Your energy bill explained

Electricity bills can be complex, here at Electricityinabox we have made the bill as easy to understand as possible. Find out when and how much you owe, different ways to pay your bill, if your bill is based on an actual meter read or estimated data and any fees, credits, discounts or solar associated with your account.

Let’s explain the bill section by section

1. . Your account details
   Your account number shown here is specific to your account, and you should quote it when you contact us with any queries.
2. . Determine what to pay and when to pay
   This shows the amount you need to pay and the payment date or when your direct debit is due.
   If you are on Bill Smoothing, you’ll see your instalment amount and frequency.
3. . Do we have a cheaper plan that would cost you less ?
   We’ll regularly check our generally available plans against your past energy use to see if you’re on one of our lowest cost plans.We’ll let you know if a different Electricityinabox plan could save you more and how much you may save by switching assuming same consumption trend. If you’re already on one of our lowest cost plans, we’ll let you know that you are on our best plan. There may be other providers in the market offering lower cost plans.
4. Choose how to pay your bill
   While most customers select automated payments, we’ve also made it easy for you to pay your bill online.
   We offer several ways to pay your bill, including Direct Debit, this takes the hassle out of paying your bills and helps ensure you always pay your bills on time.If you’re paying in person at a post office, present your bill so the barcode can be scanned to record your payment.
5. Find your reference number
   You’ll find your reference number in the centre of the payment slip. When requested, you’ll need to quote this for some payment methods. If you are using BPAY you reference number will be located below your biller code.
6. Summary of your plan
   Here you’ll find a summary of your plan and any attached benefits it may have.
7. Your average daily usage
   This shows how much energy you consume each day and the graph compares how much energy you used during this period, compared to the last 11 months
8. How we’ve calculated your usage
   Here you’ll find whether an actual or estimated meter read has been taken. Sometimes we might need to estimate your energy usage rather than bill you on actual usage data. We’ll give you more information on how to submit your own meter read if this applies to you.
9. How we’ve calculated your charges and credits
   The new charges and credits section is divided into units and prices for this billing period. Time of use shows the time of day that the unit prices apply. We list your new charges for your electricity or gas supply and usage, plus any credits, discounts, concessions, solar export and adjustments we’ve applied to this bill. The final total charges amount shown here includes the applicable GST.
10. Get help and support
    Here you’ll find information about payment assistance and interpreters for getting help in your language.
11. How much energy are you using ?
    This chart explains how much electricity you have used over the past 12 months (unless you’ve joined recently). This chart is updated and will be different on each bill as the current month on the right will reflect your most current usage.Estimated usage
    Sometimes we might need to estimate your energy usage, rather than bill you on actual usage data. You can tell if your bill is based on an estimate or an actual read by looking at the readings section on the back of your bill. The following will be displayed;(E) an estimate(C) a customer read
    (A) an Actual read 

    Reasons you might have received an estimated bill include:

     

    1. Meter readers having trouble accessing your property. This usually happens if your meter’s been installed indoors, is behind a locked gate, or is guarded by a dog.
    2. If you have a basic or MRIM meter and are on a monthly billing arrangement. We’ll estimate your usage as your distributor usually only provides us with an actual read every two or three months.
    3. If you have a digital meter, connection dropouts can sometimes occur when your interval data is being received. Your distributor or meter data provider will provide us with an estimate for that interval based on your historic usage. We will use this for your billing until corrected data is provided.

    It is important to note that new customers won’t have historic data so estimates are based on averages of similar customers over the same time period.

12. Find your meter read details here
    In this section, you’ll find your meter read details. These are used to calculate your energy bill for the billing period. If you have a smart meter, the reading will be a guide only and may not reflect the total amount of energy you have used in this billing period. Your bills will be calculated using half-hourly intervals of data provided to us.Self-service meter reads also known as a (C) customer read

    If you have a self-service meter, you will need to provide us with your meters reading. Without this we need to depend on estimates and information provided to us by the networks. If you provide your own read within two days of your scheduled bill date, the bill will be sent based on your reading.