To more accurately describe the fee Essential Energy applies for each Notice of Service Work (NOSW) we receive, we’ve made the following changes:

There is no change to fee amounts – they remain as per the Price Schedule for Ancillary Network Services located on our website at: Our Network > Network Pricing and Regulatory Reporting > Network Pricing.

Please note that we undertake Inspection of Service Work (Level 2) and apply fees in accordance with the Scheme Rules (see below).

Further Information

If you need further information, please email aspinfo@essentialenergy.com.au

I’d like to share with you all the results of the ASP Survey Essential Energy conducted a few weeks ago – located on the Essential Energy's Document Library.

Thank you to all those who contributed their time to share your feedback and ideas.

This survey (and other diagnostic analysis performed by Marchment Hill) has further highlighted the many areas for improvement in how we work together with you, our ASP partners. We recognise that we have lots to do to say Essential Energy is “easy to do business with” – we will be taking action.

We are now developing these actions. Some of these will involve sessions with our ASP partners so you can help us design our future way of working. I look forward to sharing more information about these
sessions with you in the coming weeks. If you would like to speak to me about this report, our next steps or any other matters please contact me via email or phone listed below.

Regards

David Wilson
Network ASP Manager
T: 02 6589 8190
E: david.wilson@essentialenergy.com.au

Essential Energy would like to advise, that Level 2 ASPs cannot install any Essential Energy meters after the 30 March 2018 and any excess meters that will not be used are to be returned to your nearest warehouse. Essential Energy will only accepted excess meter stock up until 18 May 2018.

Depot location for return of excess meter stock:

• Grafton Warehouse - 187 Lawrence Road, Grafton NSW 2460
• Dubbo Warehouse - 23 Hawthorn Street, Dubbo NSW 2830
• Wagga Warehouse - 59 Hammond Ave, Wagga Wagga NSW 2650

What do you need to do?

1. Review your current stock and return any excess meters to your nearest warehouse
2. Log into the 'Portal' and fill in the 'Advise Return of Metering Equipment' (For advising return of new meters only). Print the form and place with meters
3. Once the meters have been received and our warehouse has processed your form/s a credit will be issued to you
4. Communicate this information to relevant members of your organisation

Further Information

For further enquiries, please email aspinfo@essentialenergy.com.au

Background

A Customer restored supply to their premises prior to an Essential Energy crew returning to complete part ‘B’ neutral integrity and polarity testing and restore supply following a low voltage reconductor. This resulted in the installation being energised by a customer with the neutral tail disconnected.

What do I need to do?

1. Review Safety Brief 781-Securing Customer Installations located on the Essential Energy 'Document Library'
2. Communicate this information to relevant members of your organisation

Further information

For further enquiries please email aspinfo@essentialenergy.com.au

Billing Process and Enquiries

Further to the communication sent out on 20 February 2018, please be advised that invoicing for:
1. approved Basic Connection Applications (backdated to 1 July 2017)
2. approved Standard Connection Applications (backdated to 1 December 2017)
3. completed NOSWs (backdated to 1 December 2017)

Will recommence from the week starting 12th March 2018.

The mailing of invoices for the Basic Connection Offers will be undertaken in a phased manner which will be concluded by mid-April 2018. At this point the distribution of invoices for these fee types will be up to date.

Standard Connection Offers will be sent for December and January in the week commencing 12 March 2018. NOSW Fees for December, January and February will be sent out week commencing 19 March 2018.

Please note: to minimise the impact on you Essential Energy has adjusted due by dates to the maximum allowable timeframe.

If you have any billing enquiries, a dedicated response team is available by emailing connection.enquiries@essentialenergy.com.au - this is your best single point of contact for all connection and billing related enquiries. We aim to respond to email enquiries within 24 hours.

Alternatively, you can call 13 23 91 and select option #2 from the menu.

I’m writing to introduce myself as Essential Energy’s newly appointed Network ASP Manager.

Having spent most of my career working for other distribution businesses, it’s immediately clear that there is a lot we can do to improve how Essential Energy works with Accredited Service Providers (ASP). I’ve made it my first priority to understand where we can improve and I will be working closely with the executive team to make sure we service our ASP community better.

Essential Energy’s corporate values say that we should be ‘Easy to do business with’. I aim to make sure we deliver on this promise and will make it my priority, as a first step, to ensure better communications and feedback channels so that we can identify and rapidly respond to issues and challenges together.

Thank you for your continued patience and support as we work through this process. For those who have been in touch already to highlight how and where we can improve our service to ASPs, please use me as your central point of contact for all ASP related matters.

In the coming weeks and months, I’ll be out and about in the regions to meet as many ASPs as possible and listen directly to your feedback. So, thanks again for your patience and assistance and I look forward to meeting soon.

Regards

David Wilson
Network ASP Manager
T: 02 6589 8190
E: david.wilson@essentialenergy.com.au

As per my above introductory note, I outlined my commitment to undertake a thorough investigation of how Essential Energy works with our community of Accredited Service Providers (ASPs) across the State, and to improve the services Essential Energy provides to enable your businesses to succeed.

Ensuring there is an end-to-end billing and support system with full accountability and transparency is just one area for improvement. I recognise the impact billing issues can have on our ASP partners and, to that end, I have undertaken an initial analysis of our billing processes and identified some broader challenges that we are now addressing.

Our immediate priority is to correct past billing errors to ensure timely, accurate administration of invoices. This includes providing a realistic timeframe for any outstanding accounts to be settled. A broader improvement program is also underway to ensure future billing information is accurate and ASPs have clear avenues of enquiry and resolution.

ASP billing relating to Basic and Standard Connections and Notification of Service Work (NOSW) forms has been reviewed and a number of identifiable errors rectified. It is our aim to recommence normal invoicing in the near future, including billing activity for:

• approved Basic Connection applications (backdated to 1 July 2017)
• approved Standard Connection applications (backdated to 1 December 2017)
• completed NOSWs (backdated to 1 December 2017)

I will keep you informed and be in communication again, prior to the commencement of these invoicing functions.

If you have any billing enquiries, a dedicated response team is available by emailing connection.enquiries@essentialenergy.com.au or by calling 13 23 91 and selecting option #2 - this is your best single point of contact for all connection and billing related enquiries and we aim to respond within a maximum of 24 hours.