Thousands more Aussies need power bill help as prices surge

The winter surge in power bill prices is expected to push more Australian families to the brink as households seek hardship support.

Data from Origin Energy revealed 70,000 customers need support to help pay their bills on time.

That's up 50 per cent on last year.

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For AGL, the increase in customers needing hardship support was 14 per cent, while it was 16 per cent for Energy Australia consumers.

The Federal and State Governments do have a joint energy relief payment for low income workers, pensioners, and carers, but it is just a one-off.

Many people have been warned to expect a surge in their winter power bills after the Australian Energy Regulator (AER) last month confirmed electricity prices will increase between 20 and 25 per cent from July 1 for about 600,000 customers.

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The AER's decision will particularly impact customers in NSW, south-east Queensland and South Australia who are on the default market offer (DMO) over the coming financial year.

AER chair Clare Savage said at the time the regulator had to balance the cost-of-living pressures customers faced with the need for retailers to recover reasonable costs.

"We know households and small businesses continue to face cost-of-living pressures on many fronts, and that's why it's important the DMO provides a safety net for those who might not have shopped around for a better power deal," Savage said.

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