What to do now
Official pages: Energy Made Easy, Complaints, AER, Make a complaint, Useful contacts (ombudsmen).
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Decide retailer vs distributor. Retailer (name on the bill): billing, contracts, sales, concessions, payment help. Distributor (network): meters, poles, pipelines, most outages (AER).
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Complain to the retailer in writing today. Give account number, bill period and amount, actual vs estimated read, why you dispute it, and what you want. Ask for a response within about 10 business days (AER). Keep copies and dated call notes.
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Escalate inside the retailer if the first reply fails. Ask for a senior officer or the complaints / hardship team, in writing.
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Go to your free state or territory energy ombudsman if you are still unhappy, get no useful response, or face disconnection. Contacts below.
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If disconnection is imminent, call the ombudsman now. Do not wait on email. Ask the retailer for a payment plan or hardship help in the same breath.
This is legal information about energy complaint paths in Australia, not personal legal advice.
Energy ombudsman contacts (free)
From Energy Made Easy / AER useful contacts (check the live page for updates):
| Place | Body | Phone | Website |
|---|---|---|---|
| NSW | Energy and Water Ombudsman NSW (EWON) | 1800 246 545 | ewon.com.au |
| Victoria | Energy and Water Ombudsman Victoria (EWOV) | 1800 500 509 | ewov.com.au |
| Queensland | Energy and Water Ombudsman Queensland (EWOQ) | 1800 662 837 | ewoq.com.au |
| South Australia | Energy and Water Ombudsman SA | 1800 665 565 | ewosa.com.au |
| Western Australia | Energy and Water Ombudsman WA | 1800 754 004 | energyandwater.ombudsman.wa.gov.au |
| Tasmania | Energy Ombudsman Tasmania | 1800 001 170 | energyombudsman.tas.gov.au |
| ACT | ACT Civil and Administrative Tribunal (ACAT) | 02 6207 1740 | acat.act.gov.au |
| Northern Territory | Ombudsman NT | 1800 806 380 | ombudsman.nt.gov.au |
Start pages: EWON, EWOV, EWOQ high bills.
High bill checklist
Before or inside the written complaint (EWOQ-style checks):
- Actual meter read or estimate?
- Plan, tariff, or fixed-price period changed?
- Concessions, rebates, and previous payments applied?
- Clear usage reason (heater, guests, solar change)?
- Your own meter photo or smart-meter data for the period?
Worked example with dates
- 1 September 2026: $980 August bill; usual bills about $220; estimated read.
- 2 September 2026: email retailer with account number, meter photo, and a 10-business-day ask for a corrected actual-read bill.
- 12 September 2026: retailer keeps the estimate and offers a payment plan only.
- 13 September 2026: escalate in writing to the retailer's complaints team.
- 20 September 2026: still uncorrected; lodge free with the state energy ombudsman (for example EWON in NSW) with the emails and meter photo attached.
Payment difficulty
Tell the retailer you need a payment plan or hardship help and keep a written record. Pay what you can while the dispute runs if that reduces disconnection risk. Energy Made Easy lists overcharging, wrongful cut-off, and failure to help with payment difficulty as common complaint topics.
Related consumer paths: NBN connection delays (telco then TIO), Chargebacks and debit card disputes, and Insurance claim denied or delayed (IDR then AFCA for insurance, not energy).