Victorian energy concessions

The Victorian Government provides a variety of energy concessions to eligible concession card holders to help ease cost of living pressures. As a customer, you may qualify for various concessions.

Eligibility

To be eligible you must hold one of the following concession cards:

• Pensioner Concession Card (PCC) issued by Services Australia
• Department of Veterans’ Affairs Gold Card.
• Health Care Card (HCC) issued by Services Australia.

An energy concession can be claimed where all of the following criteria are met:

• An eligible concession card is held and it is valid.
• The electricity and/or gas account is in the name of the concession cardholder and the name on the card and the name on the account must be identical.
• The supply address on the electricity and/or gas account is the principal place of residence.
• The account is billed on a residential tariff.

Federal Government Energy Bill Relief Fund- 2024-2025 bill credit

The Federal Government is providing the Energy Bill Relief Fund to all Australian households and eligible small business electricity customers.

Residential customers will receive four credits of $75 (totalling $300 over the year).

Small business will receive four credits of $81.25 (totalling $325 over the year).

These credits will automatically appear on bills after 31 July 2024, 1 October 2024, 1 January 2025 and 1 April 2025. Find out more about eligibility and how payments will be made here.

Annual Electricity Concession

The Annual Electricity Concession entitles you to a 17.5% discount off your household electricity usage and service costs. The concession is calculated after discounts and solar credits have been deducted from your energy bill. The Annual Electricity concession does not apply to the first $171.60 of the annual bill and is calculated as a daily rate on each bill.

If you have very high electricity bills (over $4,217.85 in the year 1 December - 30 November) you may be entitled to receive the Excess Electricity Concession on your bill.

If you are eligible but not currently receiving the above concession please Login and apply with MyAccount, or contact us on 131 806.

Winter Gas Concession

The Winter Gas Concession entitles you to a discount of 17.5% off your household gas usage and supply charges during the winter months of 1 May to 31 October of each year. The Winter Gas Concession is calculated after discounts are deducted.

The Winter Gas Concession does not apply to the first $62.40 of the six-month winter period bills. This is calculated as a daily rate on each bill.

Households with very high bills (over $2,499.14 in the period from 1 May to 31 October 2024) will need to apply for the Excess Gas Concession to continue to receive a concession on your bill.

If you are eligible but not currently receiving the above concession please Login and apply with MyAccount, or contact us on 131 806.

Life Support Concession

The Life Support Concession provides a discount on electricity bills where a household member uses an eligible life support machine. The Life Support Concession is available all year round, in addition to the Annual Energy Concession and is equal to the cost of 1,880 kilowatt hours of electricity used each year (470 kilowatt per quarter). Customers who have a life support machine or any other type of machine prescribed by a doctor for life support purposes, must contact Red Energy on 131 806 to ensure life support details are recorded

Eligible life suppport machine types:

• Oxygen concentrators
• Intermittent peritoneal dialysis machines
• Haemodialysis machines.

For a machine to be eligible for a Life Support Concession, it must use at least 1880 kilowatt hours per year.

To be eligible for a Life Support Concession discount:

• You must hold one of the following concession cards:
  • Pensioner Concession Card (PCC) issued by Services Australia or the Department of Veterans’ Affairs
  • Department of Veterans’ Affairs Gold Card
  • Health Care Card (HCC) issued by Services Australia
• The account holder or another occupant in the household must require one or more of the eligible medical equipment(s) listed above to sustain life,
• The supply address is residential and the primary place of residency for the concession card holder, and
• An application form signed by the patient’s doctor to verify the need for the specific in house life support equipment is to be returned to Red Energy.

To apply for this concession please download and fill in the application form below and return it to:

Red Energy
Reply Paid 4136
East Richmond Vic 3121
Life Support Concession Application Form

Medical Cooling Concession

The Medical Cooling Concession provides a 17.5% discount off electricity costs from 1 November to 30 April for concession cardholders with multiple sclerosis and other qualifying medical conditions such as Parkinson’s disease, lymphoedema, post-polio syndrome/poliomyelitis, fibromyalgia and motor neuron disease.

Provides a 17.5% discount off electricity costs from 1 November to 30 April for concession cardholders with multiple sclerosis and other qualifying medical conditions such as Parkinson’s disease, fibromyalgia and motor neuron disease.

Eligibility

To be eligible you must hold one of the following concession cards:

• Pensioner Concession Card (PCC) issued by Services Australia or the Department of Veterans’ Affairs
• Hold a valid Health Care Card (HCC) issued by Services Australia
• Department of Veterans’ Affairs Gold Card.

In addition, the account holder or another occupant in the household must have the inability to self-regulate body temperature, and an application form signed by the patient’s doctor to verify the need for heating or cooling to regulate body temperature is to be returned to Red Energy.

To apply for this concession please download and fill in the application form below and return it to:

Red Energy
Reply Paid 4136
East Richmond Vic 3121
Medical Cooling Concession Application Form

For more information on concessions, please visit the Victorian Government’s Department of Families, Fairness and Housing website or contact the Concessions hotline on 1800 658 521 (toll-free).

Excess Electricity Concession

The Excess Electricity Concession of 17.5% is given on electricity charges over the annual limit of $4,217.85 for the annual period 1 December – 30 November.

You must have one of the following eligible concession cards:

• Pensioner Concession Card
• Health Care Card
• Veterans’ Affairs Gold Card.

Customers receiving the Annual Electricity Concession, the Life Support Concession or the Medical Cooling Concession will not be required to apply for the Excess Electricity Concession. You will automatically receive the Concession when you reach the trigger level and we will send you a form to complete and return to the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing. Once the eligibility has been checked, the concession will be applied to your next bill.

Excess Gas Concession

The Excess Gas Concession of 17.5% is given on gas charges above $2,499.14 for the six month winter period 1 May to 31 October.

You must have one of the following eligible concession cards:

• Pensioner Concession Card
• Health Care Card
• Veterans’ Affairs Gold Card.

Customers receiving the Winter Gas Concession, the Life Support Concession or the Medical Cooling Concession will not be required to apply for the Excess Gas Concession. You will automatically receive the Concession when you reach the trigger level and we will send you a form to complete and return to the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing. Once the eligibility has been checked, the concession will be applied to your next bill.

Utility Relief Grant Scheme (URGS)

The Utility Relief Grant Scheme is available for eligible low-income Victorian customers to assist paying an overdue electricity and/or gas bill when experiencing unexpected hardship.

Eligibility Criteria

You must meet one of the following criteria:

• You or someone in your house has experienced family violence.
• You have had a recent decrease in income (for example, lost your job)
• High unexpected costs for essential items (for example: car repairs or replacing a fridge)
• The cost of shelter is more than 30% of your household income (private rental or mortgage).

How much is the grant?

The amount of the grant is based on the amount you owe at the time of application and the reasons you have given for applying for the grant in your application form.

You can receive a maximum of $650 on each utility type in a two-year period (or $1,300 for households with a single source of energy for example, electricity only)

You can apply for separate grants for each utility.

If you would like to apply for the Utility Relief grant, please contact us on 131 806. To find out more about the Utility Relief Grant, please visit the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing website.

Non-Government or Community Assistance

We understand that sometimes we need a little help and not everyone is eligible for government assistance. Non-government or community assistance is generally available through a local community service provider, such as a community welfare organisation or financial counsellor. To locate a help centre near you, please visit CISVic or the National Debt Helpline.

Below is a list of some not for profit organisations you can contact to obtain more information on other assistance available to you.

• Anglicare
• Salvation Army
• Australian Red Cross
• St Vincent De Paul Society