Difficulty paying electricity bills

If you are experiencing financial difficulty, EWON can negotiate payment plans with your electricity supplier, refer you to community agencies that distribute Energy Accounts Payment Assistance (EAPA) vouchers and offer referral advice about where to go for other types of assistance.

Some electricity suppliers in NSW operate special programs for customers experiencing financial hardship. These programs can offer reasonable payment arrangements, incentives for regular payments, and exemptions from disconnection to eligible participants.

If you are experiencing financial difficulty and require help after contacting your electricity supplier, contact us or use our online complaint form.

The cases below provide two examples of how we have helped people having difficulty paying their electricity bills.

Case study: helping hand

Mrs P is a single parent with three children, two of whom have a disability. Her electricity was disconnected after arrears had built up to over $1000. She approached three community agencies but was not able to secure any EAPA assistance. Mrs P contacted her supplier to discuss her situation but they were unwilling to reconnect until she paid at least $530.

The electricity supplier referred the customer to EWON for help to resolve the situation because of Mrs P's obvious distress. Mrs P spoke with EWON about a realistic payment plan. She felt that she could make one payment of $250 and then $60 every fortnight.

EWON discussed this with the supplier who accepted the arrangement and reconnected Mrs P the same day. EWON then facilitated contact between a local community agency and Mrs P. The agency visited Mrs P and provided her with EAPA assistance to help clear the debt and also offered her continuing support, including the provision of a washing machine and food vouchers.

Case study: no way out?

When Mr L contacted EWON he had been living without electricity for twelve months. Mr L was unemployed, had experienced severe financial difficulty while battling a serious illness, and could not afford to pay the $1200 owing on his account.

When his health began to improve he contacted his electricity supplier to try to have the power reconnected. Mr L offered to pay the bill in instalments, but was told that he needed to make an initial payment of $640 plus $40 per fortnight. Mr L could not afford this up-front payment and contacted EWON for information on the options available to him.

EWON referred Mr L to community agencies that provide EAPA vouchers for assistance with the initial payment his supplier had requested. EWON discussed with the supplier the difficulties Mr L might experience in obtaining such a large amount of money.

Mr L was able to arrange $360 in EAPA assistance. Following EWON intervention, his supplier reconnected his electricity after he paid this amount and agreed to a payment plan of $40 per fortnight.