Correspondence
21 February 2019
ESC letter to AGL regarding assurance report
(pdf, 657.53 KB)
14 December 2018
Independent assurance report
‘In 2011, I moved here from Mexico. Australian slang is really interesting to me. I make notes whenever I hear something new. One saying I really like is “the best thing since sliced bread.” I think it should be “the best thing since tacos.”
We promote the long-term interests of Victorian consumers, having regard to the price, quality and reliability of essential services as required by our overarching legislation, the Essential Services Commission Act 2001.
We are pleased to present the summary of our annual operational plan. It identifies key projects for the year as well as indicative timeframes for the release of public reports and decisions.
We have developed plans that align with the goals and priorities of
Penalty notices
We issued Simply Energy with 15 penalty notices in November 2019.
Simply Energy penalty notices 2019 (explicit informed consent)
(pdf, 3.47 MB)
Further information
Key audit results 2018–19
Alinta Energy could not show us they obtained a customer’s consent over the phone before switching the customer to their plan.
Alinta Energy could not show us they had consistently trained their marketing representatives.
Alinta Energy could not show us they had consistently identified customers eligible for payment plans and if they had consistently assessed customers’ capacity to pay before placing them on a plan.
Recommended actions
We
Each year we consult on the minimum electricity feed-in tariff that your energy company is allowed to pay you for power you export to the grid (from sources including solar panels). We receive a lot of stakeholder feedback and questions on the minimum feed-in tariff.
In this article we look at one of the most common questions.
Social Energy Australia Pty Ltd (ACN 631 510 042) applied for a licence to sell electricity by retail under section 18 of the Electricity Industry Act 2000 (Vic).
We may grant or refuse to grant applications for any reason we consider appropriate having regard to our objectives under the Electricity Industry Act 2000 (Vic) and the Essential Services Commission Act 2001 (Vic).
Social Energy Australia Pty Ltd withdrew its electricity retail licence
A small dip for household water bills is on the cards after a review of Melbourne Water’s pricing plan by the state’s independent water regulator.
“If we’ve learned anything over the past year, it’s that vulnerability is something that can happen to anyone at any time, it’s not something you are.”
Kate Symons, chairperson Essential Services Commission
The Essential Services Commission has reduced the amount energy retailer can charge customers who do not make their payment on time to 3.1 per cent – a reduction of 0.52 per cent.
Commission executive director energy Sarah Sheppard said the cap had been designed to protect Victorians from being stung by a high penalty price if they miss a bill payment.
“Limiting the amount paid for missing a deadline helps reduce bill shock for households and small business,” she said.
Increasing debt for Victorians struggling to pay their energy bills is just one part of the story behind new data being shared by the state's energy regulator.
The Essential Services Commission has completed a review of 12 months of data showing the impact of the pandemic on energy hardship for Victorian households and small businesses.
Chair Kate Symons says the commission worked closely with the energy sector and consumer organisations to support vulnerable consumers through the economic shock of the
The Essential Services Commission is assessing an application from Telstra Energy (Retail) for a licence to sell electricity and a licence to sell gas to Victorian consumers.
In line with legislative requirements* and to facilitate a fair and open process in relation to a licence application that may have a significant impact for Victorian consumers, the commission is calling for feedback from the community through Engage Victoria.
… may 2021 more than 100 representatives from 31 energy retailers have been told threatening struggling customers with disconnection as a debt collection strategy would not be considered ‘best practice’ according to national and state based regulators of consumer law. convened by the essential services commission, the group heard from the australian consumer and competition commission and consumer affairs victoria as well as the energy and water ombudsman
We have approved 2022-23 prices for Goulburn-Murray Water. You can find the approved prices here.
We reviewed Goulburn-Murray Water's proposed 2022-23 prices to ensure they meet the requirements of the 2020 determination. Our review found the proposed prices met the requirements of the determination.
Submissions in response to Goulburn-Murray Water's application and proposed schedule of prices closed on 18 May 2022. For further information, please
Customers of white-label arrangements are entitled to receive the same protections under the Energy Retail Code of Practice (the code) as customers of more traditional retail arrangements. Where a licensed energy retailer arranges its plans under different brands, all plans must comply with the code’s customer protections.
A new report released by the Essential Services Commission highlights its strong expectation that energy businesses will comply with the energy rules.
This guideline is no longer in force.
28 April 2022
Changes to the Register of Products and activity guide for refrigerated cabinets
We will be making changes in the product class assigned to the below sixteen refrigerated cabinet products (product category 32(21)) in the Register of Products for the VEU program effective from 7 May 2022 as per table below.
The requirement that retailers obtain explicit informed consent is fundamental to ensuring Victorian consumers have trust and confidence in the energy market. The commission provides the following guidance on the requirements of explicit informed consent under the Energy Retail Code of Practice (the code).
Purpose and application
The purpose of the explicit informed consent obligations is to ensure that consumers understand the
The Essential Services Commission has increased the amount energy retailers can charge Victorian customers who do not make their payment on time to 5.71 per cent.