Frequently Asked Questions

First of all, if you are concerned there is a risk to life or property, call 000 now. Your energy distributor is responsible for delivering energy to your property (poles and wires, gas pipes, and connections).

Details for your local distributor are in the top right section of your LPE bill - Faults & Emergencies. Their contact details are also listed below.

You can also visit the Australian Energy Regulator website: www.aer.gov.au/consumers/who-is-my-distributor to find out more.

QLD

Energex (South East)
Phone: 13 62 62
Website: www.energex.com.au/home/power-outages

Ergon (Wide Bay, northern and western Queensland)
Phone: 13 22 96
Website: www.ergon.com.au/network/outages-and-disruptions

NSW 

Essential Energy
Phone: 13 20 80
Website: www.essentialenergy.com.au/outages-and-faults/power-outages

Ausgrid
Phone: 13 13 88
Website: www.ausgrid.com.au/Outages/Power-outages

Endeavour
Phone: 131003
Website: www.endeavourenergy.com.au

If you are concerned that a major incident or fault is posing a risk to life or property, call 000 now.

LPE provides electricity to many types of customers with different requirements. To help us understand the best option for you, we firstly identify if you are are within an embedded network multi-tenanted sites, you are within a common area community, whether solar is involved, or what individual residential or business tariffs apply to your meter.

To make sure we give you the most accurate rate, we prefer to chat to you in person on 1800 040 168 or you can email our customer care team at info@localityenergy.com.au for a call back. You can also apply on line if your investigations are complete. It's quick and easy to go to joinLPE.com.au and click the Join Your Home or Join Your Business button to provide your details. Our customer care team will take care of everything and will contact you to discuss rate if necessary. Everything will be explained in the LPE Welcome Pack which will be emailed to you.

A tariff governs how you are charged for your energy. The most common types of tariffs are single rate and time of use.

A single rate tariff, also known as a flat rate, does not have peak or off-peak time periods. You pay the same rate always regardless of the time of the day you use energy. 

A time of use tariff, sometimes referred to by the acronym TOU, applies different rates at different times of the day for peak (when rates costs the most), off-peak (when it’s the cheapest rate) and shoulder (when it’s between peak and off-peak rates). The most expensive rates at Peak times are when most people are using using the most amount of electricity and placing a higher demand on the electricity grid. Peak, Off-peak and Shoulder timeframes are set by your network distributor.

If you have a digital meter, you may be transitioned to a new tariff with an additional Peak Demand tariff by your network distributor. Digital meters may have been installed at your property if you have a solar PV system, your old meter was replaced or your home is a new build. Too find out more, have a look at our info flyer "Digital Metering and the Impact on you Bills", call 1800 040 168 or email info@localityenergy.com.au, and our customer care team will be happy to help.

The way we pay for electricity is changing. 

Now more than ever before, your behaviour when using appliances in the home could mean you pay a higher price for electricity.  

Not to worry, LPE is here to help by explaining how these new changes work and how you can avoid higher bills because of this change.

Demand tariffs are being introduced to those homes with smart meters. This is happening across all electricity providers not just LPE.

A demand tariff is a pricing structure that includes a ‘demand’ charge for your use of the electricity network. 

Demand tariffs have been designed (by electricity distributors) to encourage households and businesses to use less electricity during peak demand times when there’s more pressure on the electricity grid. 

You need a smart meter to be eligible for plans with demand charges.

Normally, electricity costs are based on the following charges:

• Supply charges – a flat daily cost charged by your distributor to get electricity to your home or business, and for the maintenance of poles and wires.
• Usage charges – the total amount of electricity you use over the billing period (often with different rates for peak, shoulder, and off-peak periods), with rates charged per kWh of electricity used.

If you’re on a demand tariff, your bill will also include an additional ‘demand’ or ‘capacity’ charge. This demand charge is based on your maximum highest electricity usage between the peak times 4pm-9pm (measured in 30-minute blocks). The peak usage resets each month, meaning you only need to hit your peak once for that demand rate to apply every day for the entire month. This means that your bill charges are influenced not only by how much electricity you use overall, but also by the highest power ‘demand’ you put on the electricity network during these peak times.

