Energy rebates: A step-by-step guide for QLD residents
No matter where you live in Australia, managing your energy bills can sometimes feel impossible. If you’re an Aussie living in Queensland, there are a few government energy rebates you may be eligible for, which can help cover some of your energy costs.
While there’s nothing wrong with getting a little help every now and then, if you’ve never had to apply for financial assistance before, it can feel like a daunting task. That’s why we’ve prepared this guide to walk you through each step of the way, so your household can get the right kind of help.
Step One - Research each rebate
At the time of writing, there are four energy rebates available in Queensland: the Electricity and Gas Rebate, the Home Energy Emergency Assistance Scheme, the Electricity Life Support Concession and the Medical Cooling and Heating Electricity Concession Scheme.
To help you find out which is the right option for you, we’ve jotted down some quick details and the amount you’ll receive for each rebate:
Electricity and Gas Rebate
The Electricity and Gas Rebate can lend a hand to low income households by covering a portion of their electricity and gas bills. Once approved for the rebate, households are able to claim $340.85 every year on their electricity and $73.60 on their gas.
Those looking to apply for the Electricity and Gas Rebate must do so via their respective retailer. Once you are approved for the rebate, the amount will be automatically deducted from your electricity or gas bill.
Or if your electricity is supplied by a Ergon card-operated meter, head over to the Ergon Energy Queensland website to submit your application. When approved, you’ll receive value cards for the value of your rebate.
The Home Energy Emergency Assistance Scheme
If your household is currently experiencing extreme financial hardship and are having difficulty paying your energy bill, the Home Energy Emergency Assistance Scheme can give you some breathing room. This rebate is a one-off emergency payment to help pay your energy bill, which pays up to $720 once every two years.
You will need to get in touch with your energy retailer in order to apply, as they are responsible for starting the application process.
Just keep in mind that you will need to already be on a financial hardship plan with your retailer in order to be eligible for this rebate.
This type of rebate is also available for Queenslanders who own or live in a residential home park or multi-unit residential premises.
Electricity Life Support Concession
If you or a member of your family are seriously ill and use electricity life support machines, like a home-based oxygen concentrator or kidney dialysis machine, the Electricity Life Support Concession can help ease the cost of running the equipment.
In order to be eligible for this rebate, your equipment must have been supplied by the Medical Aids Subsidy Scheme (MASS) or Queensland Health. Once approved, you could receive:
- up to $694.18 per year or $57.85 per month for each oxygen concentrator
- up to $464.88 per year or $38.74 per month for each kidney dialysis machine.
The funds are then deposited into your nominated bank account on or around January 1, April 1, July 1 and October 1 every year.
Medical Cooling and Heating Electricity Concession Scheme
There are also concessions available for households with family members with chronic medical conditions that require cooling and heating to prevent their condition from worsening. This includes medical issues such as multiple sclerosis, autonomic system dysfunction, significant burns or severe inflammatory skin.
Eligible applicants can claim a total of $340.85 every year to financially support the cost to run heating and cooling appliances. Just remember, you will need to reapply for this concession every two years to keep receiving the payments.
Step Two - Check your eligibility and gather information
Each rebate listed above has its own eligibility criteria to meet if you are to be approved. Depending on the rebate you have chosen to apply for, some of the more common forms of information you might be asked to provide include concessions cards such as:
- Pensioner Concession Card
- Department of Veterans’ Affairs Gold Card (and receive the War Widow/er Pension or special rate TPI Pension)
- Queensland Seniors Card
- Commonwealth Health Care Card.
- Other forms of identification may include:
- Proof of Centrelink or other relevant benefits
- Proof of being on a retailer’s hardship plan
- Having an income equal to or less than the Australian Government’s maximum income rate for part-age pensioners.
Step Three - Apply for your chosen rebate
Once you’ve found the rebate you might be eligible for, you’ll need to either fill out an application form over at the Queensland Government website or get in touch with your retailer to kickstart the process.
Not from Queensland? Check out our other energy rebate guides for the following states:
Or if you’d like to find out how much you could be saving by switching to a more competitive energy plan, enter your postcode below to get started.
