Life Support

We understand some of our customers or their loved ones require life support equipment like kidney dialysis machines or ventilators to ensure their ongoing health and safety. If someone at your address relies on life support equipment it is important to let Energy Locals Urban or your distributor know as soon as possible. We’ll then be able to give you additional protection such as providing advanced written planned interruption notification.

Life support equipment may include:

• An oxygen concentrator
• An Intermittent peritoneal dialysis machine
• A Kidney dialysis machine
• A Chronic positive airways pressure respirator (CPAP)
• Crigler najjar syndrome phototherapy equipment
• A Ventilator for life support

It may also be any other equipment that a registered medical practitioner certifies is required for a person residing at your premises for life support.

If you have any questions about the equipment you or someone in your home uses and whether it is classified as life support equipment, please talk to your doctor.

It’s important your distributor and energy provider know if life support equipment is used at your property so we can do our best to keep your electricity connected.

Registering for life support ensures that if Energy Locals Urban or your distributor has scheduled maintenance or repair work that can temporarily interrupt your power supply – you will be notified in advance. As a life support customer, you will receive 4 business days’ notice of any planned outage.

That way, you can be prepared and if required, you can organise alternative arrangements for your life support equipment for the term of the outage.

IMPORTANT: Even as a registered life support customer, it’s essential to always have a back-up plan in place to deal with any unexpected power outages.

Advise Energy Locals Urban as soon as possible by emailing our Customer Service team at lifesupport@urban.energylocals.com.au or calling 1300 001 255. We’ll activate your registration and send you a medical confirmation form.

Download this medical confirmation form.

1. Complete and sign the Medical Confirmation form.
2. Have the form signed by your doctor or medical practitioner.
   Please note that if your registered address is outside Victoria and you have an existing ‘Medical Confirmation Form’ dated and signed by a medical practitioner, you can send us that form instead of providing us with a new one. The form should meet the following requirements:
   1. The Medical Confirmation Form is signed and dated by a medical
   practitioner, within the  past 4 years; and
   2. The Form is legible (the print is readable).
   3. The Form certifies that you or someone in your household requires life support equipment and specifies the equipment typeIf you submitted a Medical Confirmation form to your previous retailer, you are able to request a copy from them, if you left that retailer less than 110 business days ago.Please note that if you are applying for a life support financial rebate in NSW, you must still complete a new Life Support Rebate application form.
3. Return the completed & signed form back to us by emailing to lifesupport@urban.energylocals.com.au or posting to:
   PO Box 51, Chatswood NSW 2057
4. We will confirm receipt and notify your distributor of the life support equipment. Failing to send the completed form may result in de-registration of life support at your property and the loss of protection under relevant energy laws.

IMPORTANT: Registering as a life support customer does not guarantee you a continuous, uninterrupted power supply. Unplanned outages can occur so it is important that you make alternative arrangements and have an emergency plan in place for these situations.Make note of:

• Where will you go?
• How will you get there?
• How will you take your equipment?
• Who will you contact? (Keep a physical list of emergency contacts somewhere handy)
• How will you contact them? (Make sure you have a fully charged mobile phone)
• Is your backup equipment fully charged at all times?

If you experience an unexpected loss of power, refer to your plan.

If there is an immediate threat to life, call 000.

If it is safe to do so, and you feel comfortable, you can check if the power outage was caused by something at your property by inspecting your switchboard for tripped safety switches or blown fuses. You can also check the main switch at your electricity meter.

If you don’t feel safe, or are unsure of how to do this, you can report the outage to Energy Locals Urban on 1300 001 255 (9am-6pm Monday – Friday) or your distributor (24 hours). You will find a faults and emergencies phone number for your distributor on your electricity bill.

Ask your doctor or medical professional to clearly explain what you should do if your life support machine stops working or appears faulty. If your doctor or medical practitioner has not given you this advice or their information is unclear, please contact them immediately.

• You must notify us as soon as practicable of any changes in your life support requirement.

This includes if:

• You (or the registered life support user) no longer requires the life support equipment
• You (or the registered life support user) are moving out of the property

You can notify us by calling us on 1300 001 255 or emailing lifesupport@urban.energylocals.com.au.

• You must let us know if your contact details change.

It is important for us to notify you of any planned outages so having up-to-date contact information is essential. You can update your contact details through My Account, by calling us on 1300 001 255 or emailing lifesupport@urban.energylocals.com.au.

• You must provide medical confirmation of the life support requirement.

If we haven’t received the completed life support form within 50 business days of your life support registration (or if we haven’t heard from you), we will take steps to de-register your property. De-registration means your property will no longer be flagged with life support and will not be protected by the relevant energy regulations regarding life support.

We will actively try to contact you until we receive the necessary documents, using the contact details you have provided to us.

Please let us know 10 business days in advance that you are leaving the property. Once we are notified, we will then organise your move-out and arrange for the de-registration of life support at your property.

You can arrange your move out via this page, by requesting in My Account or by contacting us on 1300 001 255 or lifesupport@urban.energylocals.com.au.

When you move to a new premise, you will need to notify your new retailer (if that is not Energy Locals Urban) of your life support requirement.

You must let us know if your circumstances change and if life support equipment is no longer used at your premises. Please notify us by calling 1300 001 255 or in writing by emailing our Customer Service Team at lifesupport@urban.energylocals.com.au

We will then take steps to de-register life support from your property.

If you use life support equipment, you may be eligible for a life support rebate. In some cases, you will be required to fill out an additional medical confirmation form to receive the rebate. More information is available on our Government rebates page.

You can reach our Customer Service Team by phone on 1300 001 255 (9 am – 6 pm Monday to Friday AEST) or by emailing lifesupport@urban.energylocals.com.au