Explaining Electricity Connection Fees

Electricity is as pivotal to the modern age as anything can be, so why does the mention of ‘connection fees’ send a shiver down an individual’s spine?

Whether it be a fear of cost or just a sense of not understanding fully what you’re paying for, it’s important to understand everything you can about electricity connection fees, including what you could potentially be missing out on.

In this article, we’ll be diving into electricity disconnections and reconnections, as well as their associated fees between certain retailers and distributors.

Disconnections and Reconnections

To get a better understanding of connection fees and subsequent tariffs, it’s best to get a good grasp on electricity connection and disconnection first.

When moving into a new property with a pre-existing electricity connection, you’ll most likely need to organise both a disconnection of your old home and then a subsequent reconnection of your new home.

Typically, you’ll time the disconnection of your utilities as you leave the premises, and time the reconnection once you settle into the new property.

On one hand, you may hold off on disconnecting your power in the worry that you’ll pull the trigger too early or your moving date may be pushed back. On the other hand, these suspicions could hold true and get you into a whole new dilemma.

This is why it’s important to watch when you follow through with disconnecting, and why it’s best to disconnect the power in your old home once you’re in your new home and the property is ready for handover.

It’s also important to give your energy provider plenty of notice that you intend to disconnect your utilities, as they’ll have to arrange for somebody to head out there to check your meter. A week is a safe bet but provide at minimum a 3-4 business day notice.

You’ll also need to apply for a new connection for utilities, which should be to no surprise if you connected to the old address. Just remember, every provider differentiates in policies so things may vary from the regular process that you’re privy to.

For more information about Australian energy connection and disconnection, check out our article about the topic here.

All Connection & Disconnection Fees

Fees are the reason you need to be prompt when connecting or disconnecting electricity, as in most properties the longer you are connected to the energy grid of an old property, the more you’ll pay through a fixed network service charge (typically only around $1 a day, but it’s still important to note!)

Energy distributors will also charge for the initial move when you first connect or disconnect from an existing connection. Thankfully, much like the fixed network service charge, it’s not as big of a hit to the wallet as you may think, typically in the range of $10 to $60. However, it’s important to note that some distribution networks may charge close to triple digits, depending on the state and which region you’re moving into (looking at you, ACT).

Thankfully, you won’t need to go digging on the internet or calling up providers to know the price of energy plans, as you’ll find a list of electricity connection and disconnection fees below, by state and subsequent energy distributor.

Disclaimer: Updated July 2021. These fees come from the energy distributors, not from the energy retailer you’re connecting through. The following charges will also apply regardless of which retailer you are with.

Utility Connection

Once you’ve understood everything you need to know about electricity connection fees, you’ll need to get all your utilities connected for your new home. Luckily, we know a thing or two about utilities!

At MyConnect, we’re a team of Aussies who will look after your connection needs… and the best bit about our service is that it’s free!

Here are three other ways we can make your life easier:

• We save you time – utilities connected in 1 call
• We have the best service providers – so you’ll only select from Australia’s #1 service providers
• We’re a 100% Australian-based service – we’ll lay out the plans available, who you choose is your call

Connecting electricity is a big hassle on your own, so let us take the stress off your shoulders and lend a hand. If you’re still unconvinced, we have over 1800+ Google reviews from happy customers who were in your position, so get connected today!

All residents from Victoria, Queensland, NSW, and South Australia can get connected today.

If you need some help getting your utilities connected sorted, please call MyConnect on 1300 854 478 or use the Get Connected form here! If you’re unsure about using a utility connection company, this post here can assist you.

Joshua Chadwick

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