Bills and payments

We understand that a bill that appears higher than expected can be a shock.  Bill increases may be due to lifestyle changes such as installing air conditioners or a pool or moving to a bigger home.  Listed below are some factors that could be the reason for this increase.

• Seasonal – Heating your home in winter and cooling your home in summer increases your energy usage.  Compare your bills from the same time of the year to track these periods where your usage is usually higher.

• Moving home – if you have moved recently, your new home may be larger or less energy efficient than your previous home.  It may have different types of cooling or heating.

• Additional people – visitors, a new baby, even school holidays could result in an increased usage.

• Appliances – Have you recently purchased a new or larger appliance?  Are there any faulty or old appliances that could be using more energy?  To find how much energy your appliances use, visit https://www.energyrating.gov.au/calculator 

• Bill period – Check that you are comparing bills with the same number of days in a billing period.

• Previous bill – is there a balance that has been carried forward from your previous bill?

• Estimated bill – is your bill estimated?  To see if you have been issued an estimated bill, check your invoice.

• Concessions and discounts – check your entitlements and the expiration of rebates, concessions and discounts.  Some concessions are seasonal and will not be applied to every bill.

• Is your meter number correct?  Ensure that the meter number on your bill matches the meter number on the meter.  If you notice a discrepancy, please email us at [email protected].

Read our energy tips on how you can save energy and lower your bills.

If you would like to make monthly instalment payments, you may be eligible to sign up to Dodo SmartPay

Options: 

If you feel the meter has not been read accurately, we recommend the following options:

• Read your meter, check to see if your current reading is more than the reading on your bill. If it is less than the reading on your bill then call us.

• You can call us to request a special meter reading, which will require the meter reader to return to your property to read the meter again. A fee may be charged if you proceed with this option and the meter reading is found to be correct.

• After all other options have been exhausted you can request the meter to be tested. A fee may apply for this test which will only be charged if it is deemed that there is nothing wrong with the meter. 

If you don’t have a smart meter that can be read remotely, your meter needs to be read in person. Sometimes the meter reader may have issues accessing your meter.  This usually happens if you meter has been installed indoors, is behind a locked gate or is guarded by a pet pooch.

The best way to avoid an estimated read is to make sure there’s always easy and safe access to your meter.

Paying your bills

We understand that this can be a financially uncertain time for many people. If your circumstances have changed and you need assistance paying your bills, there are options available to you.

Customers can access our Energy Assistance Program .

• Request a short or long term payment arrangement based on what you can afford by accessing our Energy Assistance Program .

Request a payment extension for one billing cycle (a single payment extension is allowed in 12 months.

• For customers on a monthly billing cycle - you may be allowed to have at maximum extension of 2 weeks
• For customers on a quarterly billing cycle - it may be as long as 11 weeks

Find out the energy rebates and concessions that you may be eligible for.

If you are looking at ways to reduce energy consumption, take a look at our energy saving tips

There are also Australian Government financial assistance options available for customers impacted by COVID-19.

Victoria $250 Power Saving Bonus Program 

The Victorian state government will make available a one-off $250 payment to provide direct support to vulnerable Victorian households experiencing energy bill stress due to the COVID-19 pandemic for more information on how to apply visit https://compare.energy.vic.gov.au/

Government assistance

NSW – Government Financial Assistance Grants and Loans

Qld – Government Action Covid19 Rescue Package

SA – Government Financial support for individuals

VIC – Government Support Covid19

Life Support

If you or someone in your household uses Life Support Equipment, it is important that you let us know right away (if you have not already) by calling Dodo at 13 36 36.

Your bill frequency varies depending on the fuel type and the state you live in.

• Natural gas is typically billed quarterly in NSW and every two months in Victoria.
• Electricity is billed quarterly in NSW, SA and Queensland.  If you live in Victoria and have a remotely read smart meter, you can receive a monthly bill.  If you would like to switch to a monthly bill, please email us at [email protected].

You can receive your bill 

• Electronically – you will be sent an email letting you know that you can view your bill via My Dodo.  There are no fees for eBills.

• In the mail – you can choose to receive a printed bill, however, there is a printed bill fee applicable (except in NSW).

