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Home>Australia>About Heinz Australia>Student Life>Housing>Utilities
Utilities
Organising utility connection can seem daunting. Due to privacy laws Heinz College is not able to arrange connection of utilities on your behalf. You need to ring utilities companies and arrange new connections a few days before moving to your new home (unless other arrangements are in place with your landlord – ask if unsure). Let each provider know the date and time you would like the connections to be made. This is particularly important with electricity (and gas if you have a gas connection) to ensure you are not left without light and heating/cooling etc.
It should be noted however that increasingly landlords/agents are providing tenants with contact details for companies which will arrange all utility connection for you. It is in your best interest to do your own research before proceeding with this. There is a wide range of service providers and service plans which you will be responsible for choosing. Based on your input the company will then arrange connection i.e. these types of companies are not responsible for advising which option(s) you should select.
Telephone
There are two carriers of home telephone services in Australia – Telstra and Optus. Telstra is the company that owns the infrastructure. There are two types of connection – check with your landlord/agent when inspecting a property for rent:
- An existing (in place) connection – this is where a service can be connected without a technician visiting your home and costs between $59 and $125.
- New Service connection – this is where there is no phone point (quite uncommon) and where a technician is required to visit your home to install one. A standard single connections costs approximately AU$210.
You will need to meet Telstra’s credit rating to receive full access (local, interstate or overseas). Until then, you can purchase a Phone Away card (from Telstra shops, Post Offices and most newsagents) to enable you to phone overseas. This pre-paid card calling card works from virtually any phone in Australia. Note: you may find that using calling cards (see the General Information section) will ultimately be cheaper for your international calls.
Handsets are available from a Telstra shop or Post Office for rent (AU$3 per month plus a one-off fee of $20). Handsets can alternatively be purchased at Telstra, department stores and electrical stores. Service plans, including local calls vary in cost, and depend on your level of usage, so you will need to ask your service provider for information. Contact:
Once your telephone is connected, you can choose from a number of companies to carry your local, interstate (STD) and international (ISD) calls. It’s a good idea to shop around to find a service provider with good rates that suit your telephone usage pattern.
Local calls are not timed in Australia - they are set at a fixed (flat) rate. There are peak and off-peak times for STD, ISD and mobile calls. Calls you make during off-peak times will cost you less than calls made during peak times (for most countries). Ask you carrier and/or service provider for details.
Telephone bills can be paid on a 1, 2 or 3 month billing cycle. New customers are usually placed on a monthly billing cycle. Each bill lists the total cost of local calls, calls to mobile phones and details of STD and ISD calls. This helps to split or apportion the bill if sharing a house.
Electricity and Gas
South Australia has a deregulated energy market, which means that you can choose a provider for these services. There are five providers in the domestic market:
- Origin – offers gas and electricity – default* provider for gas. Tel: 13 24 63
- AGL SA – offers gas and electricity – default* provider for electricity. Tel: 13 1245
- TXU – offers gas and electricity. Tel: 13 3466
- Energy Australia – offers gas and electricity. Tel: 13 8808
- Power Direct – offers electricity only. Tel: 8357 7511
* This means that if you or a previous tenant has not selected a provider, this company will provide your gas or electricity service.
When you are choosing your energy provider(s), you need to know that most providers will want you to enter into a ‘market contract’, which means that you agree to use their service for a fixed period (usually at least one year). If you break the contract you will be charged a penalty. The contract is between you and the provider therefore if you move, the contract moves with you. Following is a series of questions you need to consider before signing a market contract:
- What price will you pay?
- Is a security deposit required?
- How and when will you be billed?
- When must you pay?
- What is the length of the contact and what are the penalties for breaking it?
Ensure that your energy retailer explains to you exactly how much you have to pay and whether there are any other costs before you agree to a contract.
Origin Energy (gas) and AGL (electricity) are ‘default providers’. Before the South Australian energy market was deregulated, they were the only providers of these services. Default providers are obliged to offer a ‘standing contract’ for their default service – this is a contract that has no fixed term, so you are not tied to them for a particular period of time.
To help make a decision about which is the best provider for you, you can call the Energy Choice Comparison Service on 1800 226 100 and ask for assistance. You can also do your own research at www.escosa.sa.gov.au. In both cases you will likely be asked about previous energy consumption so you will need to explain that you are new to South Australia. Another good site for information is www.energy.sa.gov.au/home/competition/faq.htm.
Your electricity and gas costs will vary for each season, and your bill will depend on how many appliances you use, and for how long. Your average bill may AU$50 – AU$70 per month, and as you will receive your bill each quarter, you will need to budget for AU$150-AU$210. You'll use most electricity in the winter and summer months when you're either heating or cooling your accommodation so budget accordingly. Good advice on saving energy can be found at www.energy.sa.gov.au/home/index.htm or by contacting the Energy Advisory Service on 8204 1888.
Water
Water should already be running at any property you're leasing. A landlord may, by agreement, pass any part or all of the charges associated with the supply of water onto the tenant. Sewerage charges are always the responsibility of the landlord.
Often landlords and tenants agree to share the costs of the water, with the landlord responsible for the charges for an agreed amount of kilolitres per year and the tenant then responsible for the rest. The landlord could however be responsible for all the water charges or conversely the tenant could be responsible. The agreement you reach with the landlord should be included as an additional condition in the residential tenancy agreement (lease agreement). Do not sign the agreement if it is not.
In the absence of an agreement, the Residential Tenancies Act 1995 sets out responsibilities. If no agreement exists the landlord is responsible for all charges for the first 136 kilolitres of water per year, including the quarterly water supply charge. The tenant is responsible for the charges relating to water usage over the first 136 kilolitres.
It is important that the water meter at your accommodation is read at the beginning and end of the tenancy agreement if you're going to be responsible for any or all of the water charges.
Follow the checklist below when moving:
- Advise the university of your new address (details to the Director of Programs – International students note: this is a visa requirement).
- Notify family and friends of your new address.
- Notify the Consulate or Embassy of your address details if you have previously registered.
- Advise utility providers and arrange disconnections/connections as appropriate.
- Find out your local garbage and recycling collection days.
- Advise your bank of your new address details.