Important Information For New Customers

Welcome to Amber!

For $22 per month you will have access to wholesale prices on Amber’s plan, protected by our Bill Guarantee. You can see the Bill Guarantee rates for your network area on our Energy Fact Sheets page here. 

Amber's wholesale pricing is not fixed

Wholesale energy refers to the true cost of generating and delivering electricity in the wholesale electricity market, where energy retailers like Amber purchase energy. In this market, wholesale prices change every 5 minutes based on the supply and demand of energy. 

At the moment, many residential smart meters in the market only provide data in 30 minute blocks. For this reason, we will still be billing you based on your usage in 30-minute increments and so continue to show prices in our app based on 30 minute periods. We keep this simple by just taking the average price of all five minute intervals during that half hour period.

Amber passes through wholesale electricity prices directly at the cost to us, this includes: wholesale energy costs, hedging costs, network charges (per kWh and per day), metering costs, environmental costs, and carbon offset costs.

Prices are subject to change and determined by a range of factors, including government rebates, network fees and wholesale market costs. 

Other fees may apply

Other fees may apply, which are passed on to you and are listed on our Energy Fact Sheets page and here. Select your distributor to see the fees that apply in your network area.

Feed-in tariffs

If you have solar or a battery you will also receive variable wholesale rates for exporting power to the electricity grid. Learn more about solar with Amber. Learn more about Amber for Batteries. 

Concessions

If you hold an eligible concession card, we may be able to claim concessions from the state or federal governments on your behalf. Some customers may need to apply directly to the state government and we can assist you throughout the process. Head here to find out if you are eligible for government concessions, rebates or grants by clicking on your state of residence.

Payment plans

A fixed-instalment payment plan is one of the flexible payment options available at Amber. If you find yourself overdue, or falling behind on your bills you can apply for a plan. On a payment plan, you will pay an agreed amount on a fixed frequency (weekly, fortnightly or monthly), for a fixed length of time (up to 12 months), to pay off your arrears and keep up with your ongoing usage costs. Once your payment plan ends, you will generally be expected to return to a regular billing cycle, where you pay your bills on or before each bill due date. Learn more. If you are experiencing financial hardship, you can reach out to a member of our team to discuss other options. You can read more about our Financial Hardship Policy and entering our program here.

Billing

If you have a smart meter you will be billed monthly with Amber, but if you have a basic meter you will be billed quarterly. We will send you your bill one week before the due date. We then process your payment automatically using the payment details you provided us during sign up, unless you choose a different payment option. 

Head here for help understanding your bill. 

Our commitment on service levels

Service is really important to us at Amber and we strive to exceed your expectations. We’ll look to do this while complying with any service levels required under any applicable regulatory requirements.

Changes to your agreement

You can find your Agreement here. We may need to vary your Agreement (although we’ll do what we can to make sure this doesn’t happen often) by giving you 20 business days’ notice of any changes. 

Cancellation during cooling off period

If you decide to stick with your old energy retailer you can change your mind during the cooling off period (10 days post sign up to Amber) by contacting us and we will cancel your transfer. 

Smart meter installation

Once your cooling off period ends, Amber will arrange for a smart meter to be installed free of charge, as long as it is safe to do so. This will usually occur within 4-6 weeks of sign up. 

When your smart meter installation is completed, your network may switch you from a flat rate tariff to their default tariff, which may include a time-of-use or demand tariff. We pass through these tariffs at cost. Note: We can submit a tariff change request on your behalf once every 12 months in most networks so please reach out if you have a preferred tariff (In Ausgrid you can request to change from a demand tariff to a Time of Use Tariff after one month). Keep in mind that your network controls your tariff and sometimes they will reject our change request. 

Cancel at any time

Your contract is ongoing with Amber unless either Amber or the customer cancels in accordance with Amber's terms and conditions. If you're staying your property but want to switch retailers, you don't have to let us know - your account will be cancelled when you switch to your new retailer with no termination fees.

Until you arrange with another retailer to take over the supply of electricity to your Premises, Amber will continue to supply electricity to you and you will incur fees and charges associated with that supply of electricity.

When you have transferred to a new retailer, Amber will send you a Final Bill which will cover all fees and charges you owe to Amber up to the date on which your electricity supply is transferred to your new retailer. 

Fees may only apply if you request for your power to be disconnected, e.g. if you're moving out of your property. Move-outs can be requested via the app, but fees may apply - see here.

Communications

We’ll send all communications (including your bills) to the email address you used to sign up. You’ll be recognised as having received the information contained in the electronic communication.

Price spike notifications

We recommend turning on notifications in the Amber app so that you’re alerted to price spikes and when to take advantage of low prices (and more renewables in the grid). See here for handy tips on setting custom price notifications. You can opt-out of notifications at any time. If you transfer to another retailer you will continue to receive notifications until the transfer has completed.  

Your right to complain 

If you have a complaint, query or dispute, please contact us. We handle any complaint in accordance with our standard Complaint and Dispute Resolution Procedure. We’ll follow the timeframes set out in this Procedure and let you know of the outcome of your complaint and the reasons for our decision.If you’re not satisfied with our response, you have a right to refer the complaint or dispute to the Ombudsman in your state or Territory.

Marketing 

Amber may have used a marketer in making this offer to you and we may pay the marketer a fee for you entering into this Agreement.