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A shack owner who continued to be charged for power despite it being turned off due to rising Murray River floodwaters is urging other impacted property owners and residents to check their bills closely.
Key points:
- Shack owners along the River Murray have received power bills for services that had been disconnected
- The River Murray flood event has caused the rolling closure of infrastructure such as electricity and water management
- The extra billing comes from supply charges shack owners say are not applicable if they have been disconnected from the grid
It is estimated that SA Power Networks (SAPN) has disconnected 3,160 properties due to the risk of flooding so far, a number that could climb to 4,000.
More than 1,700 houses have been inundated by the flood event, including Tim Paine's shack at Beaumonts, just out of Morgan.
He said he was shocked to see a charge for electricity supply when he received his most recent bill and wanted to make sure no-one was paying additional costs unnecessarily.
"We got [the bill] just prior to Christmas and noticed the supply charge had continued on from when the network had been disconnected [by] SAPN at the start of November," he said.
"We were led to believe that we probably wouldn't get charged the supply charge, but they did, and we had to take action from there."
A process worth enduring
Mr Paine reached out to his supplier, AGL Energy, to rectify the situation, a process that he said took more than an hour.
"They told me that my meter was still operating and we're still on the system.
"I spoke with customer support; they told me to speak with customer resolutions, who understood the situation and rectified it for me right away."
The shack owner said he was unlikely to be the only one in this situation, as the flood peak moves downstream at a faster rate than previously predicted.
"Probably 30 per cent of the customers along the river [around here] are with AGL," he said.
"I'm assuming some people have taken action and gotten a look out.
"I'm more worried about the people who are paying their bill for the sake of it."
In a statement, AGL said customers who were not using electricity due to damage to their property or power infrastructure would not be charged for energy usage or supply.
"AGL is working with SAPN to identify customers who have been impacted by the Murray River flooding, and will be off supply for an extended time due to damage," it said.
SAPN said it encouraged individual customers to speak directly to their energy retailer about any issues identified in their bills.
"SA Power Networks is ready to provide assistance to the retailer where required," head of corporate affairs Paul Roberts said.
"When disconnecting power, SA Power Networks updates the national market system and also advises the customer's retailer by email.
"Sometimes there are issues with data matching in a handful of cases and we urge customers to contact their retailer if they detect an issue."