Annual Electricity Concession
The Annual Electricity Concession is a year-round reduction on eligible customer electricity bills. From 1 July 2012, the Victorian Government reduced this concession due to compensation that low-income households receive through the Commonwealth Clean Energy Future Household Assistance Package Carbon Tax.
The Annual Electricity Concession will not be applied to $171.60 of a concession holder’s annual electricity bill (equivalent to 8.23 cents per day). Eligible customers will therefore receive a 17.5% reduction on their bill, less 8.23 cents per day for the number of days in the billing period.
Eligibility
To be eligible for this concession, a customer must hold a valid concession card. Valid concession cards include:
- Pensioner Concession Cards issued by Centrelink or the Department of Veterans’ Affairs
- Health Care Cards issued by Centrelink
- Department of Veterans’ Affairs Gold Repatriation Health Cards
Health Care cards in the name of a child are ineligible for this concession. The concession is only applicable for your principal place of residence and your account must be listed as residential on a residential tariff structure.
Application
To apply for this concession, please contact Flow Power on 1800 359 797 so we can add your concession details to your account.
Life Support Concessions
The Life Support Concession is provided by the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and is available to assist customers who require the use of specific life support machines in their home. The concession provides a discount that is equivalent to 1880 kWh of electricity per year for eligible machines.
Eligibility
You can apply for the Life Support Energy concession if you, or someone living at the address, have one of the following machines in their home:
- Oxygen Concentrators
- Haemodialysis Machines
- Intermittent Peritoneal Dialysis Machines
- The electricity account holder must also have a valid concession card. Valid concession cards include:
- Pensioner Concession Cards issued by Centrelink or the Department of Veterans’ Affairs
- Health Care Cards issued by Centrelink
- Department of Veterans’ Affairs Gold Repatriation Health Cards
Health Care cards in the name of a child are ineligible for this concession. The concession is only applicable for your principal place of residence and your account must be listed as residential on a residential tariff structure.
Application
If 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, completed the Life Support application form and contact Flow Power to register your life support requirement on 1800 359 797.
Medical Cooling Concession
The Medical Cooling Concession is provided by the Department of Health and Human Services for electricity usage between 1 November and 30 April (inclusive) each year. It provides a 17.5% discount on electricity bills for this period. An eligible customer will also receive the Annual Electricity Concession.
Eligibility
To be eligible for this concession, a customer must hold a valid concession card and have a medical condition which qualifies as determined by the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). Valid concession cards include:
- Pensioner Concession Cards issued by Centrelink or the Department of Veterans’ Affairs
- Health Care Cards issued by Centrelink
- Department of Veterans’ Affairs Gold Repatriation Health Cards
Examples of qualifying medical conditions include:
- Multiple Sclerosis
- Lymphoedema
- Parkinson’s Disease
- Fibromyalgia
- Motor Neurone Disease
- Post-Polio Syndrome
- Poliomyelitis
- Scleroderma
- Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE)
Health Care cards in the name of a child are ineligible for this concession. The concession is only applicable for your principal place of residence and your account must be listed as residential on a residential tariff structure.
Application
To apply for this concession, eligible Customers are required to complete the Application Form and have it certified by their medical practitioner before submitting it to us. The completed form can be returned to us by Email or by posting to Flow Power at Ground Floor, 109 Burwood Road, Hawthorn, 3122.
Excess Energy Concession
The Excess Energy Concession was introduced by the Victorian Government in December 2013 to address fraud and misuse of the Annual Electricity Concession and Winter Gas Concession. The changes are designed to ensure that these concessions are better targeted to residential customers that need the most assistance.
Eligibility
Customers receiving an Annual Energy Concession on their Flow Power electricity bills may also be eligible for the Excess Energy Concession.
An electricity account holder whose annual electricity costs are above $3,000.00 and who holds one of the eligible concession cards.
Where a customer exceeds the trigger level amount, they will need to apply for the Excess Energy Concession to continue to receive the 17.5% concession on electricity consumed above the trigger level amount. The trigger level amount is set at $443.00 (excluding GST) for the Annual Electricity Concession and is an annual amount.
Application
Flow Power will advise whether you need to apply for the Excess Energy Concession and will send you an application form. Eligible cardholders will need to submit the completed application to the Department of Human Services. The Department will check your eligibility and advise Flow Power. We will then calculate the Excess Electricity Concession and apply this to your energy bill.
Customers receiving the Life Support Concession, or the Medical Cooling Concession will not be required to apply for the Excess Energy Concession. They will automatically receive the Concession when they reach the trigger level amount.
Utility Relief Grant Scheme (URGS)
The Utility Relief Grant Scheme helps customers who do not have the capacity to pay their current electricity bill due to a sudden or temporary financial crisis and are at risk of disconnection of supply due to non-payment. A customer may only apply through the scheme once every two years for their electricity account.
Eligibility
To be eligible for this concession, a customer may hold a valid concession card.
- Pensioner Concession Cards issued by Centrelink or the Department of Veterans’ Affairs
- Health Care Cards issued by Centrelink
- Department of Veterans’ Affairs Gold Repatriation Health Cards
Customers without an eligible concession card must be able to demonstrated that the financial difficulty is unexpected and has resulted in being unable to pay your electricity bill without assistance. The account must be at risk of non-supply and at least one of the following conditions need to be met:
- A recent decrease in income (e.g. due to loss of employment)
- High unexpected expenses on essential items
- The cost of shelter is more than 30% of the household income
- You or someone in your house has experienced family violence
Application
To apply for this the URGS , please contact Flow Power on 1800 359 797 so we can help you complete the application form online.
How much is the grant?
The grant amount is based on the amount you owe at the time of application.
You can receive a maximum of $650 on each utility type in a two-year period (or $1,300 for households with a single energy source. e.g., if you don’t have a GAS account with us or any other retailer and your primary source is electricity only).
Verification process for all concession types
Progressive Green Pty Ltd T/A Flow Power to use Centrelink Confirmation eServices to perform a Centrelink/DVA enquiry of my Centrelink or Department of Veterans’ Affairs customer details and concession card status to enable the business to determine if you qualify for an electricity concession. By providing us your concession details, you consent to:
- Services Australia (the agency) to provide the results of that enquiry to Flow Power.
you understand that:
- the agency will disclose personal information to Flow Power including your name, address and concession card type and status to confirm your eligibility for relevant electricity concession.
- this consent, once signed, remains valid while you are a customer of Flow Power unless you withdraw it by contacting Flow Power or the agency. You can get proof of you circumstances/details from the agency and provide it to Flow Power so your eligibility for relevant electricity concession can be determined.
- if you withdraw your consent or do not alternatively provide proof of your circumstances/details, you may not be eligible for the electricity concession provided by Flow Power.
