Who do I need to contact?

If you experience a blackout, it’s important to contact your local distributor. Your energy distributor is the company that owns and operates the poles, wires and grid that provide your home with energy. Your distributor’s determined by where you live so you don’t get to choose them – unlike your energy retailer (Origin).

Your local distributor can provide info about the cause of the outage and will likely be able to provide you with an estimated time when the power will be restored in your area.

How do I find my energy distributor?

Some postcodes have several distributors. If you see more than one listed you can confirm which one services your area by looking at your bill. Their number will be listed under ‘Faults and Emergencies’.

If you don’t have your bill handy, we’ve got you covered. Just pop your postcode into our Distributor Look-up Tool and we’ll tell you who your distributor is.

My power’s out, what do I do?

Your number one priority during a power outage is to stay safe.

Be energy safe

Be careful not to burn yourself when using candles and other open flames for light, and keep naked flames away from any flammable materials.

Food safety

Try to keep your cold and frozen food cold by moving it all to the freezer and only opening the freezer and fridge when necessary to keep it as cold as possible. 

It’s generally recommended that food can be kept and eaten for up to 4 hours and then it must be thrown away or, if it’s raw meat, cooked and eaten. When your power’s restored, if your frozen food is still solid, the food should be safe to refreeze – but approach this on a case by case basis.

If you have any questions, contact the Department of Health and Human Services on 1300 364 352. 

In the event of an extended power outage, you may be eligible for a credit to reimburse you for spoiled goods. Your local distributor will be able to advise whether you’re eligible for this.

Take care of one another

If you have neighbours or relatives that may have special needs (such as the elderly or those with a disability), be supportive. Check up on them to make sure they’re safe and provide assistance where you can.

If a neighbour or relative has life support, and their supply has been affected, help assist them to the nearest hospital if safe to do so. If it’s not safe, reach out to the ambulance service by calling triple zero (000).

What will happen to my solar system?

When you initially connect your solar system to the network, you need to abide by the network’s connection standard. This means the inverter must follow grid operation. So if the grid’s down the inverter needs to, and will, shut down automatically.

This is because linesmen may be harmed when repairing faulty electricity wires travelling back into the grid from your solar system. After the repairs have been made, your solar power system will automatically turn on during daylight hours. If you have a battery backup system connected to your solar system, then depending on the wiring, some internal services like your fridge could still be operated by the batteries.

I have an electric garage door, what should I do?

Many garage doors feature a manual release function to bypass the opening mechanism during power outages, so don’t fear. To activate this, depending on your door, there will be a short rope hanging down that usually ends with a red, T-shaped handle. Pull this cord to release the door from the drive chain or belt. 

Pulling this cord will allow you to manually raise your garage door. When power comes back on, you may have to manually reset your garage door’s automatic opening system. If you have any issues, contact your garage door installer.

What if a natural disaster or emergency is occurring?

If a flood or bushfire has caused a power outage in your home, you need to act appropriately.

Floods or storms

If you’re impacted by flooding or a damaging storm, your best point of contact is your State Emergency Service (SES):

• NSW SES
• VIC SES
• QLD Disaster Management
• SA SES
• ACT ESA
• WA Emergency
• Secure NT

Bushfires

Electricity and natural gas supplies are often disconnected during bushfires for safety reasons. Contact your local distributor to get an update on whether a disconnection has occurred.

If you’re in a high-risk location for a bushfire, contact your state fire service:

• NSW Rural Fire Service
• VIC Emergency & Country Fire Authority
• QLD Fire Department
• SA Country Fire Service
• ACT ESA
• WA Emergency
• Secure NT

If you have any further questions, our emergencies page can give you tips about what to do in the case of bushfires and floods.

Preparing for a natural disaster or wild weather

If there is a severe weather event predicted in your area, here are a few useful tips and resources to help ensure your home is prepared. In any weather event, your local distributor is your best contact for outage info. You can find your distributor’s contact details on the first page of your bill, or by popping your postcode into our look up tool. Jot these down and keep them handy.

