Under the REPS, most electricity and gas energy retailers in South Australia are required to provide incentives for South Australian residential households and businesses to achieve energy savings and to potentially lower their energy usage and bills.  Those energy retailers who are required to provide REPS activities and services to customers are known as obliged energy retailers.

Obliged energy retailers are set annual targets for the delivery of energy productivity activities to households and businesses. 

The REPS is available to all eligible South Australian residential energy customers and many South Australian businesses.

Some REPS activities may require a minimum co-contribution payment to be made by customers. Exemptions are available to residential customers in a ‘priority group household’.  

Non priority group household customers have a mandatory one-off $33 REPS fee to pay per premises.  

It is advisable to contact the obliged energy retailers or activity providers directly for advice on eligibility and any costs that may be involved with the REPS activities provided to you.

For the purposes of the REPS a ‘priority group household’ is as a residential premises in which a person resides who:

-holds a Commonwealth Government pensioner concession card
-holds a TPI Gold Repatriation Health Card 
-holds a War Widows Gold Repatriation Health Card 
-holds a Gold Repatriation Health (EDA) 
-holds a Health Care Card (including a Low Income Health Care Card) 
-receives the South Australian government energy bill concession
-has a residential tenancy agreement with the landlord of the premises and the rent for the premises if $400 or less per week
-is actively participating in an energy retailer hardship program
-is actively participating in an energy retailer’s payment plan (offered and applied as per section 50 of the National Energy Retail Law)
-has received a referral from a registered member of the South Australian Financial Counsellors Association (SAFCA)

As a resident of a rental property you may still be able to participate in the REPS, although for most REPS activities you may need to obtain the permission of the landlord or landlord’s agent before the products are installed.

Yes.  REPS offers a number of activities to commercial customers. Additional activities are also available to small energy consuming customers.  A small energy consuming customer is a non-residential customer consuming less than 160MWh of electricity in the 12 months prior to any REPS activities being undertaken.  

Some REPS activities may be provided at a cost to business customers and it is advised you contact obliged energy retailers for advice on costs involved with any activities that may be provided.

REPS activities support energy efficiency and energy demand management and demand response.

There is a range of REPS activities that may be offered to customers by obliged energy retailers. Activities include the installation of efficient lighting products, low-flow showerheads, standby power controllers, ceiling insulation, high efficiency appliances and efficient water heaters.  

Other REPS activities may include opportunities to switch to alternative electricity tariffs known as ‘Time of Use’ (ToU) tariffs* and connecting certain household appliances to approved Demand Response Aggregators.

Obliged energy retailers have an obligation to fulfil their REPS targets for any given REPS year and it is up to each obliged retailer to determine the types of REPS activities and incentives they will offer to customers. Each obliged retailer is likely to differ in what activities they will offer and not all activities may be offered.

* A ‘Time of Use’ (ToU) tariff is an electricity tariff that offers cheaper rates at certain times of night or day. Generally, a ToU tariff will have lower rates for times when energy demand is at its lowest and higher rates for times when energy demand is higher.

No. Most of the REPS activities that may be available require obliged energy retailers to ensure that the products are installed correctly and in accordance with the Minister’s specification for each activity.