COVID-19 and our continuing commitment to you

We understand the vital role energy plays in your everyday life and are here to reassure the Canberra region that we’ll keep the lights on. We have a big responsibility to you, our customers and community.

Although no one could have expected what this year would bring, we are prepared and committed to supporting our customers, now, through and beyond these trying times. In this time of uncertainty, you can continue to rely on us.

During the evolving COVID-19 pandemic, we're monitoring the situation very closely to reassess and optimise our response. We're carrying out the necessary planning and preparation to ensure safe and reliable operations, as well as our broader responsibility to minimise the rate of infection in the community.

Financial support

Core to our commitment is the support options we’re providing to every residential and small business customer who reaches out for assistance to pay their bill.

Residential customers

ActewAGL supports customers facing financial difficulties every day, and this won’t change. Here are just some of the ways we can be there for you.

• Offering options of payment extensions and flexible payment arrangements.
• Ensuring energy supply remains connected for customers facing financial stress as a result of COVID-19.
• Pausing late payment fees and default listings for customers experiencing financial stress.
• Giving advice on eligibility for concessions and rebates.
• Providing access to our financial hardship program, Staying Connected. Through the program, you’ll receive personalised support from our dedicated hardship team.
• Encouraging you to set up EvenPay direct debit, which splits the cost of your annual energy bills into set, smaller fortnightly or monthly payments, making bills more manageable and predictable.
• Checking that you're on the best energy plan for you.
• Providing practical energy saving tips and advice.

Business customers

We're aware of the impacts to income that our business customers may experience due to the impacts of COVID-19. The same measures we have in place for residential customers are also available for small business customers.

In this time of financial uncertainty, we’ve temporarily extended our Staying Connected program to include small businesses (usage under 100MWh) affected by COVID-19.

In addition, we’ve also waived disconnection and reconnection fees for small businesses that have been forced to temporarily close.

ACT Government support

In partnership with the ACT Government, we’re automatically applying the Additional Utilities Concession Rebate to eligible customer accounts.

A one-off $200 Additional Utilities Concession Rebate will be applied to eligible ACT residential customer electricity accounts, currently receiving the ACT Utilities Concession.

And a one off $750 Electricity Rebate will be applied to eligible ACT small business customer electricity accounts, using up to 100 megawatt hours of electricity per year.

If you’re eligible for either of these rebates, you don’t need to do anything—it will appear on your electricity bill issued after 30 March 2020.

More information