Energy Concessions

The NSW Department of Planning and Environment offers and funds a variety of concessions and benefits to eligible cardholders. If you have a relevant concession card, you may be eligible for one of these concessions. Your name must be on the energy account with the concession card details, and be for your principal place of residence.

Eligible concession cards

To be eligible, cardholders must hold one of the following cards:

• Pensioner Concession Card issued by the Services Australia (SA)/the Commonwealth
• SA Health Care Card; or
• DVA Gold Card marked with:
  • War Widow or War Widower Pension;
  • Totally and Permanently Incapacitated (TPI); or
  • Disability Pension (EDA).

What concessions are there in NSW?

Gas Rebate

If you are a concession card or Health Care card holder you may be eligible for a gas rebate on your bill.

Eligible NSW households receive the rebate as a credit on each quarterly gas bill. The NSW Gas Rebate is $0.3014 per day or up to a total of $110 per year. Gas Rebate is applied as a daily amount on your gas bill.

Your name must be on the gas account for supply of natural gas to your principal place of residence.
For more information about the NSW Gas Rebate, please visit https://www.service.nsw.gov.au/transaction/apply-gas-rebate-retail-customers

Eligibility

• you’re a NSW resident
• you’re an on-supplied customer named on the energy bill
• you hold one of the eligible concession cards

Note: Commonwealth Seniors Health Card holders are not eligible for this rebate

How to apply

1. Call us on 133 456
2. Ask for the NSW Gas Rebate to be applied to your account.
3. Provide your concession card or Health Care Card details.
4. Request confirmation that the rebate has been applied.you hold one of the eligible concession cards

Low Income Household Rebate

The Low-Income Household Rebate helps eligible low income NSW households cover the costs of their energy bills and must be their principal place of residence. It is paid once each financial year. The Low Income Household Rebate is $0.9590 per day or $350 (excluding GST) per annum. This rebate is applied as a daily amount on your electricity bill.

Eligibility

• you’re a NSW resident
• you’re an on-supplied customer named on the energy bill
• you hold one of the eligible concession cards

Note: Commonwealth Seniors Health Card holders are not eligible for this rebate

How to apply

1. Call us on 133 456
2. Provide your concession card or Health Care Card details.
3. Ask for the NSW Low Income Household Rebate to be applied to your account.
4. Request confirmation that the rebate has been applied.

The Medical Energy Rebate

The Medical Energy Rebate helps eligible NSW households cover the costs of their energy bills.
The rebate is for NSW customers who have an inability to self-regulate body temperature when exposed to extreme hot or cold environmental temperatures. To be eligible for the rebate, you’ll need to have a diagnosis that you’re unable to self-regulate your body temperature.

Eligibility

• you’re a NSW resident
• is an account holder named on the bill
• has an inability to self-regulate body temperature
• has been assessed by a registered medical practitioner (who is not the applicant) who has been treating them for at least 3 months
• meets at least one Primary Qualifying Condition and at least one Secondary Qualifying Condition
• holds one of the eligible concession cards

What you’ll need

• the PDF form – ‘NSW Medical Energy Rebate Application Form Retail Customers’
• your pensioner concession, health care or gold card details
• your personal and contact details
• your medical practitioner to complete and sign the relevant sections of the form
• your energy account details.

How to apply

1. Check the eligibility requirements.
2. Select the ‘Download PDF form’ button.
3. Complete the form.
4. Ask your medical practitioner (GP or specialist) to complete and sign the relevant sections of the form.
5. Send your completed form directly to GloBird.

More Information

• if you change your energy supplier, tell them you receive the rebate, so you can continue to receive it.
• You’ll receive the rebate of $0.9590 per day or is $350 (excluding GST) per annum. The amount is calculated daily from the day you apply.
• Commonwealth Seniors Health Card holders are not eligible for this rebate.

Family Energy Rebate

The family energy rebate helps low income families pay their energy bills. To be eligible for the NSW Family Energy Rebate, you must:

• is a NSW resident
• is an account holder named on the bill
• Be eligible for the Federal Government’s Family Tax Benefit A or B at any time during the previous financial year, and have received a relevant payment; and
• Be a customer of an electricity retailer, or a long-term resident of a caravan or mobile home park, whose name appears on the electricity account for supply to her/his principal place of residence.

The Family Energy Rebate gives eligible energy account holders a credit on an energy bill of up to $250 (or $30 if you are also eligible to receive the NSW Low Income Household Rebate) credited to your energy bill.

