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The Ombudsman's view

Catherine Wolthuizen

30th anniversary – reflecting on where we’ve come from and looking to the future.

In April, we celebrated EWOV’s 30th anniversary, marking three decades of helping make energy and water markets fairer. As the first industry-based ombudsman service in Australia, EWOV was established to be a critical safeguard for Victorian consumers; putting fairness at the heart of how essential energy and water would be delivered.  Thirty years on, EWOV was named Ombudsmen and Commissions Australian Alternative Dispute (ADR) Group of the Year at the 2026 Australian ADR Awards, which is a fitting reflection of our evolution as a modern Ombudsman scheme. The award recognises how we are putting fairness into action, through innovative complaint handling, driving industry-wide improvements and deep engagement with the community.

Global and local pressures are shaping the everyday lives of Victorian energy consumers. This year we’ve seen the ongoing conflict in the Middle East contribute to rising fuel costs and further amplify existing affordability challenges facing many consumers. One way that many Victorians have responded to these challenges is to switch away from gas and turn to solar, batteries and electric vehicles (EVs) – for environmental reasons and to manage household costs, protecting themselves against future fuel price volatility and insecurity (as noted in this ABC News article). We have seen a rise in complaints about both issues. 

Complaints continue to progress to investigation at a high rate. This quarter we saw 51% more cases progress to investigation compared to the same period last year. At the same time, providers’ internal complaint handling issues are one of the primary drivers of systemic problems we observe, highlighted in our recent Systemic Issues Report 2025. Our experience shows that providers can do more to resolve issues earlier and more effectively. In particular, clear communication about the issues in dispute and the timeframes for resolution can help manage consumer expectations and reduce the number of complaints that are escalated to EWOV.

We’ve seen more complaints and enquiries linked to the rapid uptake of new energy products and services, which shows there’s a clear misalignment between consumer expectations and provider performance. For example, we observed a sharp increase in battery-related complaints and enquiries after the launch of the Cheaper Home Battery Program, with many consumers reporting that providers struggled to meet the demand from the sudden influx of consumers with complex technical configurations.

An increasing share of these concerns relate to providers, products and services that fall outside of our jurisdiction. This creates an uneven playing field, where we can often deal with some or all of a consumer energy resource (CER) complaint about an existing member, but we can’t achieve the same outcomes for providers outside our remit. If consumers cannot resolve any of the diverse range of issues that may arise with their CER products and services, it undermines consumer confidence in this rapidly growing market.

These issues, and likely others that haven’t yet been brought to us, point to a clear need to expand access to external dispute resolution for complaints about CER. We’re working to make this happen, as we continue to engage with policymakers about introducing a requirement for providers of new energy products and services to be members of our scheme. Once they are members, we can apply the relevant laws, regulations and codes to consumer complaints – including Australian Consumer Law – and we can help businesses to identify systemic issues and take action to prevent future harm.   

The big picture

  • In the January to March quarter, EWOV received 6,090 cases, up 33% from 4,572 received last year. For the financial year up until the end of the March quarter, EWOV received 17,846 cases, up 19% from the same period last year (14,937), with significant increases across all industries. 

  • Electricity cases (3,016) are up 41%.  

    • EWOV has observed a steady increase in complaints involving solar power and other consumer energy resource (CER) products and services. We received around twice the volume of solar cases (384) this quarter compared to last quarter (252) and last year (244), with around a third of these out of jurisdiction.  

    • In two of the top electricity complaint categories this quarter (general enquiries and provision cases), CER-related cases comprise 25% and 31% of cases in these categories respectively.  

  • Gas cases (1,641) are up 34%.  

    • While complaints about higher-than-expected bills continue to be the main driver of gas cases, we receive a steady stream of complaints about issues arising from consumer-initiated gas disconnections as more consumers seek to switch away from gas.  

  • Water cases (1,380) are up 20% compared to the same quarter last year.  

    • While Greater Western Water cases continue to be a major driver of complaints to EWOV, water cases overall are still up 22% compared to last year excluding Greater Western Water.  

    • Greater Western Water cases commonly involve data, billing, customer service and affordability issues.  

    • More broadly across the water industry, complaints reflect the impact of regulated price increases on consumer bills and leaks and other asset issues arising from ageing infrastructure.   

  • The number of complaints progressing to investigation remains high, with overall investigation volumes over the January to March quarter 51% higher compared to the same period last year. High bills are the most common issue.  

You can explore more statistics in our Data Hub.

Issues watch

Home battery and other CER cases continue to rise

EWOV received four times as many battery cases this year compared to last, with cases steadily increasing over the past few years.

Complaints cover a range of issues such as higher-than-expected bills, problems with how solar feed-in tariffs were calculated and applied, and technical and installation issues that impact the battery functioning. 

