Difficulty paying gas bills

EWON can help if you are having difficulty paying your gas bills.If you are experiencing financial difficulty, we can negotiate payment plans with your gas 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 gas 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 gas supplier, contact us or use our online complaint form.

The case study below is an example of how we helped one customer with difficulty paying her gas bill.

Case study: problem compounded

Mrs U is a single parent with two dependent children and is pregnant with her third child.

Her gas was disconnected for non-payment of an account for $127. In addition to the bill and the subsequent $77 disconnection fee, Mrs U owed over $800 to the Department of Housing and was in debt to Centrelink.

When Mrs U contacted her supplier to negotiate reconnection they refused to waive the disconnection fee because it had been waived for her before. Mrs U contacted EWON and said that she could pay $25 per week if the money could be taken directly from her benefit payment (Centrepay). Mrs U was also able to pay $50, which she had received from a local community agency, towards the bill.

EWON proposed this arrangement to her supplier who agreed to waive the disconnection fee and reconnect her gas after Mrs U paid the $50 and organised Centrepay deductions.