If you’re eligible for this rebate, you can apply online at www.energy.nsw.gov.au

Note: Applications for the 2023-24 Family Energy Rebate have closed. Applications for 2024-25 will open in August

How to apply

1. Check the eligibility requirements.
2. Select the ‘Apply online’ button.
3. Complete and submit your application.

Life Support Rebate

The rebate is for NSW customers who need, or have someone living with them who needs to use approved energy-intensive medical equipment at home. The life support rebate is for valid concession card holders using electrically-operated life support equipment to treat life-threatening conditions.

You can apply for the Life Support Energy Rebate if you or someone living at the address of the eligible customer:

• is a NSW resident
• is an account holder named on the bill
• has been assessed by a registered medical practitioner to verify that the use of the approved life support equipment is required at their principal place of residence.

The rebate value depends on the type of machine you use.

Approved life support equiment	Equipment Examples	Value per day ($)	Rounded annual value ($) (for information)
Positive Airways Pressure (PAP) device (24 hours)	Continuous positive airway pressure, bilevel or variable positive airway pressure	24-hour usage 0.8662 <24-hour usage 0.4392	24-hour usage 316 <24-hour usage 160
Enteral feeding pump	Kangaroo ePump Companion-Abbott Flexiflow Patrol Enteral Pump	0.5368	195
Phototherapy equipment	Blue light therapy	4.4896	1638
Home dialysis	Haemodialysis or pertoneal automated cycler machines – for example: Fresenius, Gambro, Baxter	1.8788	685
Ventilator Does not include a nebuliser, humidifier or vaporiser	LTV series, Breas, PLV-100 etc, Iron Lung	4.4896	1638
Oxygen concentrator	Devilbiss etc	24-hour usage 3.7942 <24-hour usage 2.2570	24-hour usage 1384 <24-hour usage 823
Total Parenteral Nutrition (TPN) pump	Volumatic pump Flowguard pump	1.0248	375
External heart pump	Left ventricular assist device	0.1342	48
Power wheelchair for a person with quadriplegia Does not include a mobility scooter	Does not include a mobility scooter	0.3660	133

What you need

• the PDF form – ‘Life Support Rebate Application Form’
• your personal and contact details
• your medical practitioner to complete and sign the relevant sections of the form
• your energy account details.

How to apply

1. Check you meet the eligibility requirements for the rebate.
2. Select the ‘Download PDF form’ button.
3. Complete the form.
4. Ask your medical practitioner (GP or specialist) to complete the relevant section and sign the declaration.
5. Send your application directly to GloBird.

More Information

• You’ll need to reapply for this rebate every 4 years from the date the application is made.
• You can receive more than one rebate if your doctor has prescribed more than one type of machine, such as an oxygen concentrator and a ventilator.
• If more than one person uses the approved equipment, you can receive multiple rebates, but you need to submit a separate application form for each patient.
• Some machines have a part-time and full-time (24 hour a day) rate rebate. Your doctor will need to indicate on the form the rate you use the equipment.
• You’ll receive the rebate as a credit on each quarterly electricity bill. The amount of the rebate depends on the machine and the number of days in the billing period.
• If you change energy providers, you need to submit a new, signed application form to your new provider, to continue to receive the rebate.

For more information about the NSW Rebates, please visit www.energy.nsw.gov.au

NSW Energy Accounts Payment Assistance (EAPA)

The Energy Accounts Payment Assistance (EAPA) Scheme helps people to be provided EAPA vouchers to assist then when they are experiencing a short-term financial crisis or emergency to pay their electricity or gas bill.

The scheme is in place to help people stay connected to essential energy services during a financial crisis. This scheme is not available on an ongoing basis.

Each EAPA voucher is worth $50.00 and are issued by participating community welfare organisations (CWO).

• St Vincent de Paul
• Salvation Army.

For full list of EAPA providers: click here.

You will need to apply to one of these organisations who will consider your claim and help. They will assess your situation and determine your case based your circumstances.

Once you receive your EAPA vouchers, you need post to them to us within 14 days of receipt and we will credit the value of the voucher towards your account.

If you need any assistance regarding EAPA vouchers, please contact our hardship support team us on 133 456 or 03 8813 8876, Monday to Friday; or email CS@globirdenergy.com.au

Seniors Energy Rebate

The seniors energy rebate helps eligible self-funded retirees pay their electricity bills.

The Seniors Energy Rebate is $250 per household, per financial year, and you can apply for the rebate each financial year.

