Queensland

The electricity rebate provides eligible customers with a rebate off your electricity bill, which we apply monthly to your Powershop bill as a daily amount.

To be eligible, you must:

• hold one of the following concession cards:
  • Pensioner Concession Card (PCC) issued by Centrelink or Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA);
  • Commonwealth Health Care Card issued by Centrelink;
  • DVA Gold Card (GCH), and receive the war widow/widower pension or special rate TPI pension; or
  • Queensland Seniors Card; or
• if you do not hold one of the above cards, hold asylum seeker status and be able to provide your ImmiCard details (electricity rebate only).

Further to the above, the cardholder must either live alone or share their principal place of residence with:

• their spouse;
• other people who hold a Pensioner Concession Card or Queensland Seniors Card;
• other people wholly dependent on them;
• other people who receive an income support payment from Centrelink, the Family Assistance Office, or the Department of Veterans’ Affairs and who do not pay rent; or
• other people who live with the cardholder to provide care and assistance, and who do not pay rent.

Benefit: The electricity rebate provides eligible customers with a rebate of $340.85 per year off their electricity bill, which we apply monthly to your Powershop bill as a daily amount.

To apply for the rebate, please contact us on 1800 462 668.

For more information on the electricity rebate, please visit the Queensland Government website.

The home energy emergency assistance scheme provides a one-off payment to customers experiencing payment difficulties due to an unforeseen emergency or a short-term financial crisis. The scheme may be applied for once every two years.

Eligibility: To apply for the scheme, you must:

• be participating in Powershop’s hardship program or otherwise be on a payment plan with us; and
• hold a valid concession card, or have an income equal to or less than the Australian Government’s maximum income rate for part-age pensioners (contact Centrelink for further details on this rate).

Benefit: One-off payment of up to $720. The scheme may be applied for once every two years.

To apply for the home energy emergency assistance scheme, please contact us on 1800 462 668.

For more information on the scheme, please visit the Queensland Government website.

The medical cooling and heating electricity concession scheme provides financial assistance for those who have a chronic medical condition which is aggravated by changes in temperature. You can receive this concession in addition to the electricity rebate and other energy concessions.

Eligibility: To be eligible for the scheme you must:

• be a Queensland resident;
• live at your principal place of residence, which has an air-conditioning or heating unit; and
• have a qualifying medical condition and need cooling or heating to stop your symptoms becoming significantly worse.

Qualifying medical conditions include:

• multiple sclerosis;
• autonomic system dysfunction;
• loss of skin integrity or sweating capacity;
• severe compromise of functioning such as mobility at extremes of environmental temperature; and
• hypersensitivity to extremes of environmental temperature leading to increased pain or other discomfort or an increased risk of complications.

Further to the above, the applicant and/or legal guardian of a minor with a qualifying medical condition must hold a current Pensioner Concession Card or a current Commonwealth Health Care Card and be financially responsible for paying the electricity bill.

Benefit: The scheme currently provides a payment of up to $340.85 (including GST) per year to eligible applicants.

To apply for the medical cooling and heating electricity concession scheme, you must download the application form, or email concessions@smartservice.qld.gov.au and request that a copy be sent to you, and return the completed form to:

Concession Services
Smart Service Queensland
PO Box 10817
Brisbane Adelaide Street Qld 4000

Once approved, if there is a change to your address, bank account details or eligibility for the scheme, you must notify Concession Services immediately at the address above, by phone on 13 74 68, or by email at concessions@smartservice.qld.gov.au.

You must re-apply for the concession every two years, taking into account the following.

• If you have a permanent medical condition, you won’t need a new medical certification but you will need to confirm that your concession card status or living arrangements haven’t changed
• If your original application indicated a temporary need for heating or cooling, you will need to provide new medical certification and confirmation that your concession card status or living arrangements haven’t changed.

The Queensland Government will contact you six months before your concession approval expires and send you a new application form to complete. If you do not return this new application form, your concession payments will cease.

For more information, please visit the Queensland Government website.

Eligibility: The life support concession is available to individuals who require the use of a home-based oxygen concentrator or kidney dialysis machine.

Benefit: If you are eligible for the concession, you will receive a payment of $694.18 per year, or $57.85 per month ($173.55 per quarter) for each oxygen concentrator, or $464.88 per year, or $38.74 per month ($116.22 per quarter) for each kidney dialysis machine you use. The concession is calculated monthly and paid quarterly by the Queensland Government.

You will receive your payment on or around 1 January, 1 April, 1 July and 1 October each year, by electronic funds transfer to your nominated bank account. Applications lodged less than 21 days before the payment date will be paid on the next payment date.

For more information about the life support concession, including how to determine eligibility and how to apply, please visit the Queensland Government website.

Please note, irrespective of your eligibility for the life support concession you still need to register your property as requiring the use of life support equipment to ensure the ongoing supply of electricity and your safety. Please refer to our life support equipment page for more information.