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Natural gas customer charter

Aurora Energy Pty Ltd (Aurora Energy) is here to provide a total energy solution to our customers backed by technical and customer service excellence.

This Gas Customer Charter complements the standard terms and conditions of your contract and outlines our customer service commitment and the standards we will provide to our gas residential and business customers.

A separate Customer Charter is available for electricity customers which is available by calling 1300 13 2003 for residential customers or 1300 13 2045 for business customers or on this website.

If you would like a large print version of this document, call us on 1300 13 2003 for residential customers or 1300 13 2045 for business customers.

Aurora Energy as your gas retailer
Your account
Payment of accounts
Understanding your natural gas bill
Keeping your gas flowing
Disconnection
Gas safety and emergencies
The Aurora Energy customer service commitment
Your basic responsibilities as our customer
Practical advice and useful information – 1300 13 2003 & 1300 13 2045
When you phone us
Feedback and complaints
We'll make every effort...
Translation information
How to contact Aurora Energy
Download the PDF version of our natural gas charter (PDF 362 KB)

Aurora Energy as your gas retailer

As your gas retailer we will assist you with connections, disconnections, billing and energy advice.

We will also liaise on your behalf with the gas distribution company, Powerco Tasmania Pty Ltd (Powerco Tasmania), who are responsible for the maintenance of the gas pipes, your gas meter and the gas supply to your home or business.

As a gas customer of Aurora Energy we will use our best endeavours to ensure gas is available to you at your home or business by your nominated connection date. Please note, in some cases we may request you provide a refundable advance payment prior to us arranging the connection of gas to your home or business.

Your account

We are committed to providing you with clear and accurate accounts.

As a gas customer of Aurora Energy you can be assured that our prices and service fees are clearly communicated.

Any connection and distribution services fees imposed by the distributor and acquired by Aurora in order to supply you with gas will either be passed through to you, or built into the bundled charges payable under your contract.

We will mail you an account every three months that will give you all the information you need to understand how much gas you are using and clearly outline:

a charge for the gas you have used during the billing period
a summarised breakdown of charges
the account due by date and payment methods available.

However, if Powerco Tasmania is unable to access or read your gas meter, we will provide you with estimated gas consumption.

If you receive an estimated account this will be clearly detailed on your account. The account following the next available meter reading will include the balance of the charges since the last meter reading or if the consumption was overestimated the charges will be amended and you will be advised accordingly.

If there is an error with your account we will confirm it, correct it and then mail you a replacement account within ten business days of the confirmation.

Any amount due from you that is not paid by the due date shown on the account will be treated as being overdue and you may then incur an overdue account fee of $5 and become liable for the payment of interest at the bank bill rate on the overdue amount calculated from the due date.

Information on our current gas prices and service fees can be obtained by ringing 1300 13 2003 for residential customers or 1300 13 2045 for business customers or by this website.

Payment of accounts

We understand that our customers have different needs, so we offer a range of payment options:

by Direct Debit from your bank or credit union (residential customers call 1300 13 2003 or business customers call 1300 13 2045 to arrange)
by mailing a cheque to Aurora Energy, at Locked Bag 4, Hobart Tas 7001
by BPAY (talk to your financial institution)
in person at a Post Office or Service Tasmania
by CentrePay (contact Aurora Energy or Centrelink to apply).

We understand that sometimes customers have difficulty paying accounts. In these cases we are committed to providing a range of fair and appropriate options.

We will where possible avoid disconnection and legal action, and work with customers to enable them to pay via arrangements that better suit their income and expenditure.

Aurora Energy provides a range of initiatives to assist customers in financial difficulty including:

payment plans and debt reduction arrangements
financial counselling reference services
energy efficiency advice.

If you are having difficulty paying an account, we can help - residential customers call 1300 13 2003 and business customers call 1300 13 2045 when you get your bill.

Understanding your natural gas bill

This is what your Aurora natural gas bill looks like, where to find things and what they mean. A printable version of the Understanding your natural gas bill fact sheet (PDF 244kB) is also available.

Please note this is a sample bill only - figures are representative.

Your name and mailing address.
Your account number. This is the number you should quote when requiring more information about your account or logging in online.
The title of your account.
The total of all charges relating to the supply and use of Natural Gas at the premises to which this statement applies.
The payments made since your last statement, including the dates payments were made.
The payment slip shows account number, amount due and pay by date.
The amount due for payment. This will appear as the "Opening Balance" on your next statement.
This box may contain a message, which is specific to your particular account, or a general information message.
The premises to which the statement applies.
The summarised breakdown of charges.

Please note this is a sample bill only - figures are representative.

National meter identifier – this number is allocated by your gas distributor to identify your home or business as having a natural gas connection. As long as you continue to have natural gas supplied to your home this number will never change.
The detailed breakdown of charges.
Your services charge, meter charge, demand or energy rate. Your energy rate may include 'steps' if applicable.
This number is used to identify the meter that is attached to your home or business. Each meter has its own number and if your meter is changed (e.g. due to maintenance or upgrades) the new meter will have its own identification number.
Megajoule – a joule is the basic unit of energy used in the natural gas industry. Your natural gas usage is calculated in megajoules (MJ). There are 1 000 000 joules in 1 MJ.
Your gas account will display your gas consumption over the past 12 months.
Details of payment methods available to Aurora Energy customers.