Basically, if you turn on lots of devices - (the TV, washing machine, dryer and dishwasher) within a 30-minute period during 4pm to 9pm, your ‘demand’ will go up. And if you’re on a demand tariff electricity plan, so will your charges.

In short, the key is to spread your electricity usage over time, rather than all at once especially between the hours of 4pm and 9pm.

Check out this YouTube video for more information.

You can avoid high demand tariff charges and save money on your bills by understanding when and how your home uses electricity. 

The easiest and quickest way to do this is to ensure that you aren't using all your appliances between 4pm and 9pm. 

You can save money by lowering your electricity demand during the busiest times in two ways:

1. Taking turns with appliances
    By taking turns with some appliances, rather than running lots of appliances at once, you can avoid high demand peaks during any 30-minute block. For example, running your clothes dryer outside peak times or after cooking dinner rather than using your cooktop and clothes dryer at the same time.
2. Change the time you use appliances to avoid peak times.
    Another way to avoid high peaks in demand is to change the time you use your appliances. Use your appliances outside the peak demand window when the demand charge isn’t being measured. For example, running your dishwasher, clothes dryer or pool pump overnight or during the morning. 

Demand tariffs can save you money if you don’t use much electricity between the hours of 4pm and 9pm when the demand charge is measured.

You have several options for paying your electricity bill with LPE. At the bottom of your bill, you will find your payment options, including:

• BPay 
• Direct Debit
• Online
• Over the Phone
• Post Office (Embedded Network Customers Only)

You can call our friendly customer care team for any questions or assistance on 1800 040 168.

The general focus is on being sustainable and being paperless where possible, so LPE's default for bill delivery is email. If you prefer, you have the option to change to postal delivery of your bill. Please note each bill posted will incur an additional postage and handling fee of $1.75 + GST.

If your bill has not arrived around your normal billing cycle, please contact us by phone on 1800 040 168 or email at billing@localityenergy.com.au and we'll be happy to check and confirm your email or postal address details.

Please contact us by phone on 1800 040 168 or email at billing@localityenergy.com.au and we'll email your bill to you at no extra charge.

There are many reasons your bill could change or be higher from time to time, including:

• Length of the billing period (depending on meter readers schedules).
• Seasonal conditions and hotter or colder weather
• Extra people or visitors in your household
• Outstanding amount carried forward from your previous bill
• Concession rebates (if applicable) not applied.

Please contact us by phone on 1800 040 168 or email at billing@localityenergy.com.au if further clarification or tips and hints will help.

Please contact us by phone on 1800 040 168 or email at info@localityenergy.com.au and one of our customer care team members will organise this for you.

LPE offer a 1-week payment extension from the due date.

Please contact us by phone on 1800 040 168 to discuss a payment plan or other options.

Electricity bills can be confusing. The Help menu on our website has a great example of how to read your bill. You can also find a copy here: https://localityenergy.com.au/how-to-read-your-bill-1

Yes you can. Please contact us by phone on 1800 040 168 and our friendly customer care team will organise this for you.

When you pay your electricity bill using a credit card, or any card that uses a credit card payment facility, your financial institution charges LPE a merchant fee. This is passed on to you as a Payment Processing Fee on your bill.

You can view LPE's Standard Fees and Charges on our website here: https://localityenergy.com.au/our-standard-fee-schedule

The NMI (sometimes pronounced Nimmy) is a National Meter Identifier. It has a unique 10 or 11 digit number used to identify every electricity network connection point in Australia. If you are part of an Embedded Network in a multi-tenanted site, your NMI is not viewable to other electricity providers as your meter belongs to a private network.

If you have an eligible concession card, you are entitled to a concession on your electricity account. Those holding the following cards may be eligible for a discount:

• Queensland Seniors Card
• Services Australia Pensioner Concession Card
• Services Australia Health Care Card (Electricity Rebate only) including holders of a Low Income Health Care Card and Ex-Carer Allowance (Child) Health Care Card.
• Department of Veterans’ Affairs Gold Card (and you receive the War Widow/er Pension or special rate TPI Pension)
• Asylum seeker status—residents will need to provide their ImmiCard details (Electricity Rebate only)

If you are a cardholder, to be eligible you must be the electricity account holder and also live alone or share your principal place of residence with (only) any of the below:

• your spouse
• other people who hold a Services Australia Pensioner Concession Card or Queensland Seniors Card
• other people wholly dependent on you
• other people who receive an income support or families payment from Centrelink, who do not pay rent
• other people who receive an income support payment from the Department of Veterans’ Affairs and who do not pay rent
• other people who live with the cardholder to provide care and assistance, who do not pay rent.

