Frequently Asked Questions

Enova is wholly Australian-owned by community-based shareholders - more than 1,600 people around Australia have invested! 

You can learn more about the Enova story here.

We’re Australia’s first social enterprise energy provider or “profit for purpose” energy retailer. How this works is we will reinvest 50% of our profits back into community energy projects and energy efficiency services like education - with the goal of supporting communities to become energy self-sufficient.

This is invested back via our not-for-profit arm, Enova Community, and you can read more about its important projects online by clicking here.

Another way we’re doing things differently is we're also Australia's first community-owned energy provider. 

We have exciting and innovative projects in the pipeline that are working to help enable communities to generate, store, and share their own energy - such as microgrids, shared batteries, virtual power plants (VPPs), solar gardens and person-to-person (P2P) energy trading. 

Before you can switch to Enova, your current energy retailer needs a final meter reading, and this also serves as the start of your supply from us. 

This is done by your electricity network provider and normally takes between two to six weeks and in some circumstances can take up to three months depending on when your meter is read.

You are welcome to contact us at any time to check the status of your transfer.

There is a ten day cooling off period. But aside from that, we don’t lock customers into contracts. You can leave at any time.

Absolutely, there’s no requirement to have solar to be an Enova customer.  

We still have an offer with benefits for customers without solar which is our Community Plus offer.

You can view these at the Home Energy Plans and Business Plans pages.

Everyone’s circumstances are different, but there are many ways you can reduce your bill. These can range from technological, e.g. replacing old energy-hungry appliances with more efficient models, to behavioural, such as employing energy efficiency behaviours to reduce how much energy you are using. One starting point to learn about what you can do is on our energy efficiency landing page which has resources on reducing your usage around the home.

Finding the right energy plan to suit your energy use also helps! Our Customer Service team would be happy to run a bill comparison on your recent electricity bill to see how it compares to our offers.

If you’re a current Enova customer and you’re moving house, your agreement will end with us. But if we are able to supply the area you’re moving to, then we’ll be happy offer you a new Enova Energy Plan at your new address. 

If you’re not yet an Enova customer and you’d like to be, then contact us.

To find out more about switching over from your current supplier, contact us.  View our range of Energy Plans.  

You may also be able to install solar – call us for more information.

If you are responsible for the electricity account at your current address, you can switch to Enova.

You can become an enova customer online, or over the phone. View our Energy Plans »

At Enova, we understand small business, after all, we are one ourselves.
We know you’re time-poor – so we’ve made switching easy.

You’re local. So are we. By doing business together and by supporting each other, we can help to create a stronger community through the creation of local jobs and by investing our profits back into the region. Our partnership can make a difference.

Don’t forget, that solar energy options for your business can help you to cut energy overhead costs.

Enova Energy specialises in small business because we are one ourselves. To begin with our offer for businesses has an attractive discount without a lock-in contract. 

You can view our business offers here.

We service all of New South Wales and South East Queensland (covering the Energex network).

To see if we service your area, use our postcode checker.

From March 2021 Enova will service the whole Energex network - covering an area of around 25,000 square kilometres in South East Queensland. Stretching from the New South Wales border in the south, all the way to Gympie in the north.

This includes metropolitan areas like the Gold Coast, Brisbane, Sunshine Coast, Ipswich, Redland, Logan and Moreton Bay.

You can find out more about the Energex network here.

For our 2021 Queensland expansion, Enova will only be able to provide its energy offers in the South East Queensland region - covering the Energex network. Unfortunately, like other energy retailers, we are unable to provide an offer to those in the Ergon region at this point in time, but we're certainly looking for any future possibility! If you're based in the Ergon region, you can join our waitlist to be the first to know any news on any further expansion into Queensland.

You can pay your bills via several channels:

• Online
• BPay from your bank account
• In person – at any Westpac branch
• Over the phone – call (02) 5622 1700
• By mail using cheque
• By Direct Debit – simply fill out the form in your welcome pack.
• Click this link for full details and options

To be eligible for the pay on time discount, you need to ensure that you have made all of your payments on time. Your actual usage (assuming your meter is read) is known when you receive your bill. We calculate charges for the whole billing period based on this and then deduct the pay-on-time discount. Discounts are calculated and applied before GST. 

We’re encouraging our customers to receive eBills because they’re better for the environment, but if you’re not able to receive your bill via email then we are happy to make alternative arrangements with you.

When you give us an email address to receive your eBill then make sure it’s a personal address that you’re likely to keep for some time. Remember, we’ll use this email to communicate with you, not just about your bill, but to notify you of special offers as well as any important changes to your plan or our service.  You can update your email address with us at any time.

For Basic Meters only - these are typically read every three months by your electricity network provider. If for any reason, they cannot access your meter, your bill will be estimated. Your electricity network provider requires safe and easy access to your meter in order to get an actual meter reading. If this is not possible, they will provide us with an estimated reading based on information they have about historical consumption at the address. Rest assured, that any necessary adjustments will be made when an actual meter is read.