Keeping your gas flowing

Powerco Tasmania is responsible for the supply of gas to your home or business. To ensure a continual supply of quality gas Powerco Tasmania may need to interrupt your supply for maintenance purposes or in the case of an emergency.

If you have any faults or emergencies in relation to your gas supply you can call Powerco Tasmania on 180 2111, 24 hours a day.

Disconnection

As a last resort Aurora Energy may request the distributor to disconnect your gas supply if you have failed to pay your account and you have not entered into an agreed payment arrangement with us.

Before we request disconnection these steps will be followed:

Your account will be due not less than 14 days after it is issued to you.
We will send a written reminder four business days after the due date if the account is unpaid.
We will send another written reminder 14 business days from the initial due date if the account remains unpaid, advising of Aurora Energy's intention to disconnect supply.
If your account remains unpaid five business days after the notice of disconnection is sent, we may then request the distributor to disconnect your gas supply.

If, after requesting the distributor to disconnect supply, you either pay the account or enter into a payment arrangement, we will make every effort to prevent disconnection occurring. We will reconnect the supply address at your request, after the reason for disconnection has been addressed and on payment of reconnection costs reflecting our direct costs arising from the disconnection and reconnection.

Gas safety and emergencies

Gas leak or smell of gas in home
Turn off supply at meter, open doors and windows, remove ignition sources, then contact your gas fitter
Gas leak or smell of gas in street or at meter
Contact Powerco on 1800 2111
Disruption to supply
Aurora or Powerco will contact you directly or via the media, depending on the circumstances

The Aurora Energy customer service commitment

As a customer of Aurora Energy we make certain obligations and commitments to you regarding our standard of service:

We will be courteous, friendly and efficient in all our dealings with you.
We will respect your privacy and treat your information with care.
We will use plain English in our documents and in our contact with you.
We will ensure that all our public areas are accessible to people with disabilities.
We will provide for the needs of the visually and hearing impaired to access our services. (For example, by using a freecall number you can connect to our teletype facility. Call 1800 651 246.)

Your basic responsibilities as our customer

As an Aurora Energy customer your basic responsibilities are:

to pay the account balance by the due date shown on your account
to ensure that all information you give us is correct and to notify us of any changes
if you are moving, to give us at least three business days notice (so that a final meter reading can be done) and a forwarding address
not to misuse, tamper or interfere with gas supply pipes, meters or equipment on your property, or to allow anyone else to do so
to use gas safely and in accordance with legal requirements
not to interfere with the supply of gas to any other person or property
to allow authorised staff or contractors clear access to read the gas meter, to inspect, test or replace equipment or to undertake emergency repairs at any time
to ensure that access can be gained safely and that any animal on your property is under control
to maintain in safe condition all pipes, fittings, appliances and equipment from the point of connection to your premises.

Please call 1300 13 2003 for residential customers or 1300 13 2045 for business customers if you have any questions.

Practical advice and useful information – 1300 13 2003 & 1300 13 2045

Information on Aurora Energy – If you want general information about Aurora Energy, contact our operators on our general enquiries number.
Expert energy advice – We provide a range of advice and information on gas use to meet your individual needs. Call us on 1300 13 2003 for residential customers or 1300 13 2045 for business customers.
Aurora Preferred Suppliers and Aurora Preferred Gas Installers – Aurora Energy has a number of Preferred Suppliers and Preferred Gas Installers who can help you with your home and business heating, cooking and hot water needs.

If you choose to use an Aurora Preferred Supplier or Preferred Gas Installer, you are assured of the Aurora Energy standard of service. All have been accredited under Aurora's Preferred Supplier standards and Aurora's Preferred Gas Installer standards, and their advice is backed up by guarantees on appliance installations and workmanship, commonly known as AOK.

If a problem arises they will fix it.

In the unlikely event of any difficulty, call us on 1300 13 2003 for residential customers or 1300 13 2045 for business customers and we'll investigate. For more information on Aurora Preferred Suppliers and Aurora Preferred Gas Installers, call 1300 13 2003 for residential customers or 1300 13 2045 for business customers.

When you phone us

We provide a range of '13' telephone numbers so that you never have to pay more than a local call (calls from mobile phones may incur a higher fee).

A summary of our numbers appears at the end of this Charter under How to contact Aurora Energy and in your telephone directory.

Our customer service standards for phone calls are:

We will always answer with our operator's name.
We will transfer you only once – after that we'll call you back with the correct contact at a time arranged with you.
If we can't answer your enquiry on the spot, we will return your call within an agreed time.

Feedback and complaints

We are committed to act on your comments. Call us on freecall 1800 80 0753 to provide feedback or lodge a complaint.

Complaints will be handled according to their complexity, by Aurora staff who have an appropriate level of experience and authority. We will listen carefully and courteously and if we have made an error, we'll admit our mistake and apologise.

If we cannot provide you with a response immediately we will acknowledge the receipt of your enquiry and either return your call or send you a written reply within ten business days.

You can also write to us at GPO Box 191, Hobart Tasmania 7001.

Alternatively you can contact Aurora via our Customer enquiry and feedback form

If you are not satisfied with our response, you may refer the matter to the Energy Ombudsman on 1300 76 6725.

We'll make every effort...

Occasionally exceptional circumstances prevent us from meeting your service request. These include: when the gas distributor cannot obtain access to your house or premises; emergencies; major disruption to supplies; action by third parties (such as vandalism); or risks to safety. Although we cannot offer guarantees in these cases, we will make every effort to give you the best possible service.