ACOSS has released a report – Health of the NEM 2020: Current and emerging affordability issues for people on low incomes – ahead of the Energy Security Board’s (ESB) release of its annual Health of the National Electricity Market (NEM) report.

The report aims to ensure the energy issues facing people on low incomes and experiencing disadvantage are recognised, assessed and have appropriate solutions implemented.

ACOSS calls on the ESB to maintain its rating of energy affordability (current status) as ‘critical’, to increase the outlook for affordability to ‘moderate-critical’ in general and to ‘critical’ for vulnerable customers.

The report also calls on the National Federation Reform Council to urgently establish a permanent committee to annually review and progress reforms to reduce energy vulnerability.

The ACOSS report makes 29 recommendations including:

• Building on the work of the Trajectory for Low Energy Building – Existing Homes, state and territory governments commit to implement the measures being developed to increase energy efficiency of existing homes, specifically:
  • Introduce mandatory disclosure of home energy performance at point of sale;
  • Introduce mandatory energy efficiency standards for rental properties.
• Implement a National Low-income energy productivity program (NLEPP);
• NEM state and territory governments review their home energy assistance schemes or equivalent to improve access, uptake, and ability to better meet the needs of those most vulnerable;
• Progress ACCC recommendation 37 to improve energy concession schemes across the NEM to ensure that, to the extent possible, there is a uniform, national, best practice approach to electricity concessions;
• Extend the moratorium on disconnections until at least June 2021 and ensure pre-visit is done before disconnections are made;
• The National Federation Reform Council progress ACCC recommendation 38 that the Federal Government and the relevant state or territory governments should fund a grant scheme for consumer and community organisations to provide targeted support to assist vulnerable consumers to improve energy literacy.

More information here