If you have life support at your property, ensure you are across your backup plan and have planned for access to your nearest hospital.⁠

For storms or cyclones

• Secure the exterior of your home by bringing all outside patio furniture, potted plants, bikes and toys indoors.⁠
• Source sandbags to keep water away from your property. Check whether your local council is offering these for free.
• If you have a generator, test it ahead of time and ensure you have adequate fuel on hand.⁠
• Charge power banks and any other appliances you may need (such as iPads, eBook readers, laptops, etc for entertainment) ahead of the weather event.
• Other important items to ensure you have on hand include bottled drinking water, food to last you between 5-7 days, torches, batteries, a battery powered radio to keep up to date with weather warnings, first aid kit and medication.⁠

For bushfires

A home that’s well prepared for bushfire season is more likely to survive a bushfire or ember attack according to the NSW Rural Fire Service.

Here are their maintenance tips to ensure your home is bushfire ready:

• Clean your gutters of leaves and twigs, and install metal gutter guards.
• Attach a fire sprinkler system to your gutters.
• Repair damaged or missing tiles on the roof, enclose any gaps under the house and repair any in external walls.
• Fit seals around doors and windows to eliminate gaps inside the home.
• Keep lawns short and gardens well maintained.
• Cut back trees and shrubs overhanging buildings.
• Clean up fallen leaves, twigs and debris around the property.
• Have hoses long enough to reach around your house.
• If you have a pool, tank or dam, put a Static Water Supply (SWS) sign on your property entrance, so firefighters know where they can get water.
• Ensure you have an emergency survival kit on hand. Including things like: portable battery-operated radio, waterproof torch, spare batteries, first aid kit (with manual), candles with waterproof matches, woollen blankets, bottled drinking water (at least 3L for each person per day), medication and appliance chargers.

Tips for keeping the kids entertained

With TVs, computers and gaming consoles off the table (unless they’re battery operated of course), we’ve pulled together some easy ways to keep the kids entertained whilst waiting for power to be restored.

• Have a storytelling and shadow puppet show. Use a flashlight to take turns creating different animals and characters on the walls and creating stories to go with them.
• Pull out the board or card games and take the opportunity to bring the whole family together for some quality time.
• Who says forts are just for kids? Use blankets, pillows and sheets to create a cosy hideout inside.
• Pull out your craft supplies markers, paints and scrapbooks or download our colouring in sheet and get crafty together.

Have any more questions?

If you want to learn more about power outages, how this might affect your home or how to be better prepared, we recommend visiting your local distributors website.  

The post What to do in a power outage appeared first on The Origin Blog.

How to switch energy providers

Switching energy providers has never been easier, in fact, you can make the switch online in less than 5 minutes and we’ll take care of everything else. Simply compare our electricity and gas plans, choose the plan most beneficial for your household, sign up and we’ll get it sorted.

Switching energy providers won’t interrupt your power supply and you won’t need to contact your old energy supplier to make the switch.

If you’re switching energy suppliers in the process of moving houses you will need to contact your old supplier. Read our moving house guide for more information or book your move online.

What next?

After you’ve followed our simple sign up process, we’ll let you know when your energy supply has been switched over to us.

If you’ve switched to Origin at your current address, that’s it! There’s nothing left for you to do. We’ll get in contact with your previous energy provider and let them know so they can send you your final bill. Your energy supply won’t be interrupted throughout the process.

As mentioned, if you’ve switched over while moving house, you will need to contact your old energy provider and let them know you’ve moved out of your previous property. They will disconnect your old property and send you a final bill.

Once you have an account set up with us, you can head over to the My Account page and register. Through My Account you can see your plan, check usage charges, pay your bills and so much more.

