Q3_2015-16 Q4_2015-16 Q1_2016-17 Q2_2016-17

A message from the OmbudsmanEWON is potentially facing the biggest change we have seen in our 19 year history, with the expansion of our jurisdiction to include exempt entities.

Exempt entities sell electricity through embedded networks, private electricity networks that serve multiple premises through a distribution system with one ‘parent connection point’ in the National Electricity Market. Exempt entities pay to receive energy from the grid and then on-sell it to individual customers. Embedded networks are found in caravan parks, retirement villages, apartment blocks and shopping centres, with the latter two undergoing significant growth in size and number.

These entities have not been required to be members of Ombudsman schemes, leaving their customers with limited or no recourse when issues arise. In response to the growth in the number of exempt entities and their customers over the last few years, the Australian Energy Regulator (AER) is considering changes to the exempt entity framework. These changes will ensure all customers have the same dispute resolution protection and that exempt entities are bound by Ombudsman decisions where conciliated outcomes to complaints cannot be negotiated.

This is great news for the increasing number of exempt entity customers - we estimate an additional 10,000 in the last year alone - who otherwise, are left with inadequate consumer protections. EWON is proud to have played a leading role in influencing these important changes with submissions and feedback to the AER, and through our work with the Australia and New Zealand Energy & Water Ombudsman Network (ANZEWON).

An expansion of our jurisdiction means EWON could potentially have many new members covering the 800 exemptions already granted - and this is coming from a current base of 50 energy and water company members.

This will impact on all aspects of our operations and require amendments to our Constitution and Charter. We have made structural adjustments and are now developing a budget and business plan for 2017/2018 which will allow us to effectively implement the necessary changes. And of course, we are continuing our existing investigations, policy development, systemic issues and awareness raising work.

In this environment, I am particularly pleased to welcome Bernadette Or, General Manager Finance and Corporate Services and Adrian Borchok, General Manager Investigations, to EWON’s management team. They will both play important roles in ensuring EWON is equipped to operate in this new environment.

Janine Young Ombudsman Energy & Water Ombudsman NSW

KEY ISSUES

BILLING 3,3232,7851,139

490326224

CUSTOMER SERVICE

CREDIT

TRANSFER

GENERAL

DIGITAL METER EXCHANGE

5,558

5,398

5,535

5,630

Oct-Dec 16Jan-Mar 16 Apr-Jun 16 Jul-Sep 16

1,334 4,296

COMPLAINTS BY QUARTER

COMPLAINTS BY INDUSTRY

1,3444,114 164Electricity Gas Water

There were 8 non energy or non water related cases

CASES RECEIVED OCTOBER TO DECEMBER 2016

There may be more than 1 issue per complaint.

EWON's case data varies in accordance with case progression and figures in this newsletter reflect case status as at 13 March 2017.

34

5,630COMPLAINT INVESTIGATIONS

ENQUIRIES, COMPLAINTS AND REFERRALS

We have a range of new resources to help customers understand energy and water issues.

Our factsheets cover topics including high energy bills, saving energy and water around the home, backbilling and disconnection, and we are adding to this list. Check them out online at ewon.com.au/factsheets.

We now have a handy stepped guide that can be kept on the fridge, combining energy and water information for consumers in one place. A new multilingual brochure, with information about EWON in over 30 languages, and an AUSLAN video for those who are deaf or have hearing difficulties, are also available on our website at ewon.com.au.

Community workers can order resources by going to ewon.com.au/page/publications-and-submissions/order-publications.

EWON's new resources

Who is responsible for energy and water bills?

If there is a standard Residential Tenancy Agreement in place, the tenant is responsible for electricity and gas charges, and needs to open and close accounts when moving into or out of a rental property. However, if the lease states that electricity or gas usage is included in the rent, the landlord is responsible for opening and paying accounts. Also, if the tenant resides in a subdivided property, they can only be charged for energy by the landlord if they have separate meters.

Public housing tenants are required to pay for their water use in addition to rent. Generally private landlords are responsible for paying service charges for water and sewerage. Tenants in private rental accommodation pay for their water usage if this is stated in their rental agreement. They can only be charged for the metered amount of water they use, so tenants should make sure the meter reading is noted on the condition report when they move in or out. Tenants cannot be charged for water use that is not separately metered.

