Australia: Utilities (Electricity, Gas, Water) & and Other Services

Electricity

The cost of electricity in Australia is relatively low compared to world standards. The Australian domestic standard voltage is AC 240/250 volts, frequency of 50 Hertz. UK appliances are safe to use, and so should be the European, but check with the manufacturer or a licensed electrician. Those migrating from USA or Canada will need to have appliances modified by a 240V-110V step down voltage converter. The standard plug is a three–pin (sometimes 2-pin for appliances that don’t need to be earthed). Replacement plugs can be purchased from most hardware stores and supermarkets. You can purchase most appliances at relatively moderate prices (except for big brand names). More details at http://www.australianaustralia.com/page/Will_your_gadget_work_in_Australia/120

Front loading machines are more expensive than top loaders. Driers are not essential, however, over the humid months you would probably want it, and they are not expensive. One appliance you will certainly need a lot in Australia is a refrigerator (fridge). Given the warmer weather, you will want to keep everything in the fridge, even foods that in Europe or North America you would keep in your pantry cupboard. The majority of big stores have offers to repay over a period of up to 12 months with no interest. A good time to buy is at the end of the financial year (30 June) and following Christmas, when most retailers have big sales. If you need something to get you to that time, you can rent appliances, and you can also purchase second-hand ones through the Trading Post http://www.tradingpost.com.au newspaper.

When you move into a new home in Australia the electricity supply will probably be turned off by the local electricity company. As soon as you move in contact your local electricity company and ask to be reconnected and the meter read. Reconnection is usually done within the 24 hours.

One of the largest electricity suppliers is Energy Australia http://www.energy.com.au (also supplying gas). Another large supplier of electricity is Integral Energy http://www.integral.com.au

Gas

Australia’s great natural gas reserves make it available in all major cities. Gas is very popular for cooking and it also costs less than electricity. Unfortunately, gas is not available in all suburbs and homes so if you are used to gas for cooking, make sure that you check when choosing a property. Sometimes, if there is a reasonable distance between a house and a gas main, you can arrange with your local gas company to install a line for you. Check the cost before agreeing to any work. Gas is less common for heating and hot water; however, it is becoming more popular. In country and regional areas piped gas is less common, and if required you’ll need to purchase bottled gas.

When you move to a home that has a gas supply, contact your local gas company to reconnect you and transfer the account to your name. There may be some cost associated with it, like a security deposit and establishment of the account. When leaving the property contact your gas supplier again to do the final reading. If you want to purchase gas appliances you need to shop around (this is good practice for any purchase). Because gas installations and appliances can be dangerous if there is a leak or dysfunction, you should always ask for an expert to check them out. Your local gas supplier will be able to advise you. Australian Gas Limited is a national energy company, meeting the demands of Australia's energy industry. Information about gas supply can be found on http://www.agl.com.au.

Water

Australia is the world’s driest country, where regional areas are regularly subject to droughts. Water is very precious and at times of drought there may be restrictions applied to water usage. These are often announced in newspapers, on radio and television. Each city and major region has a water board operated by the local government. In some areas you will be billed for water at a fixed charge, whilst in some other you may actually be billed for consumption. Check with your local water board.

Whilst Australian drinking water is one of the cleanest and safest in the world, the quality varies. Some people have water purifiers fitted to their home drinking tap to improve its taste, some buy bottled water. Fluoride is added to the water in most cities as a preventative measure for tooth decay.

When you move to a new home you need to check where the main stopcock is, which can be turned off in an emergency. If you are moving to a block of units, there are two things to be aware of:

- other residents may not be accustomed to letting others know when a major plumbing work is done in their apartment, so you may find yourself dry in the shower (it doesn’t happen too often, but it may).

- main water stopcock is sometimes in public view and not under lock, so people with a bad sense of humour may turn your water supply off at odd times (rare).

Heating and Air-conditioning

Given the climate in most parts of the north, east and west of Australia central heating is not common. A lot of people use portable electric fan heaters (not very economical), or portable gas heaters (very economical). In the southern parts of Australia, where it gets cooler in winter, it is more common to come across central heating, double glazed windows and good insulation, particularly in some new developments. Solar heating is another option and very popular in Australia particularly for heating water.

In most parts of Australia air-conditioning provides a great relief during summer and in areas where high humidity is a problem. Businesses as well as many homes are fitted with portable air-conditioning units. The choice is great, however, be aware that air-conditioning is not the healthiest option for skin and the respiratory system. Sometimes a good fan can provide relief from summer heat just as well. In hot weather, please remember to drink water regularly and slip on a tshirt, slop on some sunscreen and slap on a hat.

