Learn about your rights as a consumer in the sectors we regulate, including electricity and gas, local government, water, transport and the Victorian Energy Upgrades program.
Consumer information
Overview
Your consumer rights and the support available to you
Electricity and gas
Learn more about your energy rights, our reporting on the sector, and options available if you're struggling to pay your energy bills.
Energy bill support for Victorian consumers
Your rights if you are anticipating or experiencing payment difficulty
Customer payments (and compensation) for energy outages
What is the Victorian Default Offer?
Victorian Energy Upgrades
Find out about savings available to both households and businesses and search for accredited providers under the Victorian Energy Upgrades program.
Your consumer rights in the Victorian Energy Upgrades program
Find an accredited Victorian Energy Upgrades provider
Victorian Energy Upgrades information for households
Victorian Energy Upgrades information for businesses
Submit feedback or a complaint about the Victorian Energy Upgrades program
Water
Find information about water bills, payment support, family violence support and your rights as a water consumer.
Learn about how we review and determine prices for certain water services
Water bill support for Victorian customers
How customers rate their water businesses
Water bill calculator for Victorian customers
Commercial passenger vehicles
Learn about your rights as a taxi consumer.
Learn about maximum fares for unbooked taxi trips
Local government
Learn about your rights as a council ratepayer.
About annual council rate caps
How we advise on council rate caps
How we assess higher rate caps proposed by councils
Council compliance reports on council rate cap
Rate capping outcomes - council fact sheets
What to do if you have a query or complaint about council rates
Latest consumer news
The Essential Services Commission has written to the Energy and Water Ombudsman of Victoria about Greater Western Water’s failure to issue some customers with quarterly bills following the IT upgrade of their billing platform.
Energy retailers IPower Pty Limited and IPower 2 Pty Limited (trading in partnership as Engie, and formerly known as Simply Energy), have paid penalties totalling $1,676,104 for alleged breaches of Victorian energy rules related to family violence provisions and performance reporting.
We have completed our review of the maximum fares for unbooked taxi services that begin in the Melbourne Metropolitan or Urban and Large Regional Zones. We also reviewed the maximum non-cash payment surcharges for taxi services in Victoria.
From 1 August 2024, doorknocking is banned under the Victorian Energy Upgrades (VEU) program to protect Victorian consumers. This follows the ban on ‘cold-call' telemarketing from 1 May 2024.
Consumer reports
Electricity and gas
Victorian Energy Upgrades
1 July 2022
Accredited providers or third parties operating on their behalf engaging in lead generation or marketing must offer consumers a copy of this factsheet.
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Water
Commercial passenger vehicles
16 August 2024
The maximum fares for unbooked taxi trips that begin in Melbourne Metro or Urban and Large Regional Zones which takes effect on 23 September 2024
(pdf, 791.03 KB)