MY ELECTRICITY BILL IS OUT OF CONTROL
We have had an increase recently of complaints about electricity bills increasing significantly in the past 6 months. Many tenants are checking in with their property managers thinking that there might be something wrong with their power supply or with the hot water system.
Ergon Energy are the only suppliers of power in this region, therefore they have the monopoly on the price and supply. Power suppliers generally increase their rates and tariffs annually in July. In 2023 there was a significant increase.
Ergon advised on their website:
From 1 July 2023, the typical residential customer on tariff 11 will see an increase in their bill by 28.7% or around $429 per year.
We are seeing a general increase of about 30% in the average electricity bill.
Ergon have suggested several ways to assist with this increase of cost.
- Save on your bill with our energy tips
Just a few small changes in how you use electricity at home can make a difference to your power bill. View our home and appliance energy tips.
- Break up your bill
Direct debit gives you the flexibility to break up your energy payments weekly, fortnightly, monthly or quarterly. You can setup Direct Debit via the Billing and Payments section of My Account.
- Check available rebates
The Queensland Government offers eligible pensioners, seniors, health care card holders and ImmiCard holders an electricity rebate to assist with the cost of electricity. This rebate is applied to each bill and calculated at a daily rate. To see if you are eligible or for more information view our rebates page.
- Find out about other support options
If you are having difficulty paying your electricity account please contact Ergon on 13 10 46 so they can discuss the options available to you. Alternatively, you can set up a payment extension anytime, on My Account.
Tenants have also been reporting an increase to estimated bills. This is when Ergon meter readers have attended the property and are unable to read the meter. This could be from a dog on the premises or locking a side gate. Keep an eye on your next read date to ensure an accurate read instead of an estimate.
You can request an adjusted bill if you complete an online form and conduct your own meter read.
Instructions on how to do this can be found here.
There are rarely any electrical faults that will use excessive power. More often than not, the cause is an old appliance that draws a lot of power or not being power smart (leaving lights on, appliances on standby etc).
Unfortunately in our area, we can not change suppliers like the larger cities. There is however an Energy and Water Ombudsman which is a free and fair and independent dispute resolution services when you are unable to resolve a dispute with your provider. You can contact them at 1800 622 837 or EWOQ