Victorians living in embedded networks, such as apartment buildings, caravan parks and retirement villages, will now save hundreds of dollars on their energy bills thanks to reforms introduced by the Victorian Government.

The Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change Lily D’Ambrosio today announced that from 1 September 2020, the maximum price which embedded network customers can be charged for their electricity will be set to the Victorian Default Offer – which the Government set as a fair price across the state.

With this new pricing cap, residents of apartment buildings, rooming houses, caravan parks and retirement villages could save between $180 and $370 a year on energy bills, while small businesses in shopping centres could save between $900 and $2,200.

More than 120,000 residential and small business customers live or work in embedded networks across Victoria. Customers in embedded networks are locked into a contract with a specific company, and these companies can act as a monopoly and charge higher prices for energy.

The announcement, which fulfils part of an election commitment, follows a decision by the Essential Services Commission to set the Victorian Default Offer as the maximum price for these customers. This is part of the suite of government reforms through the Energy Fairness Plan to make energy more affordable for all Victorians.

New measures introduced by the government include the Payment Difficulty Framework,  which has nation-leading protections to keep vulnerable people connected.

Victorians are also able to access cheap and clean renewable energy through our landmark $1.3 billion Solar Homes program, supporting 770,000 households to get solar PV, solar hot water and batteries at no upfront cost while creating 5,000 jobs.

For more information, visit energy.vic.gov.au/victoriandefaultoffer.

Quotes attributable to Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change Lily D’Ambrosio

“We’re making sure that all Victorians have access to fair energy prices, whether you live in an apartment building or retirement village, or run a business in a shopping centre.”

“These customers will now have access to the same cheaper deal, and have the same protections as Victorians who live in a house and can choose their energy provider.”