Energy Providers offer instalment plans and they are usually available to all customers.
Often called Bill Smoothing, it is an arrangement where you pay smaller amounts more frequently in order to avoid 'bill shock'.
Under this arrangement, your provider will average your consumption over a period of time and divide it into equal instalments. It is important to note they are not subsidised plans offering cheaper energy, they just help you to manage your budget and avoid the stress of having to cover large bills that come less frequently.
To find out more, contact your energy provider and ask to speak to someone in their Hardship Team.
This booklet helps guide you through the basics of what you can do to help reduce utilities costs and to live more sustainably. It was designed for Victoria and the Eastern states but has a lot of good information equally useful for South Australia.
Please check regarding differences regarding concessions and low income payment schemes mentioned.
If you live in a residential or caravan park you may be eligible for the Residential Park Resident Concession which is a single combined concession to help with your energy, water and sewerage bills. You may also be eligible to receive the Cost of Living Concession.
No Emergency Services Levy (fixed property) concession is payable, as this levy is not normally charged to residents of residential parks.
To be eligible you must:
- Occupy the property as your principal place of residence.
- Hold an eligible concession card or receive an eligible Centrelink Payment.
For further information and to get the application form please go to the ConcessionsSA website below or contact the ConcessionsSA Hotline.
You can get free help and advice on a range of energy topics by contacting the Government of South Australia's Energy Advisory Service. The service can help you to save energy at home, find out about renewable energy, or if you are having trouble paying your energy bills, can give you advice about services that could help you.
You can contact the service by phone, email or visit the offices to speak to a staff member in person. Level 4 ANZ Building, 11 Waymouth Street Adelaide 5000.
SA Water understand that it's difficult to meet household expenses and that sudden changes occur, which can make it difficult to pay your bill.
Contact the SA Water Customer Assist Program to find a suitable payment option to get you back on track.
For more information, contact the Customer Assist Program direct on 08 7424 1650 or 1300 729 283 for account and billing options.
Solar systems and battery storage can be a great way to lower energy bills and there are a number of subsidies and grants available to support these purchases. Eligibility differs depending on the grant.
To assist you to navigate through the information available, we have attached multiple websites to support you in making an informed decision on the following:
- Choosing a solar system or battery storage
- Solar system subsidies
- Feed-in tariffs
- SA's home battery scheme
- Virtual power plants
For more information, visit the websites below.
Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman is a free and independent help for phone and internet complaints.
They provide a fair, independent, and accessible external dispute resolution service for:
Individual consumers
- This is an individual person who uses a telecommunications provider’s services for personal purposes. Most providers only allow one person to be listed as the account holder of a residential account.
Small business and not-for-profit consumers
- Generally, a small business or not-for-profit consumer has up to $3,000,000 annual turnover and no more than 20 full-time employees.
- They will take into account if employees are permanent, casual, and if employment is seasonal or voluntary.
Owners and occupiers of property
- They can help a person who occupies or owns a property if they have a complaint involving one of their members about property damage and related liabilities, as well as unsafe or non-compliant equipment.
- They can also help a person who occupies or owns a property if they have an objection to a telco carrier’s proposed land access activity on their land
An account holder or their representative
- They can help you if you’re the account holder, or someone who’s been authorised to act on their behalf.
- This could be an advocate, carer, credit repair agency, family member or friend, financial counsellor or legal representative. For a small business, it could be an employee.
They can help with:
- Landline, mobile and internet services
- Payphones, phone cards, TV, domain names, public mobile radio, White and Yellow Pages, operator services and directory assistance
- Land and property
- Spam and telemarketing
- Compensation
- Privacy
- Complaints involving money (they can only make binding decisions about complaints involving amounts up to $100,000. If your dispute is about larger amounts, you may wish to speak to a lawyer).
If your request is urgent or if you are impacted by a natural disaster
Call them on 1800 046 686 or 03 8600 8308