To be eligible for the NSW Family Energy Rebate, you must be:

• a self-funded retiree living in NSW
• the named person on the electricity account for supply to their principal place of residence
• the holder of a Commonwealth Seniors Health Card
• you are not a recipient of the Low Income Household Rebate

Seniors Energy Rebate applications can be lodged online at https://www.service.nsw.gov.au/transaction/apply-for-the-seniors-energy-rebate

or at a Service NSW Centre visit https://www.service.nsw.gov.au/service-centre

Eligible South Australians on low or fixed incomes can apply for help with the cost of energy bills for their principal place of residence.

The concession amount is indexed each financial year. From 1st July 2024, the annual concession amount will change. You may be eligible to receive up to $274.85 (the daily rate will therefore be $0.753 (GST exclusive) to cover energy payments, including fuels used to generate energy (eg LPG bottled gas and petrol).

Eligibility

Who should apply

You must:

• live at the property
• have an energy account in your name and be listed first on your energy bill
• hold an eligible concession card or receive an eligible Centrelink payment
• the supply address identified on the energy account must be the customer’s principal place of residence
• energy supplied to the customer’s residential address must be for domestic use only
• not be living with anyone who has an income of more than $3,000 per year, unless they either:
  • get an allowance from Centrelink or the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA)
  • are your spouse, domestic partner or dependent.

Who should apply

• Pensioner Concession Card
• Gold Card from the Department of Veteran’ Affairs (DVA Gold Card)
  • Totally and Permanently Incapacitated (TPI)
  • Extreme Disablement Adjustment (EDA)
  • War Widow
  • Issued to a person with 80 or more overall impairment points under the Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 2004 (Cth)
• Low Income Health Care Card
• Commonwealth Seniors Health Card

Email: concessions@sa.gov.au

Phone: ConcessionsSA Hotline (9:00 am to 5:00 pm, Monday to Friday) – 1800 307 758

Or visit https://www.sa.gov.au for more information about South Australian concession eligibility.

To contact Centrelink – call the myGov helpdesk on 13 23 07, select Option 1.

Medical Heating and Cooling Concession

The Medical Heating and Cooling Concession assists South Australians on a fixed or low income who have a clinically verified medical condition which requires the frequent use of heating or cooling in the home to prevent the severe worsening of their condition.

The concession amount is indexed each financial year and is currently $274.85 per year. The concession is available to eligible applicants in addition to the current energy concession.

To be eligible, applicants must:

• live at the address on the application form
• have, or be the parent or legal guardian of, a child who has a qualifying medical condition requiring cooling or heating to prevent severe worsening of their condition
• provide certification from their medical specialist or general practitioner that the medical condition is severely worsened by hot or cold weather
• use an air conditioning unit at that address to meet their medical heating and cooling requirements
• be financially responsible for the full or part payment of the energy bill
• hold an eligible concession card or receive an eligible Centrelink payment.

If you believe you are eligible for this concession, fill in and submit the Medical Heating and Cooling application as directed on the form.

For more information about the Medical Heating and Cooling Concession in South Australia click here.

SA Emergency Electricity Payment Scheme (EEPS)

The Emergency Electricity Payment Scheme (EEPS) provides an emergency payment to help electricity customers in financial hardship. From 1 July 2024 this is up to $800, available once every two years, paid as a credit directly onto the electricity account. You can get this if:

• you have an electricity debt
• you’re at risk of your electricity being disconnected, or it has already been disconnected.

Contact a financial counsellor to apply for EEPS. They will assess your financial situation before lodging an application on your behalf. For all available SA Financial Counsellors – https://www.safca.org.au/

For more information, please refer to https://www.sa.gov.au/topics/care-and-support/concessions/financial-aid/emergency-financial-aid

Electricity and gas rebates

Queensland pensioners and seniors may be eligible for:

• the Electricity Rebate—$372.20 per year (GST inclusive)
• the Reticulated Natural Gas Rebate – $89.70 per year (GST inclusive).

Eligibility

Holders of a Foster Child Health Care Card and Commonwealth Seniors Health Card are not eligible for the electricity rebate

Rebates are available to people who have any of the below:

• Queensland Seniors Card
• Services Australia or Department of Veterans’ Affairs Pensioner Concession Card
• Services Australia Health Care Card* (Electricity Rebate only)
• Department of Veterans’ Affairs Gold Card (and receive the War Widow/er Pension or special rate TPI Pension)
• Asylum seeker status—residents will need to provide their ImmiCard details (Electricity Rebate only).