If you have a dog, a locked gate, a locked meter box or something that restricts access to the meter, these can affect your electricity network provider's safe access to conduct a reading. If this happens to you, just be aware of your next scheduled meter read date (three months from the date of the last one) and ensure appropriate access for your electricity network provider's staff around that date and time.

Enova Energy wants to keep you connected. If you find yourself in a position where you cannot pay your bill please contact us immediately because we don’t want to see members of our community, our neighbours, disconnected and disadvantaged because they are unable to afford an essential service like energy.

How will we help?

By contacting us if you are having difficulties paying your energy bill we will help you:

• Manage any outstanding energy bills.
• Provide you with advice and strategies to reduce future energy consumption.
• Make future energy bills easier to manage.
• Identify any additional assistance that you may be eligible for.

We now also offer a free Energy Coaching Service to assist with your energy efficiency and helping to find ways to reduce your energy usage through this time where many of us spending more time at home. For more information click here.

Click here for more details on our hardship policy and other important information.

We will aim to do all we can to help in your financial situation. Read our hardship policy here.

There could be a number of reasons for that your account is in credit, including:

• your usage being less than the amount you have paid, or
• surplus electricity generated by your solar panels, or
• you may have received a credit adjustment or rebate from us.

The credit amount will be carried over to your next bill.

If you have any questions, simply get in touch with one of our Enova Energy Consultants by telephone 02 5677 1200.

You can find out whether or not you qualify for a rebate or concession here

If you are eligible for a concession, the amount of the concession will be deducted from your bill.

GreenPower is government accredited renewable energy sourced from the sun, the wind, water and waste.

When you purchase 100% GreenPower, this commits Enova to purchasing that amount of electricity from the 155 accredited renewable energy generators across Australia, and adding it to the electricity grid on your behalf to offset your electricity use. The government managed GreenPower Program runs a robust and independent auditing process of our GreenPower sales each year to make sure this is the case. These audits are publicly available on the GreenPower website.

Read more about GreenPower in our article: What is the GreenPower program? 

or visit www.greenpower.gov.au or check out the GreenPower Facebook page

When you purchase GreenPower, you are supporting the production of electricity from renewable sources that meet a strict set of environmental criteria.

GreenPower is renewable energy sourced from the sun, the wind, water and waste.

Companies generate electricity at a range of sites across Australia and supply the electricity to a central power grid.

Our homes and businesses are connected to this grid in order to access electricity.

Traditionally, electricity on the central grid comes from generators that burn coal. Only a small amount (about 8% per cent) comes from renewable sources such as sun, wind, water and biomass waste.

Energy suppliers, such as Enova, who sell accredited GreenPower products, buy electricity generated from Australian accredited renewable energy generators on your behalf and feed it into the National Electricity Grid.

By purchasing GreenPower you can be sure you are displacing your electricity usage with certified renewable energy that has zero net emissions. 

As well as reducing your impact on the environment, by becoming part of the GreenPower community, customers like you are helping to support Australia’s renewable energy sector. By purchasing GreenPower you are displacing your electricity usage with certified renewable energy that has zero net emissions. GreenPower businesses and households have reduced the emissions caused by electricity generation in Australia by 9.7 million tonnes. That’s the equivalent of taking more than 2.9 million cars off the road for a full year! Importantly, this renewable energy is additional to the amount of renewable energy already in the grid as mandated by government requirements – such as the Australian Renewable Energy Target (RET).

Read More >

Time of Use is a tariff where the electricity costs differ depending on the time of day it is used. There are generally three different price periods:

‘Peak’ period electricity costs the most. Peak rates apply during the mornings and evenings on weekdays.

‘Off-peak’ electricity is the cheapest. Off-peak rates usually apply late at night through to early morning weekdays and all day Saturday and Sunday.

‘Shoulder’ period electricity applies between peak and off-peak periods, e.g. late morning to late afternoon.  At this point in time, the shoulder rate is the same as the peak rate.

For more detailed information see our Basic Plan Information Documents.

‘Controlled Load 1’ and ‘Controlled Load 2’ are tariffs that apply to specific appliances that are permanently wired back to the meter such as hot water heaters or swimming pool pumps. Supply for a controlled load is only available at certain hours during the day, usually late at night. The difference between Controlled Load 1 and 2 is the hours for which supply is available and the price paid. This is determined by the network company.

For more detailed information see our Basic Plan Information Documents.

An ASP electrician is an Accredited Service Provider. You need an Level 2 ASP electrician to make an initial connection to the grid or to make any changes to your meter box, or the wiring to or from any of the meters. An ASP is also required when adding or removing Controlled Load. 

The energy Market in Australia is run by an organisation called The Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO).