Once you’re an Origin customer you can also manage your energy 24/7 with the ease and convenience of our award-winning mobile app. Monitor your energy usage, pay bills with just one tap and a range of other features we’re continuously adding to and improving on.

Why choose Origin?

Easy-to-understand plans and pricing

With no hidden fees or lock in contracts you can move with confidence. What’s more, you can sign up to Origin in less the 5 minutes online and we’ll take care of the rest. If you have questions about our plans, you can also reach out to a friendly member of our team who will be happy to help.

Bundle and save

Save money on broadband when you have electricity or natural gas with us. Whether you’re an electricity and gas customer or want to be, it gets better for you. Simplify your providers and save money just by bundling your internet and energy with us.

Our customers want flexibility and simplicity and our range of broadband plans are designed with that in mind. Easy-to-understand plans and pricing extends to our broadband plans too with the added choice of unlimited data on our 12 month, 24 month and month-to-month plans. Take a look for yourself and compare our internet plans today.

We’re working to make energy cleaner

We’ve been a leader in renewable energy for over 15 years. In fact we’ve put over a million solar panels on rooftops across Australia, more than any other electricity and gas retailer in Australia.

We want to get energy right for our customers, our community and our planet which is why we’re giving it all we can to make energy more affordable, cleaner, smarter and easier. We like to call it good energy, and we’d love you to be a part of it.

The post Switching your energy to Origin is easy appeared first on The Origin Blog.

Located in Kogan, about 40km from Dalby in Queensland’s Darling Downs region, the power station remains Queensland’s largest gas-fired power station and Australia’s largest combined cycle gas turbine power station – with a maximum generation capacity of 630 megawatts.

“The entire team live in the Western Downs region during the week and nearly a third of the workforce were with us when the station opened in 2010. Since then, we’ve seen many changes to the way the station operates,” he said.

“Darling Downs was originally designed to operate as a base-load generator, meaning the power station was running for long periods and had a low number of starts each year. That’s all changed with the increased deployment of renewable generation like solar and wind around the state. In response to the changing market, plants like Darling Downs need to come on quickly and more frequently when the wind drops off or the sun clouds over.”

“The fact we had over 2,200 starts for the last three years, compared to a total of 435 starts during the plant’s first eight years of operation illustrates how dramatic these changes in the market have been,” said Anthony.

“A couple of years ago we made some significant investments to ensure Darling Downs could operate in a more flexible way. These modifications have enabled us to better support renewable generation by responding rapidly to changes in the grid.”

Modifications have included the installation of new main stop control valves, which enable the plant to reduce minimum output and better support renewables; retuning the steam cycle (i.e. the temperature and pressures at which certain valves open) to decrease the steam turbine start up time and protect internal components from erosion that can occur with more frequent starts; and upgrading equipment in the station’s chemical control room to improve plant monitoring capability.

Origin continues to look for further opportunities to improve the flexibility of our generation fleet and recently completed commissioning of the second fast start unit at the Quarantine power station in South Australia.

The post Adapting to a changing energy landscape appeared first on The Origin Blog.

As part of the CSIRO research, air, water and soil samples were taken before, during and after fracking operations at six wells in Origin’s Reedy Creek Combabula gas field, north-east of Roma. These samples were then analysed to determine if there had been any environmental impacts as a result of the operations.

CSIRO described the research as “the most comprehensive investigation into HF (fracking) activities in Australia to date and represents the leading edge of international onshore gas studies. Independent and relevant scientific research in Australia provides the necessary information for communities, industry and government to make long-term decisions around future well development in our region.”

The comprehensive study included more than 1,000 air samples collected from 13 sites across the Surat Basin, which were analysed for various pollutants and chemical concentrations, 113 water samples from different water sources and 40 soil samples.

The study also found “current water treatment technology used for treating water produced from coal seam gas wells is effective in removing hydraulic fracturing chemicals and naturally occurring (geogenic) chemicals to within relevant water quality guidelines.”

