Rising power and water bills forcing many families in Hume to cut back on essentials

HUME has emerged an energy pain hotspot in Victoria with soaring electricity and gas costs crippling thousands of families.

Hume is among the areas suffering the most from soaring power and water bills.

HUME has emerged an energy pain hotspot in Victoria with soaring electricity and gas costs crippling thousands of families.

The mortgage belt is among the areas suffering the most from power and water being turned off or restricted, high bills and debt collections in the past financial year, according to the Energy and Water Ombudsman.

The ombudsman received 1020 complaints from Hume residents with the cost of bills the biggest gripe followed by actual or imminent disconnections.

Only Geelong (1127 cases) and Casey (1058) had a higher number of disputes.

Local welfare agencies say families are being forced to choose between having food on the table, buying school books and paying for transport fares or using their heaters and airconditioners.

Uniting Lentara financial counsellor Cathy Clark said many people sought help from the centre because they couldn’t access the right information from their utility provider, while others were put on unrealistic payment plans.

Ms Clark said not being able to pay a utility bill could have significant knock on effects.

“We’re seeing people avoid buying meat because it’s too expensive and sadly, we’re hearing of kids going to school with no lunch,” she said.

Energy and Water Ombudsman Victoria Cynthia Gebert said energy costs were stretching some families with new home mortgages to the limit while some customers on low incomes were suffering from “energy poverty”.

The consumer watchdog had found power bills have skyrocketed by more than 40 per cent in a decade, partly due to “pointless” discounts from major energy retailers.

“There are shortcomings in the practices of some companies when it comes to checking whether customers are receiving concessions they’re entitled to, payment plans, information and forms for a utility relief grant, the best available tariff, and easy access to hardship teams and programs,” Ms Gebert said.

Electricity company chiefs agreed in August to write to customers when their power plans are about to expire and offer them better deals.

For financial help contact Uniting Lentara on 9351 3600.