If a tenant lives in a share house and opens an account in their name, they must take responsibility for all future bills. If the account is in more than one name, each person can be held responsible for the bill - everyone in the household needs to agree who is responsible for the bills. People living in share accommodation should make sure the account holder’s details are kept up-to-date.

Residential park, caravan park, retirement village, strata scheme or shopping centre tenant?

As discussed in detail in the Ombudsman’s message, some residential parks, caravan parks, retirement villages, apartment blocks and shopping centres receive their energy through embedded networks. The operators of embedded networks, known as exempt sellers, pay to receive energy from the grid and then on-sell the energy to individual customers

EWON has jurisdiction to receive and investigate complaints from embedded network customers, however, exempt sellers are not required to be members of EWON. This means that while we can handle and generally resolve complaints about exempt sellers, currently those who are not members of EWON are not bound by our decisions and do not pay EWON member fees (read about proposed changes to embedded network regulation in the Ombudsman’s message in this newsletter).

Saving energy and water around the home

People don’t have to be home owners to save on their energy and water bills. Making small changes can make a big difference. For example, turning off a second fridge can save up to $300 a year and washing clothes in cold water can save up to $124 a year. For more energy and water savings tips, visit ewon.com.au/factsheets.

Tenants often have limited control over the water and energy efficiency of their homes. Conflict over who is responsible for what can arise between tenant and landlord, or even between different tenants.

Help for tenants experiencing problems with their energy or water provider

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Three new Community Directors were appointed to the Board late last year, bringing with them a wealth of knowledge and experience representing the interests of consumers.

Iain Maitland is an Energy Advocate for the Ethnic Communities’ Council of NSW. Iain has represented culturally and linguistically diverse communities on a wide range of energy related issues. Iain has extensive involvement in the energy industry. He is a member of the Australian Energy Market Operator and the Australian Energy Market

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Jul 16Aug 16

Sep 16 Oct 16

Nov 16

Incorrect advice or information

260215

100138

Delays installing new meter

Failure to respond

New meter not installed

Digital meter complaint issues: July 2016 - February 2017

Digital meter cases July 2016 - February 2017

EWON’s Board of Directors is responsible for our corporate governance, funding and strategic direction. The Board is made up of an independent Chair, five Industry Directors who represent our electricity, gas and water provider members and five Community Directors who represent consumer interests.

Digital meter rolloutComplaints related to the rollout of digital meters have continued to climb following the Solar Bonus Scheme closure on 31 December 2016.

We are aware that many households that were in the Scheme have not yet had digital meters installed. One of our main concerns is that many of the Scheme’s customers who had received a 20 cent or 60 cent feed-in tariff are no longer receiving any feed-in tariff, leaving them with higher bills.

We received 558 digital meter complaints to the end of February 2017 and while many were about installation delays and not having a digital meter installed, customers also raised a range of other concerns. These included receiving incorrect advice from their retailer, not getting responses to queries, billing issues and not being advised that a digital meter was going to be installed.

EWON is talking to energy retailers about the issues that have been identified. These concerns need to be addressed by retailers before the digital meter rollout gets into full swing at the end of this year.

Commission forums. He is also on the Energy and Water Consumer Advocacy Panel and is a member of the NSW Energy Round Table.

Robyn Evans is a Mission Leader at The Salvation Army with over 10 years’ experience in the social work, community development and social justice sectors. Robyn is the Board Chair of Stop the Traffik Australia, which lobbies on behalf of trafficked people around the world. Robyn has a strong background in governance, compliance and risk management.

Max Bosotti is the CEO of the Paraplegic and Quadriplegic Association of NSW (ParaQuad NSW). Max’s financial leadership has enabled the organisation to expand services offered to the spinal injured community and prepare for the increased demand due to the rollout of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). Max also has a background in IT, investment banking and operations.

Wayne Warburton from Wesley Mission and Maria Good who works as a volunteer financial counsellor were re-appointed as Community Directors.

Dec16

Jan 17Feb 17

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72

282116

150 140

From 1 January 2017 the asset test for pensions was changed, so that the pension will no longer be paid to single people with assets of $542,500 (homeowner) and $742,500 (non-homeowner) and couples with assets of $816,000 (homeowners) and $1,016,000 (non-homeowners).

