Life support equipment is equipment that is powered by electricity that your medical practitioner certifies is required for a person living at an address.  The most common types of life support equipment are:

• oxygen concentrator
• intermittent peritoneal dialysis machine
• kidney dialysis machine
• chronic positive airways pressure respirator
• Crigler Najjar syndrome phototherapy equipment
• ventilator for life support 

More information about the types of life support equipment can be found in Schedule 10 of the Energy Retail Code at www.esc.vic.gov.au.

Registering with us

If you or someone living at your address needs power to operate life support equipment, you can register your premises as having life support equipment with AusNet Services.  There are some important things you need to know about life support mentioned below.  You must also complete and return to us a completed medical confirmation form to ensure you benefit from special protections for premises with life support equipment. 

Please contact our Customer Contact Centre on 1300 360 795 between 8am and 5pm weekdays to start the process of registering the life support equipment at your premises.  If you need an interpreter, please call 131 450.  Alternatively, you can call your energy retailer to register your premises as having life support equipment with them.  

You must ask your medical practitioner to confirm that life support equipment is registered at your address.  You need to complete and return a medical confirmation form, which you can obtain by calling us or your energy retailer, or your premises could be removed from the register of addresses that require life support equipment.  If this happens, the special protections you have under the energy rules will no longer apply.

You may be eligible for concessions and rebates offered by the government.  Please contact your energy retailer for information about how to access concessions you may be eligible for.  You can find additional information on energy and life support-related concessions at https://services.dhhs.vic.gov.au/energy.

Occasionally, we might need to turn off your power to carry out planned maintenance works to ensure the network is safe and reliable.   When we plan to do this, we will give you at least 4 business days’ written notice of the expected date, time and duration you will be without power.  

Not all power interruptions are planned.  Unplanned interruptions can and do occur as a result of events out of our control (such as storms and bushfires, or equipment failure).  For this reason, registering as a life-support customer doesn’t guarantee you a continuous supply of power.  It’s important that you have a plan in place in case your power is interrupted.  This may include having a battery or generator as an alternate source of supply, going to a family/friend’s house with power, or going to the hospital.  Please discuss with your medical practitioner what you will do if you do not have power for your life support equipment.  Your doctor or healthcare professional should have explained what to do if your life-support machine stops working; if you’re unclear of what steps to follow, please contact your doctor immediately.  

• If you believe you have a life-threatening situation, please call 000.  
• If you have any questions, please contact our Customer Contact Centre on 1300 360 795 between 8am and 5pm weekdays.  
• If you are experiencing a power outage you can call our 24x7 life support priority line on 1800 818 832 who will endeavour to get your power back on as soon as possible.  
• For more information about the energy rules that protect life support customers, go to www.esc.vic.gov.au.