In the first Australian Energy Regulator (AER) compliance audit, warning has been given to the distributors and retailers of gas and electricity supplies for failing to meet their obligations.
The first and most serious failing that the audit highlighted was with regard to life support equipment. Energy suppliers have an obligation to maintain supply to premises where life support equipment is in use.
The second was with regard to billing and complaints. Billing and complaints about energy suppliers are things we hear a lot about as a local electrician. Manly and Northern Beaches residents often ask us about the best provider in our area, and the experience our customers have of suppliers.
In this holiday period it’s timely to focus more particularly on the needs of our most vulnerable residents – those needing life support equipment, and
* What they need to do to register,
* What to check if power is lost to their machine and
* How to develop a back up plan.
What is Life Support Equipment?
Life support equipment is any medical devices required considered essential to the life of a patient. These may include:
* Dialysis machines – both kidney and intermittent peritoneal
* Oxygen concentrator
* Ventilator
* Chronic positive airways pressure respirator
* Crigler najjar syndrome phototherapy equipment
* Machines certified by a medical practitioner as life support
Registering Life Support Equipment Users
Residents requiring the use in any of the above medical devices need to register their premises with their electricity retailer. You will need to verify your eligibility with a doctor’s certificate.
When you register, your supplier can also ensure you are getting any government rebates to which you are entitled to subsidise the electricity used by your medical equipment.
If you move or your requirements change, it is imperative that you update your registration details.
Does Registering Guarantee Supply?
Power suppliers have an obligation to maintain connection unless otherwise requested by the customer. This does not guarantee a twenty-four hour uninterrupted supply. It can’t.
As any Sydneysider – especially on the peninsula – would know, storms and freak weather occurrences can knock power supplies out unexpectedly. If you are registered as having life support requirements technicians will work to immediately restore your power.
Maintenance and upgrades are a necessary evil and can require power to be cut. In this event power companies are required to give sufficient notice, such as four days in writing, of the need to cut the supply, when, for how long and why.
Therefore it is important you have a back up plan, which we can help with as your local Manly electrician. It is encouraged that people with life support needs include a neighbour in their back up plan, and also that residents check in with vulnerable neighbours if the electricity is out.
Back Up Plan
There are 2 stages to a back up plan. Both are essential to ensure you are prepared for any loss of power.
The first is an up-to-date contact list. The basics to have on your emergency contact list are the names, addresses, and phone numbers of your emergency doctor, hospital, nearest relative, and a neighbour – at a minimum.
The second is the checks to undertake if the power is out to your device. These checks can help power suppliers, neighbours and/or electricians help you faster.
If The Power Goes Off
The first thing to do if you lose power is to call your neighbour to determine whether the issue is your machine, the power to your home, or power to the neighbourhood.
The second, if your neighbour still has electricity, is to check if the power is lost to your device. The way to check whether electricity is coming to your outlet but not your machine is with a ‘tester’ appliance.
Plug your machine into a double power point, and, into the second outlet, plug in a household appliance. The household appliance will give you a quick and simple check of whether power is still coming through the outlet. If the ‘tester’ appliance is working, the issue may be with your medical device.
If there is no power to your ‘tester’, the next step is to try an alternate circuit in your home. These are usually labelled in your circuit box, or fuse box. To enable a quick and easy check in the event of loss of power, plug a power board into a power point on the alternate circuit.
Leave the power board near your life support machine, with a tester appliance plugged in, to give a quick check of whether there is power to the alternate circuit.
If you are unsure about different circuits, how your circuit breakers, safety switch and what power points are on what circuit, please call. We can help you understand and set up the basics of your back up plan.
Whilst electricity providers have an obligation to people requiring the support of life saving medical equipment, it is important to have your own action steps in place, and are adequately prepared should the power ever be lost. This is important not just to get the assistance you need, but for your own peace of mind.