Price caps and rebates coming for 95,000 households—check if you’re eligible now!

Ever felt like your electricity provider has you cornered? For thousands of NSW residents in retirement villages, apartment complexes, and caravan parks, that frustration has been part of daily life. Now, long-awaited reforms are finally shaking up the system—and for many older Australians, it could mean real freedom from what’s been dubbed an ‘electricity prison.’

The NSW government has announced sweeping changes to embedded electricity networks, aiming to protect around 95,000 households across the state. Price caps, fairer contracts, and access to long-denied energy rebates are all on the table. For seniors on fixed incomes, these reforms could mean the difference between comfort and financial strain.

An embedded network is a private system that supplies energy to multiple dwellings within a single property. Instead of each unit or villa having its own connection to the main electricity grid, the entire site—such as a retirement village or apartment complex—shares one large connection. The site operator then buys electricity in bulk and sells it to individual residents.

While this setup might sound efficient, it often leaves residents trapped without the ability to switch providers or seek better deals. More than half a million Australians live within embedded networks, many of whom face higher prices and fewer consumer protections than standard customers.

The problem has been festering for years. Unlike most Australians who can simply shop around if they’re unhappy, those in embedded networks are locked into their provider through no choice of their own. One resident told an expert panel she could save around $300 a year by switching—if only she could.

For retirees already counting every dollar, that lack of choice can be deeply frustrating. In some cases, residents have reported shockingly high hot water bills, as certain embedded systems fall outside current regulations.

That’s where the NSW government’s new reforms come in. Acting on 36 of 38 recommendations from the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART), the government plans to introduce a series of major changes:

Price caps will be set to ensure households in embedded networks pay no more than the going market rate. If your bills have felt inflated, expect them to drop once the reforms take hold.

Residents will also gain access to free dispute resolution through the NSW Energy and Water Ombudsman, and for the first time, they’ll be eligible for state and national energy rebates.

New safeguards will prevent residents from being locked into lengthy, unfair energy contracts, while clearer billing rules will ensure operators are transparent about costs and obligations.

Other states have already taken steps in this direction. Victoria banned compulsory embedded networks in new apartment buildings from 1 January 2023, with the Victorian Default Offer acting as a price cap for electricity. As Premier Daniel Andrews put it: ‘For too long Victorians living in apartments, retirement villages, social housing, and caravan parks have been trapped with mandatory, uncompetitive network providers, and we're changing all of that.’

Queensland, meanwhile, requires large embedded networks—those serving more than 30 customers—to appoint an Embedded Network Manager, offering some oversight but not the level of reform now coming to NSW.

For residents of retirement villages, the NSW reforms are especially significant. Hot water systems operating under embedded networks will finally fall under regulation, bringing down those runaway bills. Seniors will also gain long-overdue access to rebates and free dispute services, along with more transparency about how their energy is priced.

If your electricity bills come from your village operator or an unfamiliar company, or if you’ve never been able to shop around for energy deals, you may already be in an embedded network. Other telltale signs include meter readings done by village staff and charges for ‘network services’ listed on your bill.

The NSW government has not yet confirmed when the price caps and new protections will take effect, but Energy Minister Penny Sharpe has called the reforms ‘a decisive step,’ indicating implementation is a top priority.

For many residents, this marks a long-overdue victory. After years of paying inflated rates and feeling trapped, the promise of fair pricing and proper protections could bring real relief—and maybe even a little power back into their hands.

While these reforms promise long-term relief, many households are still feeling the pressure of rising power bills right now.

As energy prices continue to climb, every dollar counts—especially when government rebates can offer some short-term breathing room.

Here’s a look at the latest support measure rolling out across the state and what it could mean for your next bill.

Read more: Your final $75 electricity lifeline arrives in October—just as power prices surge up to 10 per cent

Have you ever felt stuck with your energy provider in a retirement village or apartment complex? What changes would make the biggest difference for you?