The rising cost of living is a hot issue across Australia. And with energy bills taking up a large portion of your budget, it’s important to ensure you’re getting the most out of your money.

One way that you can do that is to look into the various energy concessions accessible to you. However, with the wide range of concessions across the country, it can be challenging to navigate the system.

To help make it easier for you to find what you’re entitled to, we’ve compiled a list of energy concessions available in each state/territory.

Keep in mind, however, that for many rebates, only one concession is applicable per household and that the name and address of the concession holder must match the details on the utility bill.

Therefore, you should always check your bill to ensure the concession has been applied correctly.

Save money on your next power bill. Credit: eric anada/Pexels

This comes after reports that there is a solution for rising power bills, as told by Federal Treasurer Jim Chalmers. He mentioned that the government’s upcoming budget would bring relief but also downplayed expectations that cash handouts would be available for people across Australia.

The price relief will be directly applied to power bills as credits instead, and will be available to people who are on income support or pensions, recipients of the family tax benefit, and to small businesses. You can read the rest of the report here.

Australian Capital Territory (ACT)

Pensioner Concession Card and Health Care Card holders are entitled to an all-encompassing Utilities Concession. This covers electricity, natural gas, water, and sewerage and is worth up to $750 per year.

In the 2022-2023 financial year, an additional one-off rebate of $50 will be provided. The Utilities Concession is also available to eligible residents of ACT caravan parks and retirement villages with embedded electricity networks. The concession will be paid directly to eligible residents rather than as a reduction applied to utility bills.

However, holders of the Commonwealth Seniors Health Card and the Seniors Card are not entitled to any energy or utility concessions in the ACT.

Contact your energy provider to apply. More details, including a list of energy provider contact details, can be found in this link. If you’d like to know more about the concessions available to pensioners in the ACT, check out this article.

There are many concessions available to pensioners across Australia. Credit: Mike/Pexels

Queensland

In Queensland, those who hold a Pensioner Concession Card, Health Care Card or Queensland Seniors Card are eligible to apply for an electricity rebate that is worth $372.20 per year. Meanwhile, the Reticulated Natural Gas Rebate is worth $80.77 per year.

Holders of Low-Income Health Care Cards and Veterans’ Gold Cards are also eligible to apply for electricity and gas rebates.

To be eligible, the utility account must be in the cardholder’s name and must live alone or with one of the following:

• Your spouse;
• Other people who hold a Services Australia or Department of Veterans’ Affairs Pensioner Concession Card or Queensland Seniors Card;
• Other people wholly dependent on you;
• Other people who receive income support or families payment from Services Australia who does not pay rent;
• Other people who receive an income support payment from the Department of Veterans’ Affairs and who do not pay rent; and
• Other people who live with the cardholder to provide care and assistance and who do not pay rent.

For more information, visit the Queensland government’s website. You can also check this article for more concessions available to pensioners in Queensland.

Victoria

The Victorian government offers Pension Concession Card and Health Care Card holders access to an Annual Electricity Concession, which gives you a 17.5 per cent year-round rebate on electricity usage and service fees. This is calculated after retailer discounts and solar credits have been applied to the bill.

However, the concession does not apply to the first $171.60 of the annual bill. Instead, this will be calculated as a daily rate on each bill. Additionally, households with high electricity bills (exceeding $3,560 in the year) need to apply for the Excess Energy Concession to continue to receive a concession on their bill.

Visit the Victorian Government’s website for more details on how to apply, or check out this article to find out other concessions you’re entitled to in Victoria.

Key Takeaways

• Energy bill concessions are available for Australian seniors to help with the rising cost of living.
• Pensioner Concessions Guide 2023 provides a state-by-state breakdown of available discounts for various cardholders.
• In Queensland and Victoria, eligible seniors are entitled to rebates on electricity and gas bills.
• To access these concessions, seniors should contact their energy retailer and provide their concession card details.

To see other concessions available in other states and to learn more about the discounts available, such as transportation and health, you can download our complete Pensioner Concession Card guide here.

This easy-to-read eBook also contains details on how to receive a Pensioner Concession Card, how to renew it, and the list of benefits available to you.

Do you know other benefits or deals available? Let us know in the comments!

 

[alyn6652]

With the abuse of the NDIS system that is happening, I can see the same happening here where everybody (not pensioners and those who are genuinely entitled to it) trying to get those concessions. I am disappointed in the wording of this statement.

 

[Kelpie]

But, what about the residents of NSW.??

Have I missed something above.?

 

[alyn6652]

I am in SA, you would need to check with the Human Services Department in your state, or google "concessions in NSW". Hope this helps.

 

[alyn6652]

But, what about the residents of NSW.??

Have I missed something above.?

I am in SA, you would need to check with the Human Services Department in your state, or google "concessions in NSW". Hope this helps.