Click the link for Additional Retail Charges

All energy retailers include a best offer notification on the front of the bills of Victorian customers.  This message will inform you whether or not you are on the best priced advertised plan that is available from us.  

You will be notified if you can save more than $22 (including GST) annually & can take up this offer by emailing us at [email protected] or going to dodo.com/energy 
The best offer notification message you get will be based on your energy usage over the past 12 months or an estimate if we don’t have 12 months usage. 

GST is included in your gas and electricity rates; the GST amount is mentioned separately.  There may be instances when GST is not included such as $ credits.

On page 1 you will find your account summary which contains

• Unpaid balance carried forward from previous bill

• Payments received during the billing period

• New charges for the billing period

• Pay on time discount (if applicable)

• Amount due or Credit balance

• Due date

On page 2 you will find the new charges breakdown which contains

• Days the billing period covers

• Kilowatt hours (kwh) used – for electricity

• Mega joules (mj) used – for gas

• Feed-in Tariff for solar returned to the grid

• Rates

• Concession and Rebates

• Fees (declined payment, printed statement, etc)

• Pay on time discount (if applicable)

Page 3 contains 

• Daily average usage

• Electricity usage benchmark

• Payments received

• Plan details

Page 4 contains

• Contact details for 

  • Translation and interpreter services

  • Payment assistance

  • Concession 

  • Moving home

  • Complaints

  • Ombudsman service

  • Dodo customer service

  • Payment options

Occupier bills are sent to customers when Dodo Power and Gas supplies the premises with gas and/or electricity, however, we do not have your personal details to establish a gas and/or electricity account in your name.  While you have the status “occupier”, you will be priced according to the default offer, which is generally higher than our market offer.

It is important that you contact our Customer Care team on 13 36 36 (Monday – Friday, 8am – 7pm AEST) who will assist in setting up your account.  You can switch to another energy retailer, however are liable for the amount on the Occupier Bill. 

There are several convenient ways that you can pay your electricity or gas account.  Choose from the following options.

Direct debit is an easy way to ensure that your bills are paid on time and guarantee your pay by due date discounts (if applicable).  You will receive your bill to review before the payment is automatically deducted.

Online 

• Direct debit from your credit card, debit card or bank account using My Dodo (Direct debits from a Visa or MasterCard or your bank account are free of charge).
• BPAY – use Biller Code 126326 and the reference number on your bill.

In Person

• Pay at any Post Office (ensure you take the last page of your invoice which has the bar code).

Some payment channels attract a transaction fee.    

Click the link for Additional Retail Charges

Energy bills fluctuate throughout the seasons. We generally use more energy for heating in winter and more energy for cooling in summer. 

This is where Dodo SmartPay can help. Dodo SmartPay provides you a flexible payment option that allows you to make regular instalment payments by direct debit each month.

Using Dodo SmartPay to pay smaller amounts more frequently can be an excellent way to manage energy bills that fluctuate depending on the season.

Refer to Dodo SmartPay Terms & Conditions in detail.

Dodo SmartPay would suit you if you wanted to;

• Reduce the impact of peak summer & winter bills

• Organise household expenses into an easy regular payment

• Create more financial certainty for household budgeting

• Align Dodo SmartPay instalments to when you get paid

Dodo SmartPay is available to residential customers who

• are on a non-monthly billing cycle;

• are on a post paid product;

• are required to pay by direct debit from debit or credit card or bank account

• are not in arrears by greater than $350 on the energy account; and

• are not on an existing payment arrangement, payment plan or hardship plan with Dodo Power & Gas.

It is easy to set up Dodo SmartPay whether a new or existing Dodo customer.

• New Dodo Power & Gas customers

If you are a new customer signing up via our Energy Specialists, you can take up Dodo SmartPay while setting up your electricity or gas accounts.  Customers will need to select a monthly amount for each fuel (amounts for electricity and gas can be different)  and the date each month for the direct debit to occur.

• Existing Dodo Power & Gas customers

If you are an existing customer that is eligible, you can take up Dodo SmartPay by contacting one of our Energy Specialists on 13 36 36. 

