Storm response FAQs

To support Victorians impacted by extended power outages following the storm on 29 October 2021, the Victorian Government is providing a Prolonged Power Outage Payment. The payment will be $1,680 per week, per household, for up to 3 weeks.

To support Victorian businesses impacted by extended power outages following the storm on 29 October 2021, the Victorian government is providing a Prolonged Power Outage Pay for businesses. The payment will be $2,500 per week, per business, for up to three weeks.

We are assisting with the roll-out of these payments.

To be eligible for the Prolonged Power Outage Payment you must:

Have a residential electricity account and fall within AusNet Services’ distribution area, 

Remain without power as at 12.01am Friday, 5 November 2021, due to the 29 October 2021 severe weather event, and

Not received a prolonged power outage payment for the same electricity account (NMI) following storm event 29 October, 2021.

Eligibility will be determined on a week-to-week basis. Customers who remain without power as at 12:01am Friday, 12 November 2021 will be entitled to the second week's payment, and customers who remain without power as at 12.01am Friday, 19 November 2021 will be entitled to the third and final payment.

To be eligible for the Business Prolonged Power Outage Payment, your business must:

Remain without power as at 12.01am Friday, 5 November 2021, due to the 29 October 2021 severe weather event, and

Have an annual payroll of less than $10 million.

The State Revenue Office will validate all business applications.

The payment is $1,680 per week, per household, for up to 3 weeks.

The payment is $2,500 per week, per business, for up to 3 weeks.

Eligibility will be determined on a week-to-week basis. Customers who remain without power as at 12:01am Friday, 12 November 2021 will be entitled to the second week’s payment, and customers who remain without power as at 12.01am Friday, 19 November 2021 will be entitled to the third and final payment.

Apply here now.

You’ll need to provide your details exactly as they appear on your power bill. Required details will include your name, address, NMI and meter number. You’ll also need to provide your banking details.

For business payments, you’ll also need to provide your ABN, registered business name and your banking details.

Prepare to apply

The application form will require you to enter information exactly as it is shown on your power bill which you receive from your retailer. To make sure you’re ready to apply:  

• Make sure your contact details are up to date with your retailer (the company who sends your power bills)
• Locate a power bill, the application form will require you to enter details exactly as they are on your bill
• Locate your ABN & legal business name if you are applying as a business
• Have your bank account details ready, payments will be made by EFT

Yes. If you have an ABN, a registered legal business name and meet all other eligibility criteria, you can apply for the payment for businesses.

No. You can only access one type of Prolonged Power Outage Payment. If you have already received the residential payment, you can apply for the business payment. Once your application is validated, you will receive a payment with the difference of $820.

For eligible residential customers still impacted by a prolonged power outage since 12.01am on October 29, small generators are being made available for those still off power on Friday 5 November by the Department of Land, Environment, Water and Planning for those most in need. Please call the Department of Land. Environment, Water and Planning on 1800 518 123 now to express interest and check on eligibility and timing. Generator Fact-sheet

Single line faults may not appear on Outage Tracker. If there is damage at your premises, or to your private electrical line, contact a registered electrician to arrange repairs.

There are a  large number of incidents right across our network under investigation. Restoration times will be displayed and updated once our crews have safely assessed and ETRs are known. Given the widespread damage, it is likely to take some time to fully assess all incidents. If the outage in your area is not listed, please call us on 13 17 99 to report a fault. Please be patient as our customer service team answer a high volume of calls.    

Please call our fault line on 13 17 99. 

You will need to provide the full service address, your name, and best contact number if the fault is happening at your home.

If you are reporting a fault for elsewhere, for example a downed powerline on you street, you will need to give us the nearest street address. If this isn't possible, please let us know as much as you can about the location of the fault to help us locate it accurately.

Planned outages and new connections have been paused as our crews are mobilised to impacted areas.

There is a possibility that there is damage to the connection point on your property. There may be visible damage, like the power line is pulling away from your property or there may be damage to the property end of the service line that is not visible, such as an issue with the mains switch. 

Please check your meter box. If there are lights on, it is very likely there is a defect on your side of the meter. If there are no lights on in your meter, please call us on 13 77 99 and one of our team will provide further advice. 

Ahead of the works in your area, you may like to arrange for a Registered Electrical Contractor (REC or Electrician) to inspect your connection and ensure that your property is safe to connect. If there is damage to your property, it may not be safe for our crews to restore power to your location. 

Please enact your contingency plan immediately. If you need assistance, please call our dedicated 24-hour life support line on 1800 818 832.

You may be able to claim up to for food loss. To submit a claim, please use our online claim form, or call 1300 360 795. 

If you have been without power for an extended period, your food may no longer be safe to consume. Please consult the Health Victoria website for further information.  

For details on water quality, please contact your local water supplier.

In most cases, your solar system will not work during a power outage. 

Do not try to change any wiring or settings on your solar equipment. Doing so may cause serious injury to you, the general public or our field crews when they are working on lines connected to your network. For the electricity system to work (be in on a small scale in your home or on a large scale across the whole electricity network), electricity produced needs to match the electricity consumed almost exactly at any point in time. Unless you have a home battery that is set up to work as an isolated system, your solar panels will not work.  

For more information on why your solar system does not work during an outage, please refer to our fact sheet. 

If you have a generator incorrectly wired to your house, it needs to be disconnected immediately as there is a serious risk that it will electrocute your household, your neighbours or our field team. Any wired-in generators must be installed by a qualified electrician.

If you think your generator has been improperly installed, turn it off immediately.

If you need any assistance with your generator, please contact an electrician.