For further clarification, please read through the Queensland Government Electricity and Gas Rebate guidelines online at https://www.qld.gov.au/community/cost-of-living-support/concessions/energy-concessions/electricity-gas-rebates. You are also welcome to call 1800 040 168 to discuss with our customer care team.

The Medical Cooling and Heating Electricity Concession Scheme (MCHECS) helps with electricity costs for people who have a chronic medical condition, such as multiple sclerosis, autonomic system dysfunction, significant burns or a severe inflammatory skin condition, which is aggravated by changes in temperature.

For further information on this concession, please see https://www.qld.gov.au/community/cost-of-living-support/concessions/medical-concessions/medical-cooling-heating-electricity-concession-scheme. This concession is paid directly into your bank account, not by deduction on your electricity bill.

If you are already receiving the Electricity Rebate or other energy concessions, you can still apply for this concession. Full details of eligibility for the concession including qualifying medical conditions, are listed on the application form. Your medical specialist must fill out the medical certification section.

To apply, you can

• print and complete the MCHECS application form here
• Call 13 QGOV (13 74 68) 
• email concessions@smartcare.qld.gov.au if you need a copy posted to you.
• Post your application to the address listed on the form.

The Energy and Gas rebate is provided by the Queensland Government, currently the rebate is:

Queensland pensioners and seniors may be eligible for:

• The Electricity Rebate—$340.85 per year (GST inclusive)
• The daily rate equates to: 0.9338c (GST inclusive)

Please note, all rebates are GST inclusive. Rebates for eligible card holders may appear as GST exclusive on bills. For further information, please call our customer care team on 1800 040 168 or visit https://www.qld.gov.au/community/cost-of-living-support/concessions/energy-concessions/electricity-gas-rebates

No, unfortunately. For further information, please see: https://www.qld.gov.au/community/cost-of-living-support/concessions/energy-concessions/electricity-gas-rebates

Yes, if you have a Queensland Senior's Card you are entitled to received the Queensland Government - Energy and Gas Rebate. For further information, please see: https://www.qld.gov.au/community/cost-of-living-support/concessions/energy-concessions/electricity-gas-rebates.

You are also welcome to call our friendly Customer Care Team on 1800 040 168 for further information.

As per our terms and conditions, LPE complete a credit check. You will be notified if you have a below average credit score and, if you are happy to proceed, our Collections Team will assist you.

A below average credit score can be caused by a number of credit applications in a short period of time, late payments to your creditors, Default Notices or Court Writs.

Not necessarily, our Collections Team will review your credit check in more detail and may require a Security Deposit to proceed.

There are many rebates for NSW customers. These include the

• Low Income Household Rebate
• Life Support Energy Rebate
• Medical Energy Rebate
• Family Energy Rebate
• Energy Account Payment Assistance (EAPA)

You can find more information on all of these at https://localityenergy.com.au/concessions

The best and easiest way is to call 1800 040 168 so that our customer care team can verify your details and protect your privacy!

Yes! It's simple, just call call 1800 040 168 so that our customer care team can verify your details and protect your privacy! To make it quick and easy, it's best to have the additional contact's details like DOB and their best contact options. Although the additional contact can't make any changes to your account, they certainly can ask questions on your behalf.

You can contact us by phone on 1800 040 168 or email at info@localityenergy.com.au.

We’re working on it! When it's finished each customer will have their own portal for monitoring and managing their account, making payments (or interim payments) and electricity usage. We're excited about this and we'll let you know as soon as it's up and running.

We’re working on it! When it's finished each customer will have their own online portal for monitoring and managing their account, making payments (or interim payments) and electricity usage. We understand how important and easy online access is and that feature is coming soon! We're very excited about this and we'll let you know as soon as it's up and running.