Executive General Manager of Integrated Gas, Mark Schubert, said Origin provided full and open access to the CSIRO scientists to gather their samples onsite and welcomed the extensive testing they conducted.

“Confirmation that fracking has minimal to no impact on groundwater, soil or air quality is important and should provide confidence to the local communities where we operate that we are a safe and environmentally responsible operator.”

“Natural gas continues to play an important role as the world moves towards renewable energy supply, particularly as it can respond quickly to changes in solar and wind output, helping to maintain reliable electricity supply to customers.”

The research was funded through CSIRO’s Gas Industry Social and Environmental Research Alliance (GISERA) which industry and Origin contribute to.

[1] gisera.csiro.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Water-12-Milestone-3-report_final

The post CSIRO’s world-leading study into fracking appeared first on The Origin Blog.

But there are so many gas cook tops and gas ovens to choose from, where do you start?

Choose the appliance that suits your needs

Might be an obvious statement, but think about the way you cook now and if that’s likely to change in the coming years. Your new gas oven and cooktop will be a long-term friend, so planning ahead always helps.

Cooking style

Have an idea of how your household cooks – whether it’s baking, frying, grilling or roasting, knowing how you’ll use your kitchen appliances will help you weigh up the value of different features.

Size

Measure the space you have available for your cooktop or oven and make sure you choose a capacity and shape that fits your kitchen. Consider how many burners you’ll need on a cooktop and the sizes that suit the pots and pans you use.

Design

Built-in ovens can be installed separately to a cooktop in a wall recess or under a bench. Free-standing units include both an oven and cooktop, and can be handy in smaller kitchens. Also consider what finish suits your home (e.g. white, black, coloured or stainless steel).

Buttons and knobs

Buttons should be easy to read and feature a pointer which clearly indicates the setting.

Cleaning

Make sure you select a cooktop and oven that are easy to clean, without fiddly areas where spills and crumbs can get trapped.

Budget

Always the final decider – even if you want that mega oven, can you afford the maintenance and ongoing bills?

Once you’ve got a good idea of what best suits your cooking style, home and budget, what else do you need to consider?

Fan-forced or conventional?

Fan-forced oven

• Cook quickly and efficiently with even temperature throughout
• Several dishes can be cooked together at the same temperature
• Heat is dispersed throughout the oven, so there’s no need to preheat
• Foods retain their natural juices as cooking times are faster and at a lower temperature
• For conventional cooking, simply switch off the fan.

Conventional oven

• Three different heat zones all at the same time
• The top level is hottest and ideal for baking
• The middle section is a moderate temperature zone, perfect for roasting meats
• The lowest part is cooler and best for long, slow cooking
• Cook a whole meal at once just by placing food at different levels.
   

What to look out for with gas cooktops

• Only buy appliances that are approved as safe for use with LPG in Australia. Approved appliances will carry a safety certification label and number.
• Flame-failure safety features can be installed on gas cooktops and gas ovens. It is an electro-magnetic valve fitted to each burner, shutting off gas if the flame has been accidently extinguished.
• There are also different ignition systems to consider such as an electronic ignition which creates a continuous spark when you press a button, or a manual ignition which is when a gas burner is lit with a match or hand-held sparking gun.
• Installations must always be done by a licensed gas fitter, and a certificate of compliance should be provided to you once the gas work is completed.

Did you know our team can help install your appliances?

The post Tips for choosing the right gas cook-top or oven appeared first on The Origin Blog.

We understand our customers expect smarter and easier digital experiences when it comes to their energy. That’s why we’re working hard to move more paper-based processes into the digital world. This means less writing, scanning and emailing for you and more time to get onto the more exciting things – like decorating your new place or buying that new piece of furniture you’ve been eyeing. We’re here to help when you’re ready to connect.

Building a new property soon?

Whether it’s your new house or a new office, you can now simply submit a request online to connect your electricity or natural gas and we’ll take care of the rest. Try out our New Connections digital form.

