Power bill help for Tasmanians suffering certain medical conditions

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Relief for heating bills
 

Tasmanians with medical conditions requiring them to keep a certain temperature in their home can now receive a concession to help with power costs.

The concession is an expansion of the existing Medical Cooling concession and will be a fixed rate for each day, totalling $137 a year.

Health Minister Michael Ferguson said the Government decided to implement the concession after being approached by the Lupus Association.

Lupus is an autoimmunity disease that can affect the body’s ability to regulate its own temperature.

“I took that concern to the Treasurer and the Government has agreed that that should be extended, so we now have something broader which will be more suitable for a wider range of medical conditions that require extra energy,” he said.

Mr Ferguson said it was hard to estimate how many people would take advantage of the help.

“We do imagine that there’ll be a number of people who already have existing conditions that they’re aware of,” he said.

“Together with their doctor, we’ll be encouraging them to begin claiming the $137 concession on their annual power bills.

“It’s a contribution to what is a recognised extra cost of staying comfortable with a body that might have a thermostat which is a little bit out as a result of their medical condition.”

Funding for the program was in last month’s state budget.

The concession can be applied for through Aurora Energy.