* This includes holders of a Low Income Health Care Card and Ex-Carer Allowance (Child) Health Care Card.

To be eligible, you must be the electricity account holder and also live alone or share your principal place of residence with (only) any of the below:

• your spouse
• other people who hold a Services Australia or Department of Veterans’ Affairs Pensioner Concession Card or Queensland Seniors Card
• other people wholly dependent on you
• other people who receive an income support or families payment from Services Australia who do not pay rent
• other people who receive an income support payment from the Department of Veterans’ Affairs and who do not pay rent
• other people who live with the cardholder to provide care and assistance, and who do not pay rent.

If you live in a caravan park or multi-unit residential building (e.g. apartment), you must also show that your electricity or reticulated natural gas is paid, based on metered consumption.

How to apply for the rebate

Gas

Contact us on 133 456. You will need to provide certain details, so have copies of your bills and concession card handy so you can verify your eligibility. Rebates are automatically deducted from your bill.

Electricity

Contact us on 133 456. You can apply over the phone or ask us to send you an application form. You will need to provide certain details and have copies of your bills and concession card handy so you can verify your eligibility. Rebates are automatically deducted from your bill.

Cost of Living Rebate for Households

Queensland households will get $1,000 off their electricity bills in 2024–25.
$1,000 will be automatically credited to eligible residential customer bills from 1 July 2024 — there is no need to apply

To be eligible, residential customers must have an electricity account.

Or visit the below link for more information about Queensland concession eligibility
https://www.qld.gov.au/community/cost-of-living-support/concessions/energy-concessions

Medical Heating and Cooling Concession

The Medical Cooling and Heating Electricity Concession Scheme helps with electricity costs for people who have a chronic medical condition, such as multiple sclerosis, autonomic system dysfunction, significant burns or a severe inflammatory skin condition, which is aggravated by changes in temperature.

It currently provides $479.03 (including GST) per year to eligible applicants (eligibility is reviewed every two years).

To be eligible, applicants must:

You must:

• be a Queensland resident and
• have a qualifying medical condition and need cooling or heating to stop your symptoms becoming significantly worse. Qualifying medical conditions include:
  • multiple sclerosis
  • autonomic system dysfunction
  • loss of skin integrity or sweating capacity
  • severe compromise of functioning such as mobility at extremes of environmental temperature
  • hypersensitivity to extremes of environmental temperature leading to increased pain or other discomfort or an increased risk of complications and
• live at your principal place of residence, which has an air-conditioning or heating unit.

The applicant and/or legal guardian of a minor with a qualifying medical condition must:

• hold a current Services Australia or Department of Veterans’ Affairs Pensioner Concession Card or a current Services Australia Health Care Card and
• be financially responsible for paying the electricity bill.

If you are already receiving the electricity rebate or other energy concessions, you can apply for this concession.

Full details of eligibility for the concession including qualifying medical conditions, are listed on the application form. Your medical specialist must fill out the medical certification section.

For more information about the Medical Heating and Cooling Concession in Queensland click here.

Qld Home Energy Emergency Assistance Scheme (HEEAS)

The Home Energy Emergency Assistance Scheme:

• is for Queensland households experiencing problems paying their electricity or reticulated natural gas bills as a result of an unforeseen emergency or a short-term financial crisis
• is one-off emergency assistance to help with paying your home energy bills
• pays up to $720 once every 2 years.

Eligibility

To be eligible you must be responsible for paying the outstanding bill (the bill does not need to be in your name) and meet one of the following:

• hold a current concession card, or
• have an income equal to or less than the Australian Government’s maximum income rate for part-age pensioners; contact Services Australia or the Department of Veterans’ Affairs for details of the maximum income rate
• be part of your energy provider’s hardship program or payment plan.

Full eligibility details, including the types of emergency situations you might get help for, are available from your energy provider’s or participating financial counselling service.

Further information is available from the Queensland Government website. https://www.qld.gov.au/community/cost-of-living-support/concessions/energy-concessions/home-energy-emergency-assistance-scheme

To discuss your eligibility or to apply, call GloBird on 133 456.

The ACT Government provides support to households living in ACT by offering a range of discounts, rebates, and subsidies.

ACT Utilities Concession Scheme

The ACT Utilities Concession Scheme covers electricity, natural gas, water and sewerage and is calculated on a daily basis, with rates depending on the season. The concession is available on the principal place of residence only and the account must be in the cardholder’s name. Only one Utilities Concession per eligible household can be claimed.

From 1 July 2023, the Government has permanently extended the assistance provided under the Utilities Concession to eligible holders of a Centrelink Health Care Card.

