Thousands can't pay electricity bills

MORE than 14,000 energy customers can't pay their electricity bills and are up to $1650 in debt.

MORE than 14,000 energy customers in New South Wales can't pay their electricity bills and are up to $1650 in debt.

Despite the privatisation of the state's electricity retail network, the number of customers on hardship assistance programs has jumped in the past year.

The state government's low-income energy household scheme has also seen a significant take-up, with more than 730,000 customers receiving a $200 rebate.

Householders, who copped electricity increases of up to 18 per cent in July, are facing further rises of up to $20 a year after state-owned distribution companies applied for rises.

The increase, which would need to be approved by the Australian Energy Regulator, is linked to "economic losses'' from last year's sell-off of state-owned retail companies to energy giants Origin Energy and TruEnergy.
Energy Minister Chris Hartcher said the government would look at options to restrict any related price rise.

"This is yet another hidden surprise from the nasty legacy that is Labor's botched power sale,'' Mr Hartcher said.

In AGL's annual report released yesterday, it revealed that the average level of debt among its hardship customers had risen to $1658, up by 20 per cent from last year.

Origin Energy yesterday confirmed that all three of its businesses had registered increases in the number of people in hardship schemes.

Origin Energy, Country Energy and Integral Energy are currently supporting 11,300 customers who can't pay their bills, up from 10,260 last year.

"There has been an increase in the number of customers who have contacted Origin to discuss their difficulty in paying their bill,'' an Origin spokesman said.

The company paid out more than $2.8 million across the country in payment support in the past year.

The number of NSW-based customers being supported by Energy Australia - now owned by TruEnergy - is believed to be about 3000.

A TruEnergy spokesman would not confirm the status of its hardship schemes but said in recent months the company had "noticed a slight decline in numbers but that could be driven by economic and weather conditions''.

"While we do not disclose exact numbers of customers on our hardship program,'' he said. "It remains a very small number of overall customers.''