Simpler and easier to understand energy bills will be mandatory and uniform following action from the Morrison Government to give Australian households and small businesses clear information on energy use and costs.
Following a request from the Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction Angus Taylor, the Australian Energy Market Commission (AEMC) has delivered a final rule to make complex and confusing electricity and gas bills a thing of the past.
Ultimately, this will help customers to better understand their energy bills and their energy use and give them confidence when shopping around for a better energy deal.
"At present, navigating energy bills and understanding how best to manage energy use can be confusing and time consuming," Minister Taylor said.
"Simpler, clearer and standardised information particularly about energy costs and usage is crucial to help customers manage their bills.
"Ensuring everyone has clear and accurate information will also empower consumers to compare offers and deals available from other energy retailers.
"This is an important measure to help households and businesses pay less for their energy, and builds on a 9.2 per cent drop in CPI retail electricity costs over the last year.
"When Australians pay less for their energy they have more money in their pockets, and this is particularly important as we recover from COVID19."
Minister Taylor said simplifying energy bills was one of the measures the Morrison Government has taken to lower energy costs and deliver a fair deal on energy for Australians. This includes:
- implementing the Default Market Offer and price caps to protect customers from excessively high contracts in New South Wales, South Australia and south-east Queensland.
- introducing the 'big stick' legislation to deal with misconduct in the electricity sector and ensure retailers pass on reductions in wholesale prices to consumers;
- cracking down on unfair discounting practices by energy retailers;
- improving the free energy comparison website, EnergyMadeEasy, to make it even easier for Australians to shop around for a cheaper deal; and
- extending the consumer data right to energy, to make it easier for consumers to switch provider.
The Government will continue to act to improve competition, end dodgy practices and deliver a more affordable and reliable energy system for all Australians.