Yes, you certainly can. click on the blue "Join Today" button at the top of the page. It's a quick and easy process. It's best to have your proof of identity (e.g. a driver's license, passport or medicare card) and any concessional cards (if applicable) to beat the record of 3 minutes!

Yes - again it's quick and easy. Just call 1800 040 168 and our friendly customer care team will collect your details and connect your property or arrange for electricity to be on when you move in to your new address. It's best to have your proof of identity (e.g. a driver's license, passport or medicare card) and any concessional cards handy.

Yes you can - we would love to have you as our customer! Switching is quick and easy. Just call 1800 040 168 or sign up online and our customer care team will take care of everything - including informing your old retailer. That saves you from awkward goodbye conversations!

Yes, we do! Please call 1800 040 168 and our friendly customer care team will give you all the information you need as well as organise everything to connect your property and inform your old retailer (if applicable).

Relax, it's quick and easy. Just call 1800 040 168 or provide your details online (https://www.localityenergy.com.au/moving-home). Our customer care team will take care of everything - including cancelling your old account and making sure electricity is on when you move in to your new address.

You'll receive an email from us confirming your move and we’ll also keep you updated with SMS or email to let you know where everything’s at. Best of all, we will also contact your old energy provider to disconnect your old address and arrange your final bill. No awkward goodbyes!! You can concentrate on packing and moving. LPE takes on the job of organising your electricity.

If you’re moving out, and a housemate is staying in the house, make sure you talk to us before you disconnect. We can arrange the transfer of your account to whoever is responsible after you leave.

If you've been told that we supply the electricity at your new apartment, give us a call on 1800 040 168 to learn more about embedded network plans and sign up.

Some sites have their own online sign up page and your letting agent, onsite manager or body corporate committee may have given this to you. If not … just call and we'll get it sorted!

No. Each unit has their own meter, which is read, recorded, and billed each month. You will only pay for your own electricity usage and receive your own bill just like a normal property.

LPE employs Meter Readers to manually read the meters at each embedded network complex. They read every meter each billing cycle, as well as at the start and end of any account. Your bill is based on actual reads (not estimates) and you only pay for the power used in your unit.

Due to safety regulations and to ensure accuracy for everyone's meter reads, access to embedded network meters is restricted to authorised personnel. If you want to view your meter, please call 1800 040 168 so that we can arrange for someone to accompany you and keep everyone safe.

Solar is a renewable electricity source with a positive social and environmental impact. Investing in a solar system can save money on your electricity bills. Saving money has become a little trickier with lower feed in tariffs, regulations restricting system sizing and the introduction of Peak Demand tariffs associated with digital meters. LPE can explain the impacts and options available to you to maximise the use of solar generated electricity. This may require additional new smart technology such as batteries or diverters, and consciously understanding and conserving.

When you choose LPE as your solar partner, we will be there for you every step of the way and for the years to come. As your local electricity provider and solar experts, we’ll make sure you have the system that’s right for you and your bank account. It’s that simple. 

To find out more, have a look at our info flyer "Digital Metering and the impact on your electricity bills"

Yes. Your solar system components have manufacturer warranties backed by LPE as a regulated electricity provider - as well as ACCC consumer law.

Our solar designer and technicians use their wealth of knowledge and experience to make sure you have a solar system that suits your needs and meets regulations. As with everything you do with LPE, we keep it simple, easy and the best solution for you.

The photovoltaic panels (PV) produce high voltage direct current (DC) that is turned into standard household 240V alternating current (AC) by the inverter. Each kW of panels installed in South East Queensland produces an average of 4.2kWh of power per day. This is because sunlight availability averages at 4.2 hours per day where installed panels are operating at the highest output. Even though the sun shines for more than 4.2 hours, the main operating state occurs between 10am and 3pm.

Energy produced from your solar PV and used immediately by your property will reduce your bill at the rate that it would cost to buy the electricity from their provider. Energy produced in excess of that used exports to the grid in return for a feed in tariff.

