Consultation Archives

The Australian Energy Regulator (AER) is conducting a review of the consumer protections available under the National Energy Customer Framework (NECF) for those experiencing payment difficulties. On 14 May 2024, the AER released an issues paper for consultation. The review is driven by the commitment in Action 8 of the ‘Towards Energy Equity’ strategy in which the AER committed to considering whether improvements could be made to the NECF to ensure that consumers experiencing payment difficulties are identified early, engaged proactively, and provided with assistance tailored to their individual needs. Currently, the NECF offers various protections for consumers facing payment difficulties through regulatory instruments such as the National Energy Retail Law (NERL), National Energy Retail Rules (NERR), National Energy Retail Regulations, and the AER Customer Hardship Policy Guideline. These protections…

The Embedded Network Action Plan sets expectations for embedded network operators to better engage with their customers. This comes after reviews and inquiries found that some customers of embedded networks face poor outcomes due to gaps in the current regulatory framework. The NSW Government Embedded Network Action Plan aims to provide equitable consumer and price protections for customers of embedded networks. The plan outlines immediate and medium-term actions to improve outcomes for these customers. Immediate actions: Introduce a maximum price for energy sold to customers of hot and chilled water embedded networks and gas embedded networks to protect against unreasonably high prices. Release a Ministerial Statement of Expectations (see below) Medium-term actions: Implement policy updates to strengthen consumer protections for hot and chilled water embedded network users. Broaden the Energy…

Tag: Consultation

AER payment difficulty framework review

Embedded Network Action Plan – New South Wales