In the 2023-24 financial year, an additional one-off rebate of $50 will be provided to the utilities concession.

The daily rates from 1 July 2023 to 30 June 2024 will be based on the annual concession of $750. The daily summer rate for the Utilities Concession will be approximately 95.071 cents per day from 1 November to 31 May and the daily winter rate will be approximately 357.843 cents per day from 1 June to 31 October. The additional one-off rebate of $50 will be provided in July. The Utilities Concession will be applied to your electricity account and appear on your electricity bill but helps with your electricity, gas and water bills.

Who is eligible?

Eligible applicants must be the primary holder of one of the following concession cards

• Centrelink Pensioner Concession Card (PCC).
• Centrelink Low Income Health Care Card (LIHC).
• Centrelink Health Care Card (HCC).
• Veteran’s Affairs Pensioner Concession Card or Gold Card Holders (Prisoner of War, War Widow or Totally Permanently Incapacitated (TPI) Embossed).
• ACT Service Access Card

For primary card holders of a Low-Income Health Care Card, a new application needs to be made each time a new card is issued. Only the primary card holder can apply for the Utilities Concession. The primary card holder’s name and address must be the same as the name and address appearing on the electricity account.

The concession can only be claimed from the start date of the primary card holder’s concession card. Please note: the Commonwealth Seniors Health Care Card is not an eligible card under the scheme.

How to apply?

Contact us on 133 456 or apply at www.revenue.act.gov.au/self-assessment-tools-and-forms/forms/utilities-concession-form

Rebate is automatically applied when your valid concession is registered with us.

Who runs it?

ACT Revenue Office
PH: (02) 6207 0028 – Select Option 5

ACT Concessions

Home Haemodialysis Rebate

The Home Haemodialysis Rebate assists eligible patients accessing home haemodialysis with their water costs, up to $1,200 per annum or $3.29 per day.

The rebate is intended to provide financial support to eligible home dialysis patients with a rebate of water costs. Given that a dialysis machine is classified as life-supporting equipment, a home dialysis patient who receives the Home Haemodialysis Rebate is also eligible for the Life Support Rebate

Who is eligible?

To be eligible for the Home Haemodialysis rebate you must be a person receiving treatment from a home dialysis machine, or your parents/guardians and need to provide:

• Evidence that he/she is the registered owner or joint owner of the property or that the person receiving treatment resides permanently with the applicant; and
• A letter from a medical practitioner/professional confirming that:
  • the applicant is receiving treatment from a home dialysis machine, or
  • the applicant is the guardian/parent/carer of a person receiving treatment from a home dialysis machine.

People eligible for the Home Haemodialysis rebate are automatically eligible for the Life Support Rebate.

How to apply

Contact ActewAGL (agent for ICON Water) for the Home Haemodialysis Rebate. For the Life Support Rebate, refer to Life Support Rebate

More Info

Visit the ACT Government’s Home Haemodialysis Rebate page

Life Support Rebate

The rebate is available on electrically-operated life support equipment (as prescribed by an ACT medical practitioner) necessary in the treatment of a life-threatening condition. The entitlement provides eligible individuals with a rebate on their electricity account. The annual rebate amount for 2023-2024 is $128. This will be applied to the eligible applicant’s electricity bill as a daily rate of approximately 34.973 cents per day. Only one Life Support Rebate can be claimed per household.

Residential property owners using life support equipment which depends on a fresh supply of water may be entitled to a reduction in water usage charges.

Who is eligible?

The Life Support Rebate is for concession card holders with an eligible condition requiring medical heating and/or cooling.

The life support equipment must be prescribed by an ACT medical practitioner for the treatment of a life-threatening condition.

Eligible equipment

The following electrically-operated life-support equipment entitles the applicant to an electricity life-support rebate:

• dialysis machine
• oxygen concentrator
• respirator
• CPAP regulator
• longstay life support
• nebuliser
• LS reference
• TPN device
• other apparatus subject to approval.

How to apply

To register for the Life Support Rebate:

Contact us on 133 456 or email cs@globirdenergy.com.au to request a Medical Confirmation Form, or download the form from our website

Complete the Medical Confirmation Form and have it signed by your registered medical practitioner or hospital.

Send the completed form to us via:

Return completed forms to us by the due date to cs@globirdenergy.com.au or return it to: PO BOX 398, Ringwood, VIC 3134 fax: 1800 242 921

More info

Visit the ACT Government’s Life Support Rebate page.