Communications (Telephone, Post, Internet, TV, Radio)

Telephone

The Australian system is one of the most efficient and easy to operate telephone systems in the world. There is an extensive network of public phones throughout the country, and phone booths are easy to recognize by the orange and blue Telstra logo. Local calls are inexpensive with most phones accepting coins and prepaid telephone cards. You can call long distance; however charges vary depending on time of day and distance. The best day to make interstate or international calls is Sunday, when all day discount rates apply. Prepaid Telephone cards of $2, $5, $20, $20 and $50 can be purchased from news-agencies and Post Offices (not working on weekends). Public phones also offer SMS services.

When contacting Australia from overseas you first must dial the country code (61), then the area code without the zero – for Sydney (2), followed by the residence number. When calling from Australia you need to dial 0011, followed by the country code of the country you are calling, area code and residence number to dial outside of Australia.

Mobile phones are very popular in Australia, and you will hardly meet anyone who doesn’t have one (from children to mature adults). There are three main telecommunications companies that provide mobile phone services: Telstra http://www.telstra.com.au, Optus http://www.optus.com.au and Vodafone http://www.vodafone.com.au, with a number of small market players (3, Orange, Hutchison etc.). The digital network is very efficient and covers the entire country. Overseas mobile phones will also operate in Australia, but it is much more cost effective if you purchase an Australian SIM card, than if you call with your overseas one. Rates for mobile phone calls very considerably, and shopping around is essential. You can also purchase pre-paid mobile phone credit at news-agencies, petrol stations and most supermarkets. Some people find that mobile phone calls are much more expensive in Australia than what they have been accustomed to.

Post

Mail in Australia is handled by Australia Post http://www.auspost.com.au They provide one of the best postal services in the world as far as cost, speed and reliability are concerned. Almost every suburb has a post office, offering a wide range of services; in addition to handling your mail, you can also pay your bills and credit cards, send a fax, make a photocopy, apply for a Passport, and open a Post Office Box until you have a permanent address. Post Offices usually operate between the hours of 9.00am to 5.00pm, Mondays to Fridays, and some are open on Saturdays until midday. In smaller country towns there are Australia Post agencies generally operating within a general store, petrol station or a café, licenced to provide most services as post office. Details about domestic and international services can be found on their website. There are also several courier services and larger items can be sent by Australian Air Express http://www.aae.com.au

Internet

This is the age of Internet. Whether you jus want to stay in touch with your family overseas, or start looking for jobs, property, or any information, it is essential to connect to the Internet as soon as you can. There are a number of Internet Service Providers (ISPs), national and local, with a large number of plans to choose from. The options are: dialup/broadband, light/heavy usage or packaging Internet with your phone plan. If you don’t want to commit straight away with one ISP, you can buy prepaid hours. For a list of Australia’s internet access providers go to The Australian ISP Directory http://www.australianispdirectory.com

For a person on the move the best computer option is a notebook/laptop. You can bring it in your hand luggage and get online straight away. Setting up an account with an ISP can be done over the phone. For those who don’t have a notebook, you’ll have to wait for your desktop to arrive, or you can purchase one. There are many specialized computer shops, and some large retailers also sell computers. In the meantime you can get online in internet cafes, public libraries, hotels and airports.

Television

Television in Australia consists of Free-to-air networks (FTA) and Pay television. FTA networks are: ABC (Australian Broadcasting Service) http://www.abc.net.au, SBS (Special Broadcasting Service) http://www.sbs.com.au, Seven http://www.seven.com.au, Nine http://tvshows.ninemsn.com.au, Ten http://www.ten.com.au. ABC and SBS are government owned, and the other three are commercial networks. There are a number of regional commercial stations (Capital, Prime, Win etc.), plus local and community television stations. Not all networks can be received in all areas, particularly in some remote areas. The Australian Broadcasting Authority http://www.aba.gov.au has more information.

The television system in Australia is PAL, the same as in UK and most of Europe. The cost of a television, video cassette recorder (VCR) and DVD players vary according to its make, size, features and where you purchase it from. One thing you can be certain of is that Australia keeps up with the world technology, and it will be easy to satisfy anyone’s taste when it comes to sophistication of features and displays. As with anything else, shop around if you want to find the best value for money. You can also purchase second hand electrical items from retail shops, rental companies and through Trading Post http://www.tradingpost.com.au advertisements. It is also possible to rent a television, however, it is often cheaper to buy than to rent, particularly if over a longer period of time.

In addition to this information, there is more you can find on how to keep in touch with friends and family, how to choose an internet service provider, mobile phone, phone card and how to overcome culture shock and deal with homesickness on the Newcomers Network website http://www.newcomersnetwork.com

Note: A general rule when opening an account, whether with a bank, insurance company or any other utilities provider in Australia is that if you are living with a spouse, or a partner, make sure that the account is under both names! If you open an account under the name of only one spouse, the spouse whose name is not on the account will be unable to make any queries with the service provider who will in fact refuse to even talk to them, and there is no way you can convince them that you are a legitimate partner or a spouse! Even if the bills are paid by the not-listed partner’s credit card, they still won’t talk to you. This can be not only demeaning, but it is also very frustrating.

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