The Energy Assistance Program is a free service providing one-on-one energy bill assistance to low-income households and those having trouble paying their energy bills.
The program assists people by:
The Energy Assistance Program is currently delivered in partnership with community partners Anglicare Victoria and cohealth, with services provided through the program’s statewide call centre and place-based support at Melbourne’s high-rise public housing estates.
The program provides tailored energy bill assistance to participants including support to apply for energy concessions and debt relief grants, find and switch to the best energy offer for their household, understand energy bills and engage with their energy retailer.
To date, the program has supported more than 17,000 Victorians to manage their energy bills and delivered over $3.3 million in estimated savings for participants.
Many households face barriers engaging with the energy market due to vulnerabilities such as disability, language or digital access. As a result, many households have been identified during EAP appointments as missing out on key energy bill supports they were eligible for.
The program is helping these households overcome barriers and is proving an important source of ongoing assistance to help them to manage their energy needs and access more affordable energy.
One example of the challenges faced by energy consumers experiencing vulnerability is program participant Patricia’s* story.
Patricia had faced several health and housing challenges and was struggling to keep up with her energy bills. She had only made one payment since opening her account and had accrued $1,200 in debt.
Prior to seeking the program’s support, Patricia had received a final disconnection warning.
The program’s Public Housing team supported Patricia to access over $1,500 in energy bill support to help her clear her debt and reduce the cost of her energy bills including assistance to apply for non-mains Utility Relief Grant and Concessions rebate, the Commonwealth Government’s Energy Bill Relief payment for embedded networks and the Victorian Government’s $100 Power Saving Bonus.
After a difficult couple of years, Patricia told the staff member supporting her that she now had a fresh start.
* Not her real name
This program exemplifies the public sector values of responsiveness and respect in its delivery of a high-quality service to help people who needed it most.