Moving homes in Australia can be very stressful. You have to organize removalists, update your details and ensure you have electricity and gas as soon as you step through the house.
Despite trying to avoid your energy company most of the time, you would have to get in touch with them when moving. Fortunately for you, energy companies have this process simple and hassle-free. Our guide will help you connect electricity and gas to your new home.
Connecting Electricity To A New Property
If you are moving to a new property, you may need to organize new electricity connections. The best way to do this is by contacting your energy retailer over the phone or through their site. Then you can inform them of your upcoming move, share the new address, and desired connection date, and they will take care of the rest.
Usually, setting up electricity at a property will only require transferring your account from one address to another. But, if you are moving into a newly built home, you will also need to connect the grid. If this is the case, your energy company may charge a fee ranging from $10 to $100. Considering this is only a distribution charge, the rest of the fee will depend on the location rather than your choice of an energy retailer.
Most major energy companies can organize a new connection in three business days. But, if you find yourself in a jam and urgently need power, you can call your provider and ask for an “urgent connection”. Major companies have a 13-hundred number you can connect to book a connection as soon as possible. But remember, urgent connections usually have additional fees so try not to leave your energy connections at the last moment.
Connecting Electricity To A Rental Property
If you are moving into a rental, you can transfer your energy account details from your current place to the new one. You can do this by giving your retailer a call and sharing your new address and move-in date. Transferring your account information to a new rental property can usually be done in a day and generally has no fees.
If you are sticking with the same energy retailer, your contract will usually be carried over to your new place. If you live in Queensland, Victoria, or New South Wales, you should also check if you are moving to another distribution network. If you are, your current energy contract can’t be carried over to your new place.
Just ensure that you confirm with your retailer that your new property is also connected to the grid. If the property has been empty for a long time or is newly built, the power supply may have been switched off. If this is the case, it will take a few extra days to connect and will require additional charges.
Energy Plans For Renters
While you can take your current energy retailer with you when you move homes, you can also take this chance to find a better deal. Or, if you are moving into your place for the first time, you can add this to our to-do list. Renters can pick from the same energy plans as their neighbors who own their property. Some retailers, like Lumo Energy and Momentum Energy, used to offer renter-specific electricity plans with reduced connection and disconnection fees. But, most of these deals have been retired for new customers.
Connecting Gas To A New Property
Connecting gas to a new property has a similar process to connecting electricity. Just call or visit the site of your gas retailer (that may be similar to your electricity retailers), give them the new address, and the connection date and they can handle the rest.
But, connecting gas can be trickier, and retailers usually need around three to five days to set up a new connection. It could be longer if you need a new meter. Natural gas connection fees can range from $10 and $50, but it could also be more if work needs to be done to the place’s gas infrastructure. Once again, this is a distributor charge, so you can’t avoid it by switching gas companies.
Remember that they must first confirm that you have access to natural gas at the new property. If the place is on a main gas network but doesn’t have the piping to set up a connection, you can organize one for yourself.
Conclusion
You must know how to connect electricity and gas when you move homes in Australia. While moving is already a stressful situation, this guide will help make things easiest on one front. But, if you decide to switch your energy company, you can use Cheapbills to compare the best deals out there!
