‘Biggest bugbear’: Power rebate relief on way for 420,000 eligible South Australian households

Around half of all South Australian households and tens of thousands of small businesses will get a cashback to help with their energy bills. See if you’re eligible and how much you’ll get.

Louise Jones, with son Leo at Coles Greenacres, says any money saved would be welcomed in her family. Picture: Naomi Jellicoe

About 420,000 South Australian households and 86,000 small businesses are expected to get hundreds of dollars in an energy bill relief scheme.

Eligible households – about half of all in SA – and about two-thirds of SA firms are expected to get rebates of $500 and $650 respectively.

The rebate will be applied directly by retailers and spread evenly across quarterly bills, under a $254.4m, jointly funded agreement between state and federal governments.

People will qualify if they have a government concession card or receive family tax benefits, which begin to cut out at total household incomes of just over $100,000.

The one-off relief on 2023-24 energy bills will be in addition to an existing state energy concession worth up to $263.15 in 2023-24. These 210,000 households will automatically qualify, meaning the combined payment will be up to $763.15.

SA is expected to get comparatively more of the $1.5bn national scheme, because of a higher proportion of eligible households and businesses.

Residential prices are expected to increase by $401, or 21.8 per cent, in 2023-24, according to the Australian Energy Regulator’s draft market order. But the state government says eligible households’ bills might drop by 5.4 per cent, or 7.5 per cent if they also get the state concession.

State Treasurer Stephen Mullighan said: “We promised energy bill relief and today we delivered.”

Louise Jones, 38, of Greenacres, said her family was fortunate to not be living “paycheck to paycheck”, but any money that could be saved was welcomed ahead of son Leo, 2, starting childcare next year.

Power is Jane’s “biggest bugbear”

For Jane Hedges, a small-business owner operating out of her Royal Park home, the rising cost of power is her “biggest bugbear”.

Ms Hedges, who has two teenage children who live with her on alternate weeks, is forced to go on a payment plan for each bill which reaches $1100 per quarter.

“The cost of electricity is just going through the roof,” she said.

While Ms Hedges, who earns $38,000 a year, operates her small business Miss Jane’s Cakes and More out of her home she says the bill should not be that high.

“I’m pedantic about everything get turned off at the switch because my bills are out of control,” she said.

Cakemaker Jane Hedges, at home in Royal Park, says the rising cost of electricity is her “biggest bugbear”. Picture: Matt Loxton

“I won’t put my heating on in winter unless I have the kids and I won’t use my cooler in summer because I simply can’t afford to run it.

“Gone are the days where if it was cold you put the heater on, or you put the cooler on or you leave your TV turned on at the power point, everything now is turned off.”

The 49-year-old’s parents help her out financially so she can keep up with her $475 a week rent, “otherwise I wouldn’t have a roof over my head,” she said.

“I am hoping that the small business incentives will allow me to do things such as upgrade my fridge to a more energy-efficient one,” she said.

“With the price of electricity being so high, this can only help in lowering costs.

“This will benefit (my) customers by not having to increase my prices simply to cover the cost of baking for them.”

Originally published as ‘Biggest bugbear’: Power rebate relief on way for 420,000 eligible South Australian households