We’ve also received complaints about solar feed-in tariffs that are well below what the consumer expected to be credited. For example, multiple cases involve consumers reporting feed-in tariffs close to zero dollars (e.g. 0.4 cents p/kWh) where they expected a substantially higher feed-in tariff (e.g. 4c p/kWh). As a result of an amendment to the Electricity Industry Act 2000 in 2025, the minimum feed-in tariff was deregulated, so now retailers can set their own feed-in tariffs (DEECA, Solar feed-in tariff). While these changes reflect plentiful solar generation during day, they highlight the potential for misaligned consumer expectations – which can be frustrating, confusing and drive up complaints. 

We’re also observing a small but growing number of cases involving both home batteries and Virtual Power Plant (VPP) services, highlighting unique challenges for consumers arising from bundled CER products and services. These cases involve issues with trying to switch retailers but batteries being “locked” to one as well as data and billing concerns. 

Our jurisdiction allows us to handle only certain CER issues – where the complaint is about a provider who is required to be a member of our scheme and the CER issue is connected to an area where we already have jurisdiction (such as billing). We can’t take complaints about providers who are not required to be members of EWOV, or who provide products and services that do not require a licence or exemption – we record these complaints as enquiries only. We’ve observed an increase in enquiries this quarter, driven in part by cases involving CER, with three times as many CER enquiries received this quarter compared to the same quarter last year.  

Consumers finding it hard to disconnect gas

High gas bills continue to be the primary driver of gas complaints to EWOV, highlighting the real-life impact of increased gas prices in recent years. Many consumers are already reducing or stopping their gas use, which drives up prices for those consumers who cannot make this switch.  

Policymakers and market bodies are considering changes that might be needed to support an orderly and fair transition, from pricing network costs to tariff redesign, to clarifying process for disconnecting gas supply.  

We’ve observed a steady volume of cases that illustrate the difficulty consumers experience as they navigate processes to disconnect or abolish their gas supply. A common theme is that consumers are confused about the different options available to disconnect from gas. Consumers have also made complaints about ongoing supply charges addressed “to the occupier” after raising a disconnection request. This suggests providers do not always provide clear, consistent information about the disconnection process.  

EWOV welcomed the Essential Services Commission’s (ESC) proposal to introduce information requirements for retailers to address consumer ambiguity about the different kinds of gas disconnection services and ongoing billing impacts, through its stage 2 of Energy Retail Code of Practice review.  

Consumer stories

Unexpected changes to electricity rates

Brian* lodged a complaint with EWOV that the electricity usage rate (or tariff) he was charged had been changed without his consent.

Brian’s electricity plan includes a variable usage rate that changes according to wholesale market prices. In late 2024, Brian’s retailer notified him about a network tariff that would likely be advantageous, so he opted in to this. This network tariff included an off-peak rate of 0c for the network usage component between 10am to 3pm and a peak rate period between 4pm to 9pm. 

In mid-2025, the retailer’s app showed the tariff had changed. The peak rate period was now 3pm to 9pm and the off-peak rate increasing to 6c. Brain contacted his retailer. He was told the charge was correct and in accordance with the plan he originally signed up for and that it was just the app displaying an error, but this error had now been addressed. 

Some months later 2025, the same error happened again – the app showed different rates. Brian contacted his retailer again but did not receive a response. So, Brian contacted EWOV. He told us about this and said his smart energy management system was also not functioning efficiently. This was because incorrect usage rate information in the app was causing erroneous charging and discharging of his home battery and solar power grid usage, which made him lose money. 

Through our investigation, we found that the distributor had been trialling a network tariff that Brian had opted into with his retailer. However, the distributor had not extended the trial beyond the end of the financial year. When the trial ended, the distributor automatically reassigned Brian’s metering rates to the default network rate. 

When Brian first complained about the change in rates, the retailer advised EWOV they had not been notified by the distributor of the changes to network tariffs – which caused confusion. The retailer confirmed that Brian had been billed correctly based on his actual metered usage and the network-assigned tariff in place at the relevant time, and explained that Brian could not be reinstated on the trial network rates as it had been closed by the distributor.  

In recognition of the poor customer service and confusing information provided, the retailer offered Brian a service gesture of $100. He agreed to this and we closed the case. 

*Name changed for privacy.  

Confusion around gas disconnection process

Kathleen* complained about being charged for gas supply after she’d requested to have her gas disconnected. 

Kathleen contacted her retailer to request her gas connection be disconnected because she had converted to all electric appliances and no longer used gas. The retailer offered to remove her gas meter, but she declined this.  

Her retailer emailed her to confirm her gas would be disconnected, and it was raised as a moveout request. Kathleen also continued to receive bills for gas supply charges, for which she was direct debited. Kathleen explained to EWOV that she had repeatedly contacted her provider but had not been able to resolve the issue and had to cancel the direct debit arrangement.  

After raising an initial complaint with EWOV, Kathleen reported the matter was still unresolved. Her gas retailer advised her that the billing would stop, it reversed bills issued since the account closing and it offered an additional customer service gesture. But Kathleen reported she continued to receive bills for gas connection supply charge.  

