How to Get the $300 Victorian Energy Bill Rebate and VEU Program Benefits

Whether you use gas or electricity, getting that quarterly bill can be a shock! Thankfully, the Australian Government has put together a solution for struggling with daily living costs.

If you want to take advantage of the Victorian Energy Rebate, this article is your ultimate guide to receiving helpful program benefits for your household or small business. Explore the extensive support available and what energy retailers are obligated to offer, and get some reassurance on commonly asked questions. 

Overview of the Victoria Energy Bill Rebate

Let’s look at what Energy Victoria offers households and small businesses for 2024 and 2025!

Partnering with states and territories, the Commonwealth Government aims to provide up to $3.5 billion of electricity bill support for eligible homes and businesses. This is to ease the pressure of living costs.

Households in Victoria will receive up to $300, and small businesses up to $325. Households will receive this in quarterly instalments—$75 per quarter—while small businesses get a one-off payment.

To access this rebate, you must have an active electricity account with an energy retailer (at your residence). They also must use their electricity account for domestic use only; a commercial property isn’t eligible.

Eligibility Criteria for the $300 Rebate

So, are you eligible for this energy rebate? Below, you will find out what you are automatically eligible for.

Support for households

The first $75 instalments started in August 2024, and further credits will be applied on 1 October 2024, 13 January 2025, and 1 April 2025.

Your electricity retailer will most likely automatically apply these rebates, so you don’t need to take any further action!

Support for homes in embedded networks

What if you live in a caravan park, residential community, retirement village, or apartment building? You can apply for the payment through the Victorian Energy Compare website and receive a one-off payment of $300.

If you’re an Origin, WinConnect, or Momentum customer, your bill relief will be automatically applied through your retailer!

Support for small businesses

If you are eligible, you can receive a one-off rebate of $325 applied to your electricity bill. How do you access this energy rebate? As a small business, you must have an active ABN listed on the Australian Business Register, a separately metered business tariff, and an annual electricity consumption below 40MWh.

Most small businesses will have a rebate applied automatically from your electricity retailer, so you don’t need to take any action.

Support for small businesses in embedded networks

Is your business based at a shopping centre or apartment building? You can apply for a one-off payment on the Victorian Energy Compare website. And if you’re a customer of Origin, WinConnect, and Momentum, your rebate will automatically be applied.

Only just installed heating and cooling in your residence, and are unsure of what rebates apply to you? If you want a, Gas heater replacement, or Gas Ducted Heating Service, Maroondahair Services can help!

What are Energy Retailer Obligations in Victoria?

It’s important to know your rights and protections as a consumer, so let’s take a look.

• Every Victorian energy retailer is required to carry out ‘best offer checks’ advising residential and small business customers if they can save money.
• If your contract is ending, residential and small business customers can be automatically moved on to a retailer’s Victorian Default Offer for gas. Your retailer cannot disconnect you because the previous contract has ended.
• Your Victorian retailer must offer you (as a residential or small business customer) the current Victorian Default Offer, a trusted electricity price set by the Essential Services Commission instead of energy companies. This ensures a fair deal.
• If you’re a residential customer dealing with bill stress, you can always ask your energy retailer for support. According to the payment difficulty framework, your energy retailer must assist you by extending payment due dates.
• Your energy retailer can only increase prices at certain times to provide certainty about prices unless you are on an exempt market contract and have agreed to different agreements.
• If you are eligible for a utility relief grant, your electricity retailer must complete an application for this grant on your behalf and at your request. The Victorian Government grants up to $1300 to customers with pensioner concession cards, health care cards, veterans affairs gold cards, or low-income households.
• When your fixed-term retail contract is soon to end, your retailer needs to notify residential and small businesses if they have another offer that may save you money. Check for the ‘best offer’ message on your bill to see if you have the best price!

Comparing Victorian Energy Offers

Comparing energy provider prices can save you hundreds of dollars a year, and the Victorian Energy Compare compares what you’re paying presently for energy with other electricity, gas, and solar available on the market. How can you choose the best one for you?

You can switch your energy company’s Best Offer since companies in Victoria legally need to tell you if you could save on a cheaper plan. Your Best Offer Notice is included on the front of your energy bill every three months for electricity and four for gas.

You can find the best deal by asking the energy company questions on payment methods, discount conditions, how long the switching process lasts, the cost of electricity per kilowatt hour, the cost of gas per megajoule, exit fees or connection fees, and asking for a summary to be sent over.

Learn more about options by reading our beginner’s guide to choosing a reliable heating service!

Energy Rebates: Commonly Asked Questions

If this is the first time you’ve heard about rebates, you might have some questions about eligibility or your energy provider. 

• How do you know if you have received the Energy Bill Relief Payment? The rebate should appear on your electricity bill in the “Understand your Bill” section or where your retailer provides an itemised breakdown of credits or payments. You should see a section with the Australian Government Energy Relief description and the credited amount.
• Are concession card holders eligible to receive the rebate? Yes, Energy Bill Relief will provide a rebate of up to $300 for households, including those who own concession cards.
• If you’ve changed retailers or are moving house, this will not affect your rebate if you still have an active electricity account on relevant dates. For example, if you change retailers after the $75 rebate, you will still receive the remaining three $75 payments on your upcoming bills.
• You cannot get the energy bill relief if you don’t get a separate electricity bill as an off-grid home (or have electricity included in the rental agreement). Your electricity use must be separately measured and changed.
• You cannot receive multiple payments if your small business has more than one site. The $325 is applied on an account basis, no matter how many sites/premises are connected to the account.
• As a sole trader operating a business from home, you are eligible for a rebate, and your consumption is separately metered.
• The rebate is not taxable or relevant for GST use; the rebate is applied after the GST-inclusive total.
• Small businesses in credit are eligible to receive bill relief on their electricity accounts. Any credit should be carried over to future bills or managed in accordance with existing retailer policies.
• If you have more than one property under one account, you are not eligible to receive multiple bill relief rebates. This is applied on an account basis, so customer accounts with multiple meters or addresses connected can only receive it once.

Maroondahair Services offers an evaporative cooling service for Blackburn, Croydon, and surrounding areas across Melbourne, and it also helps you find the right rebate for your household or business. 

Does your currency system need a fix-up? Here are the top signs your air conditioner needs immediate repair.

Maroondahair: Heating and Airconditioning Service in Melbourne 

The Victorian Energy Bill Rebate means that you can stay cool in summer and warm in winter and experience a cheaper bill. 

If you’re interested and want more information, feel free to speak to Maroondahair Services, which can always help you get the best possible service for your home or small business! From our Ducted Gas Heating Service to our Hydronic Heating Service, we give you all-round home comfort. 

We service all major heating and cooling brands and models–from Samsung to Toshiba and Mitsubishi Electric–and are accredited by the Victorian Building Authority and Energy Safe Victoria for your ultimate peace of mind. 

We offer expert air conditioning service, repairs, and maintenance in Melbourne to keep your system running smoothly all year round. Contact us today for award-winning customer care and hassle-free solutions for your heating and cooling problems.