This concession is currently calculated at the rate of 17.5% off energy usage and supply charges minus $0.09056 (GST incl.) per day, and is applied after any Powerdirect discounts or solar credits. It doesn't apply to the first $171.60 of your electricity bill, and is capped at $487.30 (GST incl.). It's available all year round.

If the cap of $487.30 (GST incl.) is reached you may apply for additional concession through the Excess Energy Concession rebate. We can send you the required application form for this.

Are you eligible?

You'll need one of the concession cards listed above. Plus, a concession can only be claimed if:

• you’re a resident of Victoria
• the electricity account is in the name of the concession cardholder
• the supply address is the domestic primary residence of the cardholder
• the electricity account is billed on a domestic tariff.

This concession is only available to those households that have a separately metered Controlled Load tariff for electric hot water or slab heating that operates during off-peak times. It provides a 13% reduction on the off-peak tariff rates on quarterly electricity bills for hot water and slab heating. It can be received in addition to the Annual Electricity Concession.

Are you eligible?

You'll need one of the concession cards listed above. Plus, a concession can only be claimed if:

• you’re a resident of Victoria
• the electricity account is in the name of the concession cardholder
• the supply address is the domestic primary residence of the cardholder
• the electricity account is billed on a domestic tariff.

For concession households with low electricity consumption, this rebate reduces the supply (or service) charge.

If the cost of electricity used is less than the supply (or service) charge, the supply charge is then reduced to the same price as the electricity usage costs.

Are you eligible?

You'll need one of the concession cards listed above. Plus, a concession can only be claimed if:

• you’re a resident of Victoria
• the electricity account is in the name of the concession cardholder
• the supply address is the domestic primary residence of the cardholder
• the electricity account is billed on a domestic tariff.

This provides a 17.5% discount off electricity costs for the six months between 1 November and 30 April each year if you or anyone in your household has a medical condition that prevents the body from regulating its own temperature.

If you’re eligible for this concession, you’ll also receive the Annual Electricity Concession.

Are you eligible?

To receive this concession, either the account holder or another occupant in the household must have an inability to self-regulate body temperature. 

The account holder will need to be a Victorian resident and hold one of the concession cards listed above.

How to apply

To apply for this rebate, please complete the Medical Cooling Concession Form (accessible version here). On the form, the patient's doctor will need to verify that additional heating or cooling is required to regulate body temperature.

The pre-approved medical conditions are:

• Multiple sclerosis
• Motor neurone disease
• Lymphoedema
• Parkinson's disease
• Fibromyalgia
• Post-polio syndrome
• Poliomyelitis.
  

If you have a pre-approved medical condition, send the completed form to:

Concession Administrator
Powerdirect Pty Ltd
Locked Bag 14120
MCMC Melbourne VIC 8001

If you have a medical condition which is not listed above, please send your completed form to:

Department of Human Services
Concessions Unit
GPO Box 4057
Melbourne VIC 3001

Applicable electricity transfer fees are waived for eligible concession card holders when there is a change of occupancy at a property.

Are you eligible?

You'll need one of the concession cards listed above. Plus, a concession can only be claimed if:

• you’re a resident of Victoria
• the electricity account is in the name of the concession cardholder
• the supply address is the domestic primary residence of the cardholder
• the electricity account is billed on a domestic tariff.

This provides additional financial support to customers who require the use of specific in-home life support machines. The machine must use at least 1,880 kWh per year.

Are you eligible?

The account holder or another occupant in your household must need one of the following machines to sustain life:

• oxygen concentrator
• intermittent peritoneal dialysis machine
• haemodialysis machine.

You'll need to be a Victorian resident and hold one of the concession cards listed above.

How to apply

You’ll need to complete the Life Support Concession Application Form. Your doctor will need to sign this form, verifying the need for specific in-house life support equipment.

Please return your completed form to:

Powerdirect Life Support
Reply Paid 84146
Melbourne VIC 8001

Whether you have a life support machine that is eligible for concession, or any other type of machine prescribed by a doctor for life support purposes, you should call us on 1300 307 966 to ensure your account is flagged as having life support equipment in use.

If you’re a residential customer living in Victoria and unable to pay your utility bills due to a temporary financial crisis, you can apply for the URG Scheme. Financial assistance to cover energy costs may be provided to low-income households suffering a short-term financial crisis (within the last year) who are unable to pay for a current utility account and are at risk of disconnection.

Dual energy source households (electricity and gas) will have access to a URG scheme cap of $650 per fuel over two years.

Single energy source households (electricity only) will have access to a URG scheme cap of $1,300 over two years.

You can apply multiple times over a two-year period until the total cap amount is reached.

Are you eligible?

You must hold one of the eligible concession cards listed above or meet the low-income requirement.

You must also be experiencing:

• an unexpected increase in expenses for essential items or services
• an unexpected decrease in income
• the cost of shelter is more than 30% of the household income
• difficulty paying utility bills and meeting payment plans.

The URG Scheme can only be claimed if the:

• energy account is in the name of the concession cardholder or meetings the Low Income threshold
• supply address is the domestic primary residence of the cardholder
• energy account is billed on a domestic tariff.

For more information regarding Victorian Energy concessions and rebates, please call the Department of Human Services Concessions Information line on 1800 658 521 or visit the Department of Human Services.