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All Victorian households are eligible for a one-off Victorian Government payment of $250 to help drive down the cost of living – and the Council-run West Warrnambool Neighbourhood House can help you apply.
With applications for the $250 Power Saving Bonus now open, appointments are now available to help anyone who needs it with the application process.
Over the past year West Warrnambool Neighbourhood House staff helped more than 200 people apply for a similar rebate that was only open to concession card holders, so they are very familiar with the process.
“The application for the rebate needs to be done online, and a lot of the people I worked with weren’t confident with using computers,” West Warrnambool Neighbourhood House Coordinator Jill Bourke said.
“So all you need to do is make an appointment and bring in your most recent electricity bill – we will take care of the rest and it only takes about five minutes to do.
“We can even help you find a better deal on electricity and gas using the Victorian Government’s impartial Victorian Energy Compare tool, so you’re getting a $250 payment now and saving money in the long run too.”
Warrnambool Mayor Cr Vicki Jellie said Council wanted to do everything it could to make it as easy as possible for everyone to apply.
“With the Power Saving Bonus open to everyone who pays an electricity bill, that’s up to $3.7 million in direct cash payments to local households – so it’s great news for the local economy,” she said.
“With an online application process, there is still a large portion of our community who would have trouble completing this on their own – they might not have the internet at home, English might not be their first language or there could be a number of other reasons, so that’s why the West Warrnambool Neighbourhood House is here to help.
“This payment is in addition to the earlier Power Saving Bonus for concession card holders so if you successfully applied for that one, you can apply for this one too.”
To make an appointment call Jill on 0418 944 276 or email [email protected].
Applications for the Power Saving Bonus can also be made online on the Victorian Energy Compare website at https://compare.energy.vic.gov.au/