If you have a digital meter, you may have been transferred to a new tariff with an additional Peak Demand tariff. Have a look at our info flyer "Digital Metering and the impact on your electricity bills". LPE will help you make the most of your solar system and save money on your bill by helping you understand your electricity usage, solar generation and new technology advancements.

We install solar on all roof types. For more information, please contact us on 1800 040 168.

Yes - we can install solar on multi-story homes. Contact us today on 1800 040 168 for more information.

• We use tier one photovoltaic panels (Solar PV) panels with the optimal peak efficiency made from the highest quality materials by the best manufacturers in the industry.
• Components of our solar system have long term guarantees (up to 20 years) for quality and performance by the manufacturer and as your local electricity provider, LPE are here to help with any issues or queries.
• Our solar panels are fitted by accredited and licensed electricians. You can relax knowing they'll be installed perfectly.

As your local electricity provider and solar experts, LPE ensures you have the best system for your needs. We have years of experience and knowledge of solar and local conditions, and we are committed to keeping everything easy, innovative and worry-free for our customers. When you choose LPE as your solar partner, we will be there for you every step of the way and for the years to come.

We have a competitive solar feed-in tariff. If you have the Solar Bonus Scheme Feed-In Tariff you will already have 44c/kW in addition to LPE's current feed-in tariff. Please call 1800 040 168 and our customer care team can help with more information.

The answer is different for each individual scenario. If you have a digital meter, you may have been transferred to a new tariff with an additional Peak Demand tariff. Have a look at our info flyer "Digital Metering and the impact on your electricity bills". LPE will help you make the most of your solar system and save money on your bill by helping you understand your electricity usage, solar generation and new technology advancements.

Using solar reduces dependency on fossil fuels, reducing air pollution and greenhouse gases in the environment. Solar also produces its greatest output when the need is highest in Australia – we use the energy of the summer sun which is heating us all up to cool us down!

LPE's solution includes installation, maintenance and ownership of the solar system for the term of the agreement (currently 10 years unless the body corporate buy the system earlier). During the agreement term, we also take care of any warranty claims. The site's property insurance must include cover for loss or damage, or loss of use, of the solar infrastructure to the agreed value, and LPE will pay the excess for insurance claims (that do not arise from anything done or omitted by parties associated with your site).

LPE solar systems are the very best in quality so they are tough and durable - built for Queensland’s weather. If any damage or loss of use occurs, you must contact us immediately. LPE will assess and arrange repairs to ensure your system is back up and running with little downtime. If a claim on you property insurance is involved, LPE will coordinate and, if issue did not occur from anything done or omitted by parties associated with your site, LPE will pay the insurance excess.

Our expert team are fully qualified with long term experience in installing solar systems. Mounting systems relevant to your roof type are installed correctly to ensure even weight distribution. If the installation cannot be installed successfully on your site roof, this will be identified during the site investigation process. If a solution cannot be implemented, LPE will withdraw the shared solar proposal well before installation.

The high-quality inverters used in LPE installations are very quiet and usually installed in the garage or an exterior wall. Even if there is minor noise, it will blend with normal background noise and not be noticeable. LPE installation technicians will investigate the best position for your site and take your preferences into consideration.

LPE has focused on electricity solutions for multi-tenanted or strata sites for several years and has been the market leader for innovative and economic initiatives. We continually research new technology and inventions, and brainstorm strategic ideas to solve problems. Solar has been out of reach for many body corporate committees and unit owners due to limited access to roof space and financial burden for the capital outlay and maintenance.

Investigating ways to help strata sites achieve their common goal of being more environmentally friendly and sustainable led to LPE's solution of installing, maintaining and owning the solar system. The design delivers solar to common areas and units without the financial obstacles. We can cover the cost because unit occupiers join LPE and buy electricity through LPE during the agreement term. It's a win-win solution.

Your site is investigated thoroughly and if viable for installation will benefit from renewable solar energy that traditional home owners have been able to access for years. LPE benefits by welcoming unit occupiers as guaranteed customers for the agreement term. The body corporate can purchase the system at any time and indicative pricing is provided which reduces over the term to the price of $1 at agreement end.

LPE engages accredited and licensed electricians with long term solar experience and knowledge. The quality of their workmanship is also guaranteed.