Moving into an existing property?

Connecting your energy should be a fast and easy process. Book online and complete your application in minutes. Lock in your move before 1 pm Monday to Friday and you can have your electricity connected the next business day.

Upcoming digital experiences

Soon you’ll be able to do even more things online:

• Change your electricity meter to add solar to your property or upgrade it for new equipment like pool heating or bigger air conditioners
• Remove your electricity meter to demolish a property and rebuild.

If you want to stay updated, check out our Meter & Installation section in the coming months and say goodbye to endless paperwork.

The post Connecting your new property has never been easier appeared first on The Origin Blog.

The Beetaloo Basin, located six hours’ drive south of Darwin near the town of Daly Waters, is a 18,500km² area which may contain a material new gas resource for Australia’s east coast gas market. The Beetaloo has similar characteristics in area and quality to the Marcellus Shales in the US, which now represents around a quarter of all US gas production.

The Beetaloo is shale gas, so different to both conventional gas sources and Queensland gas which is contained in coal seams.

After the moratorium on fracking was lifted by the NT Government earlier this year following a thorough scientific inquiry, Origin has been preparing to get back on the ground to complete two appraisal wells in 2019. We are currently working with the Territory government as it seeks to implement all 135 recommendations of the scientific inquiry.

Although the project is still in the early stages, local communities have already benefitted, with Origin’s operations helping generate jobs and grow local businesses. It will ultimately improve roads and other infrastructure if further exploration and appraisal is successful and the project progresses to development.

Origin has agreements with host traditional owners and pastoralists, as well as with local companies and suppliers who have already and will continue to work on the project.

Triple P, a local 100 per cent Aboriginal owned and operated business from Elliot, has had a contract with the Beetaloo exploration project since 2017, monitoring and maintaining our well sites.

In a success case, if the Beetaloo project enters full production, all Territorians would be able to share in the economic prosperity via royalties delivered to the government.

Origin’s Beetaloo project could bring important employment opportunities to the Territory economy, eventually supporting around 950 ongoing jobs after construction and ramp up.

Head of Integrated Gas Mark Schubert told NT Resources Week in Darwin in September that the project had the potential to be a game-changer for the Territory.

“What really underpins successful projects, what really drives benefits for families and communities, what really drives prosperous economies – is jobs,” he said.

You can find out more about Origin’s activity in the Beetaloo Basin on the Origin Beetaloo Exploration Project website. Stay up to date with the project by subscribing here.

The post Getting back on the ground in the Beetaloo appeared first on The Origin Blog.

The finding is contained in the final report by CSIRO scientists who, since September 2014, have assessed data collected from five air quality monitoring sites across the Surat Basin.

Three of the five sites had between 15 and 25 gas production wells located within a two kilometre radius (one monitoring site was approximately 100 metres from a gas well). The remaining two ‘rural’ sites measured air quality away from gas field operations.

The study was conducted to investigate the influence of CSG activities on regional air quality. It measured 54 target gases such as nitrogen oxide, carbon monoxide, methane, BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylenes), aldehydes and small particles in the air, known as particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10).

Origin Environmental Officer Matt Kernke said bush or vegetation fires were the leading cause of a lot of elevated small particle levels observed during the program.

“Almost all compounds were found to be consistently higher in the nearby town of Chinchilla, compared to the gas field sites,” Matt said.

“This was caused by the town’s traffic and provides a useful context when discussing the impacts of gas-related activities compared to other local sources.”

He said air monitoring stations were deliberately placed very close to gas infrastructure to measure what were expected to be the biggest impacts of gas operations.

“A key outcome for our industry is that average methane concentrations at the gas field monitoring sites were similar to those found at the rural monitoring sites, which are located 10 to 20 kilometres away from gas-producing infrastructure,” Matt said.

The post Assessing air quality in Queensland’s major gas region appeared first on The Origin Blog.