Submission to the SA Select Committee on Energy Affordability and Competitiveness

South Australian consumers face significant affordability pressures. ECA’s consumer surveys show South Australians report greater difficulty paying electricity bills and have higher levels of concern about the cost of energy than the national average.

We welcome measures to improve energy affordability for South Australian consumers.

For households and small businesses, energy affordability depends on how much energy they use, and how much they pay for that energy use. Both levers – reducing overall energy demand and reducing energy prices – play key roles in improving affordability.

Our submission recommends measures to improve affordability including:

• supporting electrification and manage consumer risks as gas networks decline 
• improving network utilisation and tariff design 
• reducing risks to consumers from debt and disconnection
• effectively regulating data centres to manage energy consumer risks.

Read more in our submission (PDF, 525.76KB). ​