Seniors encouraged to stay warm despite power price increases
Last week, the ACT Independent Competition and Regulatory Commission announced that households could expect an increase in electricity prices by nearly 20 per cent.
The change is expected to come after July 1 and will see the average electricity bill increased by $333 a year and natural gas bills by $247 a year.
This news came one day after the 2017 ACT budget revealed that rates would be increasing up to 33 per cent in some cases with the average increase sitting at 7 per cent.
National Senior’s ACT Policy Advisory Group Member Dr Bill Donovan explained that these price hikes will impact the elderly the hardest as many are pensioners or on a fixed income.
“These power increases, which come at the coldest time of the year when older people rely on heating to keep their homes liveable, will make it hard for many of them to make ends meet,” said Dr Donovan.
“Even the main energy supplier, ActewAGL, has acknowledged that looming price hikes are shocking and is urging people who have trouble paying their bills to contact them. They have promised not to cut off supply.”
Chief Executive Officer for ActewAGL, Michael Costello, said that the energy provider would create a $250,000 Energy Support Fund to assist those struggling to pay their bills.
“We understand these price increases may cause financial stress or significant hardship, which is why we have announced an Energy Support Fund,” he said.
“We’ve met with community groups that provide frontline services and we are acting on their helpful advice and the ideas we discussed – we’ll be working with these groups to identify as early as possible people who may be struggling and to direct support where it’s needed most.”
“At the heart of the Fund is our promise to work with customers to keep them connected this winter.”
From July 1, ActewAGL will provide energy vouchers through community groups that provide emergency relief services and a Solar Grants Program to help reduce energy bills for groups that provide vital community support.
“In addition, we will be establishing a dedicated Bill Help Hotline, providing all customers with a range of support options and information on rebates, concessions and energy saving advice,” Mr Costello said.
Dr Donovan is encouraging seniors to seek assistance if needed rather than going cold throughout the winter.
“It’s not hard to understand why older people sometimes feel ignored by their governments and communities, when in the space of 24 hours they face price rises of hundreds of dollars every year and they have no way of boosting their income to cover them,” Dr Donovan said.