Energy complaints increase in Strathbogie Shire

THE Energy and Water Ombudsman (EWOV) has released its annual report, with Strathbogie Shire and the North East seeing spikes in case numbers despite state-wide trends. EWOV, who handles, investigates and resolves complaints from Victorians in the electricity, gas and water sector, reported a downturn in case numbers. The Strathbogie Shire bucked this trend, reporting a 20 per cent hike in cases in the 2022-23 financial year. The shire joins local areas across the North East who have all seen increases in cases, with Wangaratta up by 105pc, Benalla up by 25.58pc and Mansfield up by 13pc. These spikes in cases were dominated by billing issues, including high bills, errors and tariff questions especially around electricity. Ombudsman Catherine Wolthuizen said many billing cases had been triggered by increases in the price of electricity in gas announced earlier in the year. “People often don't understand why the bill is so high and are worried about how they can afford it,” she said. “They want their provider to either do another meter read or check there's no leak, or provide an explanation as to why their bill has gone up so much. “These are all really valid questions for people to ask at a time when households are facing increasing cost of living in other areas. “To see really high increases in some cases is very concerning [for consumers]. “People want an explanation so that they can either get an adjusted bill or manage how they use their electricity and gas to try and keep those costs low or switch to someone else if they think they can get a better deal somewhere else.” Ms Wolthuzien suggested using the Energy Compare website to find better offers suited to their particular energy use.