Real Utilities Pty Ltd (ACN 150 290 814) has applied to the commission for a licence to sell gas by retail under section 25 of the Gas Industry Act 2001 (Vic) and a licence to sell electricity by retail under section 18 of the Electricity Industry Act 2000 (Vic).

We may grant or refuse to grant the application for any reason we consider appropriate having regard to our objectives under the Gas Industry Act 2001 (Vic), the Electricity Industry Act 2000 (Vic) and the Essential Services Commission Act 2001 (Vic).

We granted the licences on 21 October 2020.

Feedback on the application 

Submissions on this licence application closed on 16 April 2020.

In response to a terms of reference from the Victorian Government, we have implemented code obligations on energy retailers and distributors to ensure that customers cannot be back-billed for more than four months when they are not at fault. 

Previously, customers could be back-billed up to nine months by their retailer if they had been undercharged, unless the customer was at fault.

The final decision for this reform was released in July 2020, following a draft decision in February 2020.

The new four month limit on back-billing came into effect on 1 January 2021.