AEMO’s vision is to deliver energy security for all Australians. (AEMO) is responsible for operating Australia’s largest gas and electricity markets and power systems, including the:

• National Electricity Market (NEM), the interconnected power system in Australia’s eastern and south-eastern seaboard
• Wholesale Electricity Market (WEM) and power system in Western Australia.
• Victorian Declared Wholesale Gas Market (DWGM) and the Victorian gas transmission system.
• Wholesale gas Short Term Trading Market hubs in Adelaide, Sydney and Brisbane.
• Retail Gas Markets in Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia and New South Wales and Australia Capital Territory.
• Wallumbilla and Moomba Gas Supply Hub in Queensland and South Australia.
• Natural Gas Services Bulletin Board.
• Western Australia Gas Bulletin Board.

As Australia’s independent energy markets and power systems operator, AEMO provides critical planning, forecasting and power systems information, security advice, and services to our stakeholders.

The sun provides an endless stream of clean energy. When the sun shines on the solar panels on your roof, Direct Current (DC) electricity is created.  DC travels to the system inverter where it is changed from DC to AC (Alternating Current) which is the kind of current that’s needed for your home. This AC travels to the circuit breaker panel (also known as the fuse box) in your home and powers all of your appliances – anything that’s plugged in.  

 If your solar panels are generating more electricity than you’re using, then the extra energy is pumped to the grid and made available to other users.   

When this happens you will be paid a feed-in tariff. To view Enova’s Solar Plans, click here. 

Analog meters, otherwise known as Basic Meters, are the original meters used by electricity companies to measured electricity usage. Older Basic Meters with manual dials were later replaced with more modern electronic meters which have a digital display. People often confuse these digital Basic Meters with Smart Meters, but Smart Meters are more advanced than digital meters – they can be read remotely (replacing the need for a meter reader to come to your property and manually read your meter). Smart Meters also measure electricity consumption at 15 or  30 minute intervals, which better helps the National Electricity Market to understand your usage. In due course we hope to offer access to this Smart Meter data via the internet to our customers.  You can also utilise Time of Use (TOU) tariffs if you have a Smart Meter. Some digital Basic Meters were also TOU capable.

Gross Meter vs Net Meter

If you have solar, then there’s the question of whether you need a gross meter or a net meter. A gross meter is programmed to export all the electricity you generate with your panels to the grid. A net meter enables you to use your solar energy in your house first, and then export the excess to the grid. In terms of the amount of feed in tariff Enova will pay you, it no longer matters what kind of meter you have. 

A battery enables you to store the solar energy your rooftop solar panels are producing, so you can use it on a rainy day, or at night. Houses with rooftop solar systems would benefit from having a battery in most cases, although they may not benefit financially due to the cost of batteries remaining high. The benefits of batteries lie in being able to store and use any excess energy that your system would otherwise export to the grid for someone else to use. They, therefore, save you from having to purchase that power at a higher rate.

Batteries are still relatively expensive, but this is one area of solar technology that’s changing rapidly, and prices will eventually come down.

A useful independent resource explaining the home solar and battery market in Australia can be found at the Energy Saver website on their solar and battery power page

As an Enova electricity customer you can have any meter.

Depending on what you want from your solar panel system, your meter options vary. 

For more information, read more .

There is a large range of factors to consider when deciding how large a solar system to have.

These range from:

1) financial (how much you can afford and how long they will take to ‘payback’ that cost),
2) physical (the size of suitable roof space, any shading), and
3) your energy needs, ie how much energy your household current consumes.

There are many resources on the web to help you make these decisions, (eg: solar panel buying guides ) and you’d then be best to engage a trusted local solar installer to design a system that suits your needs and budget.

Solar technology is changing rapidly, so there are no guarantees that new solar panels will be compatible with older panels. This applies to inverters and batteries too. However, if there are compatibility issues there are options where your solar installer should be able to install a separate system, with a separate or new inverter.

Yes, in theory, but it’s not necessarily advisable for a few important reasons. Firstly, you need a certified electrician to wire the system to your fuse box. 

Secondly, there’s also the consideration that some types of roofs, such as metal, tile, and some commercial structures will require special mounting frames which can make the job more complex. And thirdly, you might run the risk of voiding any of the warranties if you don’t use a qualified installer. But the bottom line is that your solar just won’t work properly if it’s not installed correctly –you might have invested in the top-of-the-range equipment, but you won’t see the benefits if it’s not installed properly. 

Enova recommends using a certified electrician for your entire solar installation. 

If you are an Enova shareholder and need a copy of your shareholding certificate for any reason, you need to contact the share registry company, Automic.

You can find the Automic contact information here.

From time to time, existing shareholders choose to sell their shares and it's possible to find a match for others to purchase those shares.

If you'd like to purchase shares, please email your enquiry to:

info@enovaenergy.com.au