If you or someone living, or intending to live, at your premises relies on life-support equipment, tell us as soon as possible.

We will temporarily register the premises for life-support protection while the required medical confirmation is being completed.


Contact us to register

Call: 1300 587 623

Email: lifesupport@activeutilities.com.au

Please tell us:

  • your name and account number;
  • the address where the equipment is or will be used;
  • the name and contact details of the person who uses the equipment;
  • the type of equipment;
  • the date from which the equipment is required; and
  • your preferred contact details.


What equipment qualifies?

Life-support equipment includes:

  • an oxygen concentrator;
  • an intermittent peritoneal dialysis machine;
  • a kidney dialysis machine;
  • a chronic positive airways pressure respirator;
  • Crigler-Najjar syndrome phototherapy equipment;
  • a ventilator for life support; or
  • any other equipment that a registered medical practitioner certifies is required for a person residing, or intending to reside, at the premises for life support.

Contact us if you are unsure whether equipment used at your premises qualifies.


What happens when you notify us?

When you tell us that someone at the premises requires life-support equipment, we will:

  • temporarily register the premises;
  • record the date from which the equipment is required;
  • notify the relevant retailer, exempt seller, embedded network operator or distributor, as required;
  • send you a life-support information pack;
  • provide a Medical Confirmation Form;
  • tell you when the completed form must be returned;
  • provide information to help you prepare for an interruption; and
  • provide the applicable outage and emergency contact details.

Life-support protections apply while the premises are temporarily registered and the medical confirmation process is underway.


Medical confirmation

A registered medical practitioner must complete and sign the Medical Confirmation Form to confirm that the equipment is required for life support.

Please return the completed form by the due date shown in your life-support pack:

Email: lifesupport@activeutilities.com.au

Post: PO Box 4094 Essendon Fields VIC 3041


If you have already provided valid medical confirmation to a previous retailer or distributor, tell us.

We will confirm whether that documentation can be accepted or transferred.

Contact us before the due date if:

  • you need another copy of the form;
  • you need help completing the registration;
  • you cannot obtain medical confirmation by the due date; or
  • you need more time.


If we do not receive your form

We will send you the reminders and notices required under the rules applying to your account before removing the life-support registration.

These communications will tell you:

  • that medical confirmation remains outstanding;
  • when the form must be returned;
  • the date on which deregistration is proposed;
  • what losing life-support registration means; and
  • how to contact us if the equipment is still required or you need more time.

Contact us immediately if you receive a deregistration notice and someone at the premises still requires life-support equipment.


Life-support protections

While your premises are registered:

  • the registration will be recorded and shared with the relevant energy parties as required;
  • additional restrictions apply to disconnection of the premises;
  • you will receive advance written notice of planned interruptions in accordance with the applicable requirements; and
  • you will receive information to help you prepare for planned and unplanned interruptions.

Where required, we will provide at least four business days’ written notice of a planned interruption unless a different date has been agreed with you or an emergency or other lawful exception applies.

Registration does not guarantee uninterrupted energy supply. Unexpected outages may still occur because of storms, accidents, equipment failure or other emergencies.


Planned and unplanned interruptions

For outages or electrical emergencies within your embedded network, call us on 1300 587 623. This number is available 24 hours a day.

If the interruption affects the upstream public electricity network, you may also need to contact the electricity distributor for your area. You can find its outage and emergency details using the AER distributor directory.

The distributor may not be responsible for faults within the embedded network. If you are unsure who to contact, call us first.

If there is an immediate risk to health or safety, follow your emergency plan and call 000.


Prepare an emergency plan

Speak with your medical practitioner or equipment provider about what you should do if energy supply is interrupted.

Your plan could include:

  • understanding how long the equipment can operate without mains power;
  • keeping any backup battery charged and testing it regularly;
  • maintaining backup oxygen or other supplies where applicable;
  • identifying somewhere you can go if the interruption continues;
  • planning safe transport if you need to leave;
  • keeping your mobile phone and a portable charger charged;
  • keeping important contact numbers readily available; and
  • ensuring carers, household members or support people understand the plan.

Important contacts may include:

  • your medical practitioner;
  • your equipment provider;
  • your carer or emergency contact;
  • the nearest hospital;
  • Active Utilities;
  • the relevant electricity distributor; and
  • emergency services on 000.

If your telephone service relies on mains electricity or an NBN modem, it may not operate during a power outage. Include another way to communicate in your emergency plan.


Keep your details up to date

Tell us as soon as possible if:

  • your telephone number, email or postal address changes;
  • the person using the equipment moves into or out of the premises;
  • the equipment or medical requirements change;
  • you change retailer;
  • you are moving home; or
  • life-support equipment is no longer required.

We may contact you periodically to confirm that the registration details remain current.


Moving home or changing retailer

Life-support registration may not transfer automatically when you move or change retailer.

Tell your existing and new retailer, exempt seller, embedded network operator or distributor before the change, where possible, so that the premises can be correctly registered.


More information or complaints

For questions about registration, medical confirmation or updating your information:

Call: 1300 587 623

Email: lifesupport@activeutilities.com.au

If you are dissatisfied with how your registration has been handled, see our Complaints Policy page.