Life Support Policy

Life Support

Life support equipment  

If someone in your household requires life support equipment, you need to register this equipment with us so we can help you manage planned and unplanned interruptions.

If someone in your household requires life support equipment, please contact us to register your premises with us as soon as possible to ensure you receive the life support protections under the energy laws.

Registering your life support equipment is important as your premises may be subject to both planned and unplanned interruptions from us and your distributor. If your premises is registered, you’ll be provided with advance written notice of any planned interruptions from either us or the distributor in accordance with relevant energy laws.

Please see section below titled “Types of life support equipment eligible for registration” for a list of the types of equipment that could qualify for life support registration under the relevant energy laws.

CALL NOW 13 14 04
Monday – Friday (9am-6pm AEST)

 

View our Ampol Energy Life Support policy

View our Ampol Energy Life Support Information sheet

 

How to register your life support equipment

This information is specific to South-East Queensland. We’ll be updating these instructions as we expand our services to other locations.

1. Please call us as soon as possible on 13 14 04 to register your life support status - your premises will be temporarily registered as requiring life support protections under the relevant energy laws until medical confirmation is received.

2. You will then need to provide us with medical confirmation. This can be done by providing us with any of the following:
   • a Medical Confirmation Form (which we will provide you and is available here), completed by a registered medical practitioner; or
   • a medical certificate from a registered medical practitioner that states that a person residing at your premises requires life support equipment and specifies the life support equipment required; or
   • a copy of any medical confirmation you provided to your previous retailer or distributor.
    
   Please ensure that your medical confirmation is:
   • signed and dated (with the date no more than 4 years before you advise us of your life support equipment); and

   • legible.

   Please note that if we have not received your documentation or have not heard from you within 50 business days of us providing you with a Medical Confirmation Form, we may deregister your premises as containing life support equipment. We will, however, write to you to let you know prior to deregistering your premises.

   We are also happy to provide you with an extension of time if required. If you have any questions, need assistance, please don't hesitate to get in touch with us on 13 14 04 (Mon – Fri, 9am-6pm AEST). If you wish to speak to your distributor, please contact Energex on 13 12 53.

3. Return your medical confirmation form or medical certificate to us by email or post.

   Email: lifesupport@ampolenergy.com.au

   Post: Ampol Life Support, GPO Box 4044, Sydney NSW 2001

4. Once we've received your valid medical confirmation, we'll send you a notice by mail or email (depending on your communication preference for important notices) confirming that your premises has been registered as requiring life support and will receive the protections under the energy laws.

Your address will remain registered with your local distributor until you notify us of a change in circumstances, move to a new house or switch to another energy retailer (where you will need to advise your new energy retailer that you require life support equipment).

 

Types of life support equipment eligible for registration

Life support equipment is equipment that is needed to ensure the ongoing health and safety of people with certain medical conditions. Under the energy laws, life support equipment can include, but is not limited to:

• An oxygen concentrator;
• An intermittent peritoneal dialysis machine;
• A kidney dialysis machine;
• A chronic positive airways pressure (CPAP) respirator;
• Crigler-Najjar syndrome phototherapy equipment;
• A ventilator for life support;
• Any other equipment that a registered medical practitioner certifies is required for a person residing at the premises for life support. Such equipment may include, but is not limited to, the following:
  • External heart pumps;
  • Respirators (iron lung);
  • Suction pumps (respiratory or gastric);
  • Feeding pumps (kangaroo pump, or total parenteral nutrition);
  • Insulin pumps;
  • Airbed vibrator;
  • Hot water;
  • Nebulizer, humidifiers, or vaporizers;
  • Apnoea monitors;
  • Medically required heating and air conditioning;
  • Medically required refrigeration; and
  • Powered wheelchair.

Please note that some types of life support equipment are eligible for concessions or rebates, and these may differ from state to state.

 

How to prepare for outages

1. Prepare a plan of action and communicate this to your household so everyone knows what to do in an outage. See our information sheet to help you prepare a plan of action.
2. Keep our emergency phone number and your energy distributor’s phone number handy so you can quickly contact them in the event of an unplanned outage.
3. If your home loses energy unexpectedly and you or someone in your household relies on life support equipment follow your action plan.

If you require emergency medical assistance call 000.

In the case of an emergency, you can contact us on 13 14 04 (select option 1) or Energex on 13 19 62. The charge for a call to each of these numbers is no more than the cost of a local call.

Click here to download our life support information document

 

Moving house or changing energy retailers

It’s important to let us know of any changes relating to your life support equipment, including:

• if you no longer need your life support equipment;
• if you have moved to a different address; or
• if you decide to change energy retailers.

Please call us on 13 14 04 if you need to change any of your details.

If you do move to a new house or switch to another energy retailer, you will also need advise your new energy retailer that life support equipment is required at your premises.

 

Energisation and re-energisation timeframes

The timeframes for energisation and re-energisation of your premises are detailed in the relevant energy laws and the terms and conditions of your contract with us, and are subject to any requirements and timings of your distributor.

If your premises has an existing connection, we will request that your distributor connect and energise your premises as soon as practicable after you enter into a retail contract with us in accordance with the relevant energy laws.

Re-energisation after disconnection

In accordance with the relevant energy laws, we must request your distributor to reconnect your premises if, within 10 business days of your premises being disconnected:

• you ask us to arrange for reconnection of your premises; and
• you rectify the matter that led to the disconnection; and
• you pay any reconnection charge (if requested).

There may be further requirements that apply in your state.

Please call us on 13 14 04 for specific details on energisation and re-energisation timeframes for your premises.

 

Get in touch – we’re here to help

If you have any questions about your life support equipment registration, please do not hesitate to contact us on 13 14 04 (Monday – Friday 9am-6pm AEST).

If you require the assistance of an interpreter service, please call Ampol Energy Customer Service Team on 13 14 04.