Energy customer support during the coronavirus pandemic

During the coronavirus pandemic, we are regularly requesting data from electricity and gas retailers on the number of energy customers who are:

• on payment plans
• enquiring about assistance with paying bills.

We are providing information about the data we receive on this page.

Data is reported by retailers on a voluntary basis and not audited by us.

Key findings: December 2020 and January 2021

During the week ending 31 January 2021, we received submissions from 18 energy retailers, covering 93 per cent of Victorian electricity customers.

Key findings

• There were 123 electricity and 14 gas disconnections for non-payment completed in January 2021, as reported by four retailers.
• There were 417 electricity and 172 gas disconnections of residential and small business customers for non-payment completed in December 2020, as reported by one retailer.
• The average number of residential and small business customers who contacted their retailers for assistance peaked in May and had been decreasing until October. It increased in November before decreasing again by the end of January 2021 (currently less than half the number of calls during the peak in May).¹
• The overall number of residential customers receiving tailored assistance have been decreasing in recent months:
  • The number of customers who cannot pay for their on-going usage slightly fluctuated in November, after continuously decreasing since April. The average arrears of these customers peaked in early December, but is now lower.
  • The number of customers who can pay for their on-going usage has decreased after peaking in mid-October. The average arrears of these customers peaked at the end of December, but is now lower.
• The number of small business customers on payment assistance continued to decrease in January 2021. The overall average arrears for small business has also decreased in recent weeks after its peak in November, particularly for gas.
• The number of residential and small business customers deferring payments and their average amount outstanding have been lower since the peaks in August and September.
• The number of other residential customers with arrears (excluding those receiving payment assistance and deferrals) has decreased in January after peaking in December. For small business, January 2021 had the highest monthly average number of customers despite fluctuations in certain weeks. The average arrears for residential and small business continue to be higher than in July. 
• The average number of missed bill payments for electricity residential customers have decreased in January 2021 after a peak in November. The average number of gas missed bill payments for residential customers have decreased in January 2021 after a peak in December.
• Electricity distributors continued the network relief package to retailers, which allows retailers to defer the payment of network charges and payment deferrals during the pandemic. One eligible retailer applied to defer their network charges payments for November and December and received total payment deferrals of $100,374 for 1,932 residential customers and $2,229 for 14 small business customers.

¹The increase in November was also contributed due to one medium retailer started reporting for this indicator again starting from the week ending 29 November. Previously the retailer had a technical issue in its reporting system