity 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 electricity retailer and give your concession card details.

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. If you're claiming this concession, you'll 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 including 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.

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 discount on electricity during the summer if you or someone in your household has a medical condition which prevents effective regulation of body temperature. The Medical Cooling Concession is given on top of the Annual Electricity Concession.

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

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.

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.

Controlled Load Electricity Concession

This concession gives you a discount on controlled load usage charges for separately-metered hot water or slab heating systems. This concession requires you to have a suitable dual-element electricity meter or dual-element smart meter. The discount is available year-round but only applies to the controlled load or dedicated circuit parts of your bill for the heating system.

Who can get it? 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 provide your concession card details.

Excess Electricity Concession

Households with annual electricity bills above the Annual Electricity Concession limit may be eligible for the Excess Electricity Concession. If you're eligible for the Excess Electricity Concession, you're also eligible for the Annual Electricity Concession. Also, if you receive the Medical Cooling or the Life Support Concession, then you'll automatically get the Excess Electricity Concession without applying for it.

Who can get it? The following cardholders are eligible:

• Pensioner Concession Card
• Health Care Card
• Veterans' Affairs Gold Card

How to apply: It's rare for households to use this much energy. If you're eligible, your electricity retailer will let you know and provide an application form to submit to the Department of Health and Human Services.

Winter Gas Concession

The Winter Gas Concession lets you get a discount on your mains gas bill during the winter period from 1 May to 31 October each year. This discount will only apply up to a certain limit, if you go over the limit you'll need to apply for the Excess Gas Concession for discounts.

Who can get it? You may apply for the Victorian 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 provide your concession card details. This concession kicks in when the Annual Gas Concession reaches its limit. If you're eligible for the Excess Gas Concession, you're also eligible for the Annual Gas Concession. If you're receiving the Medical Cooling or the Life Support Concession, then you're also automatically eligible for the Excess Gas Concession, but you still need to submit an application form.

Excess Gas Concession

Households with a gas bill above the Winter Gas Concession limit can apply for the Excess Gas Concession.

Who can get it? You must hold one of the following cards to qualify:

• Pensioner Concession Card
• Health Care Card
• Veterans' Affairs Gold Card

How to apply: Your gas provider will inform you if you're eligible for this concession and provide you with an application form to submit to the Department of Health and Human Services.

Victorian solar rebates

Solar feed-in tariffs in Victoria offer rebates to residents that have home or business solar power. The solar feed-in tariff rewards users based on how much power they're producing and feeding back into the grid. Tariffs vary depending on the energy company and where you live.

Your comprehensive guide to solar energy

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 liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), firewood, heating oil and generators. However, the rebate only applies to LPG, firewood and heating oil when you're 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're spending on these per year and is reviewed annually.

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 Victorian Department of Human Services.

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 an 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.

The Victorian Energy Upgrades (VEU) program

The Victorian Energy Upgrades (VEU) program, formerly known as the Victorian Energy Efficiency Target (VEET) scheme helps Victorian residents cut power bills and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The VEU program offers households and businesses access to discounted energy-efficient products and services.

How to apply: Use the VEU registry to search for accredited providers.