To ensure that you are eligible, refer to our Dodo SmartPay Terms & Conditions

Once you have set up Dodo SmartPay you will receive the Terms and Conditions, either as part of your Welcome Pack or separately (if you are an existing Dodo Power & Gas customer). If you have set up a new account, the first direct debit will occur subsequent to the cooling off period.

Your monthly instalments will be debited from your nominated account on the date you have selected. You will continue to receive regular bills that will detail your Dodo SmartPay instalments. You are required to pay any outstanding amounts in full on the due date. 

You can also change the amount and direct debit date of the Dodo SmartPay instalments.

If your aggregate Dodo SmartPay instalments are less than the total amount due, you will be required to pay in full the remaining amount.  If your account is in credit, the credit will be carried forward to the next billing cycle, or you can request a refund via My Dodo.

If you do not meet the Dodo SmartPay eligibility criteria, your Dodo SmartPay may be stopped or cancelled.

The monthly payment amount is up to you.

Here are some suggestions for calculating your Dodo SmartPay instalments.

• If you have 12 month’s of electricity and gas bills at your current address, you could calculate the monthly average to inform the Dodo SmartPay instalments that you need to choose for your electricity or gas account.

• If you have less than a year’s worth of electricity and gas bills, you could get an estimate of your usage (weekly, monthly, quarterly or annually) by entering your address at signup.dodo.com.  You could use this usage estimate to assist in calculating the amount of your monthly Dodo SmartPay instalments.

Remember gas and electricity usage can vary for a number of reasons including if you’ve been using appliances that use more energy, have had more people than normal staying in the house or if the weather has been colder or hotter than usual.

You can set up or amend your direct debit payments by

• Logging into My Dodo or

• Calling us on 13 36 36 (Monday – Friday, 8am – 7pm AEST)

To cancel your direct debit payments,

• Call us on 13 36 36 (Monday – Friday, 8am – 7pm AEST)

Remember

• You need to provide us at least 3 business days to set up, amend or cancel your direct debit payment

• There is no charge on direct debit payments made from a MasterCard or Visa, or from a bank account

If you are experiencing financial difficulties, please click here to review our policy 

Yes, there are a couple of different ways to pay your bill in instalments.

• If you want a regular “set and forget” amount to be debited each month, you can sign up to Dodo SmartPay. With Dodo SmartPay, you get to choose the amount and date when you want the instalments to be debited. Eligibility criteria applies. (Remember, direct debits from a Visa, Master Card or your bank account are free of charge.)

• You can also log in to My Dodo to make ad hoc payments towards your gas or electricity bill.

If there are insufficient funds in your account, your payment will default which may incur a dishonour fee.  

If you usually pay your bill by direct debit, it is important that you notify us at least three days before your payment is due.  Please email us at [email protected].

You can set up or amend your direct debit payments by

• Logging into My Dodo or

• Emailing us at [email protected].

To cancel your direct debit payments,

• Email us at [email protected].

Remember

• You need to provide us at least 3 business days to set up, amend or cancel your direct debit payment.
• There is no charge on direct debit payments made from a MasterCard or Visa, or from a bank account.

If you’d like to discuss the amount due on your account, please email us at [email protected] at least three business days before your direct debit is due.

You can request for a refund online!

• Log on to my.dodo.com 
  • Go to Billing and Payment in top navigation panel
  • Click on Credit Overview
  • Select the account you wish to request a refund for
  • Enter the amount you wish to be refunded
  • You’ll receive an SMS once refund is approved
  • The refund will be credited to your BSB

If you have a smart meter, the bill you receive will be based on an actual read.  If you have a basic meter, the bill you receive will have either an actual or an estimated read.  In most cases your meter reading will be based on the actual amount of electricity used.  However, if your meter cannot be accessed or read, you will receive an estimate.

A special meter read is a read by appointment.  You can organise a special meter read by emailing us at [email protected]. You will be charged a fee for this service.

Click the link Additional Retail Charges

We can organise to have your meter read at your request (special meter read), however, there is a charge for having this done.  You can organise this by emailing us at [email protected].

We would be happy to arrange an appointment for a special meter read at your premises. This can take place anytime during business hours, Monday to Friday.  Appointment dates and times are set by your distributor so we may not be able to accommodate all requested timeframes.

Click the link Additional Retail Charges