People who were receiving a pension prior to 1 January and who are no longer eligible will have their Pensioner Concession Card (PCC) cancelled, but will automatically receive a non-income tested

Changes to pension eligibilityHealth Care Card (HCC). This change has a range of consequences on rebates for council rates, driver’s licences, car registration, as well as those for energy and water.

Impact on energy and water rebates

The NSW Department of Industry Resources & Energy Division has confirmed that the HCC does not provide eligibility for the energy rebates and that these customers will have their current rebates removed when their retailer runs data matching with Centrelink.

Sydney Water and Hunter Water do not offer a rebate to HCC holders. Therefore people who lost their entitlement to a PCC on 1 January are no longer eligible for a water rebate.

Given the financial impact of these changes, we know that people may have problems paying their bills. We recommend customers contact their energy or water provider to discuss payment arrangements. They can also contact EWON at any time for advice or information about assistance programs.

Welcome to our new Community Directors

There may be more than 1 issue per complaint.

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Free Call 1800 246 545Free Fax 1800 821 291 Web ewon.com.au Email omb@ewon.com.au ABN 21079718915

We are now producing shorter newsletters more frequently. To keep the production costs down, we would like to reduce the number of copies we print. If you are happy to receive newsletters electronically, please send your preferred email address to news@ewon.com.au.

Visit EWON at a Bring your Bills day near you

• Mt Druitt (St Vincent de Paul) - first Thursday of each month, 9.00am - 3.00pm• Blacktown (SydWest) - first Friday of each month, 9.30am - 2.30pm• Mt Druitt (Anglicare) - first Thursday of each month, 9.00am - 2.00pm• Campsie (Metro Assist) - Thursday 27 April 2017, 9.00 am to 3.00 pm• Hornsby (St Vincent de Paul and Hornsby Council) - Friday 19 May, 9.00 - 3.00pm• Chatswood - Wednesday 19 July 2017, 9.00am to 3.00pm• Gosford - Friday 21 July 2017, 9.00am to 3.00pm• Niagara Park - Wednesday 26 July, 9.00am to 2.00pm• Woy Woy - Monday 27 July 2017, 9.00am to 3.00pm For more information, or to RSVP for an event, please visit ewon.com.au/events.

Using technology to reach more people

A note about our newsletter

EWON has an extensive community outreach program, but we can’t be everywhere at once.

To extend our reach, we trialled presenting to a regional group via video conference in March. Our Community Engagement Officer, Narelle Brown, presented remotely to seniors in Moama in an event organised by Murray River Council. It was so popular Narelle was asked to do the presentation again for people who couldn’t fit into the room the first time!

We look forward to expanding our use of technology to supplement our outreach work, but remain committed to engaging with people face to face as much as possible.

In early April, Ombudsman Janine Young travelled to Wilcannia, Menindee and Dareton with EWON staff to hold Bring Your Bills days.

The invitation from the Wilcannia community arose from a visit by the Ombudsman to Wilcannia last August, where we saw first-hand the impact of energy affordability on the communities in the area.

During this visit EWON partnered with Mid Lachlan Aboriginal Housing to deliver energy and water saving workshops to tenants. EWON also arranged for staff from Origin Energy's Hardship Team to attend.

Community members were invited to attend the workshops and then meet with EWON or Origin Energy one on one to get help with a range of issues, including having rebates applied to their accounts, setting up payment arrangements and understanding their bills.

EWON invited other organisations to attend the Bring Your Bills days to offer support to the community. They included Aboriginal housing providers, the State Debt Recovery Office (SDRO), Legal Aid, NSW Fair Trading, the Aboriginal Legal Service, Centacare - Wilcannia Forbes, the Anti-Discrimination Board and financial counsellors.

EWON visits Wilcannia, Menindee and Dareton

Keen to have EWON speak at your event? EWON and the Public interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) are providing free energy and water workshops for community workers and workers in the tenancy and aged and disability care sectors. If you are interested in taking part please contact Narelle Brown at narelleb@ewon.com.au.

For the latest news, tips, and links to resources for energy and water consumers, follow EWON on Twitter and Facebook at @EWONSW or on LinkedIn.