2024-25 in review: Energy consumers have a lot of questions

2024-25 in review: Energy consumers have a lot of questions

Ongoing price pressures and changes in the energy market continue to create confusion, stress and frustration for many South Australians. At the Energy & Water Ombudsman SA (EWOSA), we’re here to help customers navigate these challenges.

Our 2024-25 Annual Report is now available, and we’re excited to reflect on a year of strong outcomes and meaningful engagement across South Australia’s energy and water sectors.

This year, we saw fewer formal complaints than last year but a significant increase in the number of people reaching out for advice and clarification. More South Australians are turning to us to understand their rights and get independent advice.

“Our services remain in high demand,” says our Ombudsman and CEO, Sandy Canale. “Last year was exceptional, one of the heaviest workloads we’ve seen in a long time. This year, things have eased slightly from that peak but are still above the five-year average.”

What customers are contacting us about

As in previous years, billing and electricity-related issues dominated our caseload, accounting for 65% and 81% of cases respectively.

Also of note were a 43% decrease in cases related to payment difficulties, after a significant spike last year, and a 48% decrease in cases related to new connections, continuing a five-year trend.

We believe this increase in enquiries (rather than complaints) reflects a growing awareness of our service, supported by important regulatory changes. Since September 2023, energy bills have been required to list our contact number under the Better Bills Guideline, and since January 2025, SA Water bills have done the same under the updated Water Retail Code for Major Retailers.

By the numbers

In total, we handled 9,289 cases over the year. The most common reason people contacted us was dissatisfaction with a provider’s outcome (30%), followed by customers seeking independent advice or wanting to understand their rights (13%).

August remained our busiest month, as winter bills continued to drive contact volumes. Most people still prefer to call us (71%), though almost a third now reach out through online channels.