Information for builders, plumbers and electricians

Have questions about setting up a new electricity or gas connection, new meter installations, or changing or removing an energy supply? We've put together a list of frequently asked questions from builders, contractors, plumbers and electricians.

You should always call 000 straight away if there’s an emergency – like if you smell a gas leak, or if there’s any risk to someone’s life or property. More information about emergencies, outages and leaks.

If your power or gas goes out, or there’s a fault, contacting your distributor is usually the best place to start. They’re the ones who manage your energy supply and meter, and can arrange to send someone out if there’s a problem or a supply issue. And if there’s an outage, they’ll usually be able to tell you when your power or gas should be back up and running too.

If you’re not sure whether there’s an electricity supply at the site, you can check with the distributor. If you’re not sure who your distributor is, enter your postcode to find out.

If you have any questions about natural gas supply, we’ll be happy to help out – just give us a call on 1300 137 932 (weekdays 8 am–5 pm AEST).

To get a new meter or energy supply connected to brand new homes, businesses or building sites, simply request a new electricity or gas connection via our Origin Connect portal or new connection request form.

For more information, read our guide to new meters and installations or check out the new connection timeframes and processes for your state.

If you build more than three properties a year – and you’re paying the connection fees and energy costs during construction – you can set up a multi site agreement. That way, any requests we receive from electricians and plumbers will be automatically billed to your account, without you having to authorise each one.

To fast track requests for your company, just complete, sign and send back the Multi site Energy Agreement (55KB) to us. We’ll sort out the rest.

Origin Connect is a complete connection management tool for builders and tradies to request and manage their new connections.

With the Origin Connect portal, you can submit new connection requests for electricity and natural gas. You can also track the progress of each connection, ask questions, complete account closures and request final reads. Register for Origin Connect online to get started.

If you’re using Origin Connect, you can easily keep track of all the jobs you’ve lodged – as well as the ones submitted by your electrician or plumber. And if you’re not using the portal, we’ll email or text you with updates along the way – like we did when we processed your application.

If you’re a developer looking for discounted electricity pricing and wholesale electricity procurement, Origin’s embedded electricity networks (also known as centralised electricity for apartments) is the solution.

We also supply centralised hot water (bulk water) – where all the apartments in the block or multi-dwelling complex get their hot water from the same source, with individual meters for each unit.

For more information about our centralised electricity and/or hot water services, or to arrange for a proposal for your project, contact our dedicated team on 1800 684 993. We're available Mon to Fri, 8am–6pm (AEST).

Want information regarding an electricity or natural gas bill, or have a question about charges? Find out more in our Billing & Payments section or view network charges by state here.

A Non Energy Bill is an invoice from us that includes any one-off charges passed on by the distributor – this could be something like abolishing a meter or altering a supply. You’ll recognise these bills because they’re light blue and have a ‘Non Energy’ label in the top right corner. It also includes the following information:

If the account was set up in your name and you want to transfer it to your client’s, you’ll need to complete the Account closure and transfer request form. It needs to be signed by the new property owner(s) as well, and include a contact number.

If you don’t have a client yet (because you haven’t sold the property or it’s going to be leased) then you can complete a Final read form. Just keep in mind, final read fees may apply and you’ll need to allow 5 business days for these requirements to be actioned.

NSW: For an electricity account that’s in your name, start by contacting your electrician to make sure the distributor has processed the site’s metering paperwork – otherwise we won’t have the metering details to action a final read for you. Once you know this paperwork’s been completed, it’s time to submit the Final read form. Just keep in mind, final read fees may apply and you’ll need to allow 5 clear business days days for these requirements to be actioned.

Often, natural gas accounts will already be in your client’s name. But if not, you’ll just need to complete the Account closure and transfer request form – you can use a single form for both electricity and natural gas. If you don’t have a client yet, you can complete or add the natural gas account to the Final read form. Just keep in mind, final read fees may apply and you’ll need to allow 5 clear business days for these requirements to be actioned.

Get in touch with our New Meter & Installations team on 1300 137 932 – we'll be happy to help. We're available Mon to Fri, 8am–5pm (AEST).