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The AER cannot directly help you to resolve your dispute or provide you with advice about your specific circumstances. As a starting point, you should try to resolve the issue with your energy provider. Energy providers are required to have a complaints process to allow consumers to raise concerns.

The Energy Made Easy website explains how to make a complaint to an energy provider or energy ombudsman.

The AER does not have a role in regulating problems with a product or service you have purchased, such as a solar installation. For more information see electrical appliances, or the installation or servicing of an appliance.

For information about arranging or altering an energy connection in any state or territory other than Western Australia, please refer to the fact sheet Connecting electricity or gas to your property for the first time.

If you have received a formal offer of connection from your distributor, but are unable to reach agreement with them about the costs or other terms and conditions of the offer, the AER may be able to assist you to resolve the dispute.

If, after reading the information on the above page and attempting to resolve the matter directly with your distributor, you would like our assistance to resolve a dispute with your distributor about the costs or terms and conditions of a new connection, please email us aerinquiry@aer.gov.au, providing the following information:

• the full name of the applicant
• the address or location of the property being connected
• consent for us to provide the applicant details to the distributor or relevant parties in our effort to resolve the matter; and
• attach any relevant documentation or correspondence, including the official quote from the distributor.

The AER’s role in resolving connection disputes extends to assessing connection costs and offer terms and conditions. If you have reached an agreement with a distributor for a connection, but are experiencing difficulties that you are unable to resolve (for example, significant delays in installation), please refer to our information about a dispute with a supplier.

Retailers must provide additional help to customers that are having trouble paying their energy bills due to hardship.

If you are not happy with how your energy provider has helped you, please refer to our information about a dispute with a supplier.

The AER monitors the requirement that energy retailers ensure residential consumers experiencing financial difficulty are given the full suite of protections under the energy legislation. If you are in financial difficulty, seeking or receiving hardship assistance, and wish to report an issue with your supplier complying with this requirement, you can provide us with information to assist the AER with its work in the energy market.

Problem with a product you have purchased

The AER does not regulate consumer issues, such as a problem with a product you have purchased or with the provision of a service. There are other organisations that might be able to assist. They will generally require that you have attempted to resolve the dispute directly first.

If you are an individual consumer, your state or territory fair trading or consumer agency may be able to assist.

You could also consider reporting the issue to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC). The ACCC uses information provided by consumers to assist in its regulatory functions, but is not a dispute resolution service and will not be able to help you resolve your specific issue.

Safety and technical regulation

The AER does not regulate technical or safety requirements. Electrical safety, including equipment safety, is regulated by each individual state and territory. You may wish to contact the electrical safety regulator in your state or territory.

Meter installation delays

In states and territories where the National Energy Retail Law applies (QLD, NSW, ACT, TAS and SA), retailers are responsible for installing meters. Sometimes there are delays associated with this process.

If you are experiencing significant delays and are not able to resolve your concerns with your retailer, please refer to our information on a dispute with a supplier.

Meter changes and smart meters

If your concerns relate to the type of meter you have, or a change to your meter, you might find our factsheet Smartmeters and you helpful.

If you are not able to resolve your concerns with your retailer, please refer to our information on dispute with a supplier.

Accessing meter data

You can request up to two years of metering data from your distributor or retailer. Many distributors and retailers have online forms to help you request the data.

If you have difficulty gaining access to meter data, please refer to please refer to our information on a dispute with a supplier.

Solar connection issues

If you wish to connect a solar panel system to the grid so that it can export power to the grid, you will need approval from your distributor. The details of this process will depend on what state you're in and who your distributor is, so we suggest making enquiries with your distributor as a first step.

If you are experiencing difficulty reaching agreement with your distributor about having your solar panel system connected, please read arranging an energy connection.

Solar energy incentive schemes and feed-in tariffs

The AER does not have a role in setting solar energy incentive schemes or feed-in tariffs. A feed-in tariff is the amount an energy retailer pays for solar power that customers feed in to the grid. Some state and territory governments regulate feed-in tariffs (for example, by setting a minimum amount) and some states and territories have schemes (such as rebates) to subsidise or incentivise solar power.

The AER has produced fact sheets to provide consumers in each state or territory get the most from their solar system.

Solar systems or installations

Please see Electrical appliances, or the installation or servicing of an appliance

Problems in the energy distribution network can cause interruptions to power or surges in power, which can cause inconvenience or loss for consumers. Most states and territories have schemes in place in relation to reliability, often known as guaranteed service level schemes.

Most distributors publish information about the applicable guaranteed service levels on their websites.

Your state or territory energy regulator might also be able to provide you with information.

