Solar Concessions

The Victorian Government provides a variety of support mechanisms to eligible concession card holders.

Victorian energy concessions eligibility

To be eligible you must hold one of the following concession cards:

• Department of Veterans’ Affairs Gold Card.
• Pensioner Concession Card (issued by the Department of Human Services) or the Department of Veterans’ Affairs.
• Health Care Card (HCC) issued by the Department of Human Services (formerly Centrelink).

Energy Concessions can be claimed if each of the following criteria are satisfied:

• A valid and eligible concession card is held.
• The residential energy account with GEE for electricity is in the name of the concession cardholder.
• The name on the account(s) and the eligible concession must be identical.
• The address the residential energy we supply to is the primary residence.

Annual Electricity Concession

The Annual Electricity Concession provides a 17.5% discount off your household electricity usage and service costs, which is calculated after discounts and solar credits have been deducted from your electricity bill. The concession does not apply to the first $171.60 of your bills (the first $171.60 is calculated as a daily rate on each bill).

To receive your Annual Electricity Concession you must provide us with your valid details via our website or by calling us on 1300 707 042.

Controlled Load Electricity concession

The Controlled Load Electricity concession allows eligible customers a  13% discount off controlled load or dedicated circuit tariffs (eg that are normally used for water heaters or slab heating etc).

The controlled load or dedicated circuit tariff applies to household electricity bills that have separately metered electric hot water or slab heating. This concession is available all year round.

You need to provide us with your valid concession details to receive your Controlled Load Electricity concession. This can be done on our website or by calling 1300 707 042.

Service to Property concession

The Service to Property concession provides a reduction on the Service charge (poles, wires) for concession households with low electricity consumption. The concession is applied if the cost of electricity used is less than the Service charge.

You need to provide us with your valid concession details to receive your Service to Property concession. This can be done on our website or by calling 1300 707 042.

Re-energisation (Transfer) fee waiver

The re-energisation transfer fee waiver provides a full waiver of applicable fee(s) normally paid when you organise a standard connection of electricity at a property.

You need to provide us with your valid concession details to receive your Re-energisation (transfer) waiver. This can be done on our website or by calling 1300 707 042.

Life support concession

The Life Support concession provides a discount on electricity bills where a household member uses an eligible life support machine. The discount is equal to the cost of 1,880 kilowatt (470 kilowatt per quarter) hours of electricity used each year, calculated using a general domestic tariff. The Life Support concession is available all year round.

Eligibility

You may be eligible for Life Support concession if you have one of the listed approved machines:

• Oxygen concentrators,
• Intermittent peritoneal dialysis machines
• Haemodialysis machines.

Customers who have a life support machine or any other type of machine prescribed by a doctor for life support purposes, must contact GEE Energy on 1300 707 042 to ensure life support details are recorded by us.

To be eligible for Life Support concession discount you must fulfill the following criteria:

• Hold a valid Pensioner Concession Card (PCC) issued by the Department of Human Services (formerly Centrelink) or the Department of Veterans’ Affairs, OR,
• Hold a valid Health Care Card (HCC) issued by Centrelink or a valid Department of Veterans’ Affairs Gold Card.
• The account holder or another occupant in the household requires one or more of the eligible medical equipment(s) above to sustain life, and;
• an application form signed by the patient’s doctor to verify the need for the specific in house life support equipment is returned to GEE Energy.
• A machine eligible for a Life Support Concession must use at least 1880 kilowatt hours per year.

To apply for this concession please contact us on 1300 707 042 and request the Life Support concession form. Please note the Life Support concession form is separate to the Life Support Registration form. You will still be required to complete the Life Support registration form to verify the use of Life Support equipment at your premises.

Medical cooling concession

Provides a 17.5% discount off electricity costs from 1 November to 30 April for concession cardholders with multiple sclerosis and other qualifying medical conditions such as Parkinson’s disease, fibromyalgia and motor neuron disease.

Eligibility

• Hold a valid Pensioner Concession Card (PCC) issued by the Department of Human Services (formerly Centrelink) or the Department of Veterans’ Affairs, or;
• hold a valid Health Care Card (HCC) issued by Centrelink, or;
• hold a valid Department of Veterans’ Affairs Gold Card.
• The account holder or another occupant in the household has the inability to self-regulate body temperature, and;
• an application form signed by the patient’s doctor to verify the need for heating or cooling to regulate body temperature is to be returned to GEE Energy

To apply for this concession call us on 1300 707 042 and request the Medical Cooling concession form.

Excess energy concession

Customers receiving the Annual Electricity Concession with annual electricity bills that exceed the level for these concessions need to apply for the Excess Energy Concession to continue to receive:

• The 17.5 per cent concession on electricity consumed above the trigger level. The trigger level is set at $412.36 (excluding GST) of the Annual Electricity Concession and is an annual amount.

If you exceed the trigger level, GEE will send you a form which must be completed and returned to the Department of Health & Human Services.

The Excess Energy Concession has an annual period of 1 December to 30 November.

If you are receiving the Life Support Concession or the Medical Cooling Concession as well as the Annual Electricity Concession and or the Winter Gas Concession you are not required to apply for the Excess Energy Concession as you will automatically receive the Concession should your energy consumption reach the trigger level(s).

Utility Relief Grant Scheme (URGS)

The Utility Relief Grant Scheme is designed to help eligible low-income Victorian customers pay overdue bills when experiencing unexpected hardship. The Department of Health and Human Services website has more information about this grant.

If you would like to apply for this grant, please contact us on 1300 707 042.

Non-Government or Community Assistance

Where you are struggling to make payments but don’t qualify for government assistance, Non-government assistance can be available through local community service providers such as a community welfare organisations or financial counsellors.

To locate a help centre near you, please visit CISVic or the National Debt Helpline.

Some not for profit organisations you can contact to obtain more information on other assistance available to you are Anglicare, Salvation Army, Australian Red Cross, St Vincent De Paul Society.