Her retailer then said that, because Kathleen’s gas meter remains at the property, an “occupier” account would continue to be generated until the meter and connection had been fully abolished. Based on government information about gas disconnection processes, Kathleen expected service charges to stop once the meter was disconnected.  

As a result of EWOV’s investigation, we confirmed that the retailer had removed the service from the consumer’s name instead of raising a disconnection service order, resulting in the “occupier” account being created.  

The retailer offered to arrange for the gas meter to be locked and plugged (a form of temporary disconnection), with all associated costs waived, and provided an apology for miscommunication regarding the disconnection process. Kathleen agreed and we closed the case.

*Name changed for privacy.  

Systemic issues

EWOV has observed multiple instances of retailers limiting access to payment difficulty assistance for consumers who have an outstanding balance owing and who have closed their accounts – for example, when they switch retailers or move house.

Most recently, we investigated a retailer after identifying cases just like this – where it had cancelled payment plans linked to a consumer’s account when they moved address, without consulting the consumer. We also looked into the retailer’s approach to recovering outstanding amounts. The retailer was encouraging consumers to pay their outstanding amounts in full and only offering payment extensions if consumers indicated they could not pay entire outstanding amounts.

We made two recommendations for this retailer to change its approach:

  • Firstly, we recommended the retailer update its approach – when a consumer has a payment plan, don’t cancel it if they move address and close their account. There can be a limited set of exceptions to this, for example, when the consumer provides explicit consent for the retailer to end their payment plan. The retailer told us it has updated its approach to reflect this.

  • Secondly, we recommended that when the retailer contacts consumers about changes to payment difficulty assistance, its approach considers what support it previously provided to the consumer and considers the consumer’s individual circumstances. The retailer acknowledged problems with its approach and committed to adopting our recommendation.

To date, EWOV has conducted six systemic investigations relating to potential problems of retailers limiting payment difficulty assistance for closed accounts. We found there were systemic problems with the approaches for three retailers and better practice opportunities for the remaining three. 

These practices highlight confusion amongst retailers about how obligations in the Energy Retail Code of Practice and the principles in the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s (ACCC) Debt Collection Guideline are applied to customers with closed accounts. The practices may also undermine the effective operation of the energy market by discouraging consumers from comparing prices and trying to lower their energy costs by changing retailers. EWOV’s Systemic Issues Report 2025 includes good practice guidance for providers in these circumstances.  

We welcome the ESC exploring potential measures to provide clarity and improve outcomes for consumers in its current review of the Energy Retail Code of Practice.

Outreach and engagement

At the Energy Consumers Australia Foresighting Forum in February, our Ombudsman and CEO Catherine Wolthuizen spoke to over 200 attendees on how external dispute resolution drives change in an evolving market. She shared the need for stronger, end-to-end consumer protections to de-risk take up of consumer energy resources (CER). 

From January to March 2026, our Care Connect team delivered 14 outreach events, presentations and community sessions, reaching approximately 2,000 Victorian consumers.  

One highlight was the Financial Counsellors Victorian Disaster Resilience Summit, where the team heard directly from people with lived experience of disaster.  

The team also had the privilege to attend the Koorie Women’s Place event. This was a special opportunity to continue EWOV’s respectful engagement with communities while also growing EWOV’s knowledge and understanding of good practice when engaging and partnering with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community members and organisations. 

In February, the team attended an event with the Victorian Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA) at a Richmond public housing high‑rise where residents were in the process of relocation. Residents shared their serious concerns about relocating, particularly about embedded networks, high energy bills and difficulty paying bills. The team provided on‑the‑spot assistance such as advising on Utility Relief Grants and best offer plans, as well as lodging complaints (where appropriate) and discussing embedded network issues. EWOV’s presence at the event complemented DEECA's work in supporting the community through this transition. 

See our upcoming outreach events.

Submissions and policy engagement

Better protections for life support customers (ESC)  

April 2026  

We expressed our support for the Commission’s proposed changes, which intend to increase the accuracy of life support registers to triage and contact consumers during prolonged outages and to clarify the roles and responsibilities of retailers and distributors when registering life support customers and communicating with those customers about outages.  

Read our submission online

Strengthening protections for energy consumers in Victoria (ESC)  

May 2026  

We welcomed the Commission’s continued work to revise the Energy Retail Code of Practice, with stage 2 focused on addressing key consumer harms, aligning rules with other jurisdictions and improving clarity, consistency and enforceability. We shared our evidence-based insights and recommended changes to improve outcomes for victim survivors of family violence, and for consumers when they have debt on closed accounts and when making complaints. 

Our submission also highlighted the benefits of continuing a shift towards a more principles-based regulatory approach, coupled with the introduction of an overarching consumer duty. A principles-based regulatory approach set outs clear expectations on the standards retailers must meet. When combined with an overarching consumer duty, it helps to ensure the Code is applied in a way that reflects its broader consumer protection intent, not just technical compliance with individual rules. 

Read our submission online  

Glossary

Visit the Data Hub for a full glossary of terms.