If you believe you've been affected by a distribution network reliability issue, you should raise this with your distributor as a starting point. If you are unable to resolve the matter directly with your distributor, please refer to our information about a dispute with a supplier.

The AER is an economic regulator for networks. Find out more about our role.

Generally, matters relating to the physical location of energy infrastructure are governed by planning frameworks (and related laws, like laws about vegetation) in your state/territory and local government area. We suggest firstly approaching your local council for information. If they cannot assist you directly, they might be able to suggest an organisation that can.

In some states and territories, the energy ombudsman can assist with this type of concern if you have unsuccessfully tried to address it with the energy company.

If your infrastructure issue relates to arranging a new energy connection, or altering an existing connection, please refer to our information about arranging an energy connection.

If you are in a state or territory that has adopted the National Energy Retail Law (Queensland, NSW, South Australia, the ACT or Tasmania), you might wish to use the AER's Energy Made Easy website to compare energy plans and ensure you are getting the best deal.

Energy Made Easy also provides general information about comparing offers and switching providers.

Customers in Victoria can access the Victorian government's comparison website.

The AER doesn’t have access to consumer supply details.

Generally, your distributor (the company that owns the energy network in your area) will be able to tell you who your energy retailer is. If you don’t know who your energy distributor is, see Who is my distributor?.

We welcome your feedback and questions about our Energy Made Easy website.

Customers in many states, who are located in an embedded network, can choose to receive energy from a different retailer rather than the embedded network provider.

Extensive information for retailers and prospective retailers in states and territories that have adopted the National Energy Retail Law (ACT, NSW, NT, SA, QLD, and TAS)  is available on our website, including information about:

• the process for gaining authorisation as a retailer
• developing a hardship policy for approval by the AER
• performance and compliance reporting requirements, including deadlines and submission details
• registering as a Retailer of Last Resort (RoLR).

For example, if you operate a caravan park or commercial premises that supplies energy to tenants.

Information about retail exemptions

Comprehensive information about retail exemptions in the ACT, NSW, QLD, South Australia or Tasmania, including the Retail exemption guidelines.

Information about network exemptions

If you own, operate or control a privately owned network in the ACT, NSW, QLD, South Australia or Tasmania, you will need an exemption from the requirement to register with the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO). Comprehensive information about network exemptions, including the Network service provider registration exemption guidelines.

Victoria

Retail exemptions in Victoria are managed by the state government through the Essential Services Commission of Victoria (ESCV). Please refer to the ESCV website for contact details.

Northern Territory

The territory government, through the Utlities Commission, is responsible for network and retail exemptions in the Northern Territory. You can find out more, or contact the Utlities Commission.

Western Australia

The state government, through the Public Utilities Office, is responsible for network and retail exemptions in Western Australia. To find out more, including how to contact the Public Utilities Office, please refer to the Western Australia's Economic Regulation Auhtority website.

Businesses that intend to operate in the wholesale market need to register with the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO).

The AER publishes a number of guidelines for energy wholesalers.

Please note that we are not able to provide individual advice to assist you in developing concepts or proposals, such as a business idea.

The AER does not regulate electricians, gas fitters or other trades that relate to the energy industry.  Regulation and licensing is generally undertaken by state and territory government organisations, such as consumer / fair trading agencies or specific plumbing and electricial regulators. You could contact your state or territory government for further information, or use the Australian government's Australian Business Licensing and Information Service (ABLIS) to identify the requirements that may apply.

The AER does not regulate technical or safety requirements. Electrical safety, including equipment safety, is regulated by each individual state and territory. You may wish to contact the electrical safety regulator in your state or territory.

The AER is an economic regulator for wholesale energy markets and energy networks in states and territories that have adopted the National Electricity Law and the National Gas Law.

The AER also regulates retail markets in states and territories that have adopted the National Energy Retail Law.

Information about our recent activities and performance, as well as corporate information about us as an organisation, is available in our most recent annual report.

There are other federal, state and territory government bodies involved in various aspects of energy regulation in Australia.

Our annual State of the Energy Market report uses non-technical language to highlight issues and trends across the electricity and gas industries.

We are not able to provide individual advice to assist you in developing concepts or proposals, such as a business idea or university assignment.

The AER collects a range of data in order to exercise its functions. Some of this information cannot be published or released, due to confidentiality, privacy and other considerations.

Information that we publish is made freely and publicly available on our website.

• Infomation about industry statistics from the AER's monitoring
• Reports and data on the performance of the electricity networks and gas pipeline service providers (networks) it regulates.
• Data relating to energy retailer performance.

If you have a question about the data we have published, please email us aerinquiry@aer.gov.au.

If you are a member of the media, please direct your enquiry to the Media Team by email to media@aer.gov.au or by phone 0466 409 921.