The Essential Services Commission (ESC) has commenced public consultation on new rules to help Victorian households access cheaper energy deals and increase support for consumers experiencing payment difficulty.
ESC Chairperson, Gerard Brody, said that the commission is seeking input from consumers, advocates, energy retailers and the broader industry on these important reforms.
“The ESC is driving reforms to make competitive energy prices more accessible for customers, especially as Victorians face ongoing cost-of-living pressures,” Mr Brody said.
“We are considering measures that would require energy retailers to automatically switch customers experiencing payment difficulties to their best offer. This would protect customers who are already struggling to pay their bills from paying more than necessary for their energy.
“We are also exploring ways to simplify access to lower energy prices and tackle the loyalty penalty in energy. This includes removing obstacles to switching to the best offer, enhancing the application of concession discounts, and extending protections for customers on legacy contracts. Additionally, we are consulting on making dispute resolution details clearly available on bills,” Mr Brody said.
The ESC said that Victorian Minister for Energy and Resources, Lily D’Ambrosio, has asked the commission to consider how the reforms, proposed by the Energy and Climate Change Ministerial Council (ECMC), could apply in the Victorian context. The ECMC is the forum for federal, state and territory energy and climate change ministers to work together on priority issues and key reforms for the energy and climate sectors.
The commission said it will consider the proposed reforms as part of its review of the Energy Retail Code of Practice (ERCOP). The ERCOP sets out the rules electricity and gas retailers must follow when selling energy to Victorian consumers. As part of its review, the commission has sought feedback on several key reform areas including updating family violence protections, improving the Payment Difficulty Framework and enhancing protections for embedded network customers.
The ESC has prioritised the reforms proposed by the ECMC in stage 1 of its review of the ERCOP, with other topics raised in submissions to the issues paper to be considered afterwards. As part of this process the commission will engage with industry, consumer groups and the wider community through information sessions, workshops and individual meetings.
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