Read the resources we produce on electricity and gas performance and reporting.
Electricity and gas market performance and reporting
The Essential Service Commission monitors, investigates and enforces compliance with Victoria's energy regulatory framework.
As part of our monitoring function, we publish reports on the performance of energy retailers and distributors in the Victorian energy market.
We also investigate potential breaches of energy licences, and where appropriate, undertake enforcement action. This action may include issuing penalty notices, obtaining enforceable undertakings or requiring a wrongful disconnection payment to be made to a customer.
Taking steps to better understand retailer preparedness for market volatility
The commission has taken steps to obtain information and documents from retailers in response to conditions of high prices in the wholesale energy market. In particular, the commission is seeking information and documents relating to retailers’ management of wholesale pricing risk.
This step has been taken to assist the commission in understanding how retailers have planned for and responded to the unprecedented high prices in the wholesale market. This will assist the commission in performing its functions and exercising its powers, such as its monitoring and reporting on the competitiveness and efficiency of the Victorian energy retail market and its setting of the Victorian Default Offer.
This exercise is not being prompted by concerns about the financial resilience of a particular retailer or subset of retailers, but to better understand the retail market as a whole and how it is prepared to manage high wholesale energy prices.
The confidential nature of the information and documents means the responses to the information request will not be published. However, general observations of the market as a whole may be published by the commission.
Featured work
This report is your guide to how the electricity and gas market is performing. It aims to help customers understand how the energy retail market works and what they need to do to get the best out of it.
Access a visual summary of key trends in the energy market and the performance of energy retailers.
We have the power to determine whether an electricity or gas customer is eligible to receive a payment for wrongful disconnection.
Compliance activites
Enforcement activities
We have the power to issue penalty notices to energy companies for breaches of the regulatory framework, which includes the Energy Retail Code, Electricity Distribution Code and relevant legislation.
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We can accept undertakings (plans to improve) from energy companies if we've identified issues with how they're delivering services to customers.
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Retail market performance reports
This reports on how the electricity and gas markets are performing. It aims to help customers understand how the energy retail market works, and what they need to do to get the best out of it.
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We are reviewing the competitiveness and efficiency of the Victorian electricity and gas retail markets and will begin monitoring later in 2020.
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We spoke to customers and their representatives about their experiences with Victorian energy retailers to find out how our reforms are affecting consumers.
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Each month during the coronavirus pandemic we are reporting on the number of energy customers who are on payment plans and enquiring about assistance with paying bills.
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We asked a research company to model retailer costs and margins, and produced a report on the progress of electricity retail competition in Victoria.
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Distribution and transmission business performance reports
Electricity distribution companies must publish quarterly voltage performance data under our Compliance and Performance Reporting Guideline.
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We have required AusNet Transmission Group to report on its performance against the principles set out in our Electricity Transmission Company Land Access Statement of Expectations. The statement sets our principles outlining how electricity transmission companies should exercise their powers when accessing land.
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