Community Energy Resilience
Empowering customers + communities during unplanned power outages through awareness and engagement.
Why this matters
Our changing climate means more frequent and extreme weather events and severe storms. This could lead to incidents that can increase the risk and duration of unplanned power outages.
Many people are unprepared for extended unplanned power outages. Extended power outages can be detrimental to people’s safety, health and financial well-being.
Impact
National Awareness Campaign: Don't be in the dark. Know what to do.
Power Outage Plan campaign
Our Power Outage Plan campaign equips Australians with the knowledge and tools to prepare for unexpected power outages, particularly during extreme weather events.
We worked with a Lived Experience Panel, community voices and energy organisations to develop and launch www.poweroutageplan.com.au as a central resource hub for Australians seeking practical guidance on preparing for power outages, offering downloadable planning tools.
The public awareness initiative was launched through multiple channels to ensure all Australians know how to prepare for power outages before they occur, rather than reacting afterward. This campaign runs alongside the national power outage plan campaign targeting people using medical equipment in the home.
Get involved
The 'Don't be in the dark. Know what to do' Power Outage Plan website offers a simple, easy to follow plan of CHECK. PLAN. DO.:
- CHECK the Power Outage Checklist
- PLAN ahead with your support network
- DO be ready when power goes out
You can help to spread the word by sharing the poweroutageplan.com.au site with your networks. We’re making Australia more energy resilient, together.
It’s great to be part of the Energy Charter’s work on creating power outage plans that can help all Australians. Having experienced power outages in wild weather myself, I know just how important it is to be prepared and stay safe. I’m hopeful that these Community Energy Resilience efforts will make a big difference in helping people be more ready for extreme weather and recover more easily when it hits.
John Mumford, Member, Community Energy Resilience Lived Experience Panel
Collaborators
Community Outcomes Group
- Bawley Point resident
- Central Coast Council
- City of Lake Macquarie
- City of Moonee Valley
- Department for Energy & Mining SA
- Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action VIC
- Energy Consumers Australia
- Energy & Water Ombudsman NSW
- Energy & Water Ombudsman VIC
- Erne Energy (TAS)
- Hawkesbury Council
- Hunter Joint Organisation
- Justice and Equity Centre
- Macdonald Valley Association
- Nepean Blue Mountains Primary Health Network
- Penrith City
- Queensland University of Technology
- QLD Council of Social Service
- Red Cross NSW/ACT
- SES NSW
- Singleton Council
- South-East Water
- State Emergency Service Port Stephens
- Thriving Communities Australia.
Industry Collaborators
The Energy Charter Signatories:
- AusNet Services (Lead)
- Endeavour Energy (Lead)
- Essential Energy
- SA Power Networks.
Together with non-Signatory:
- Ausgrid.
Resources + additional information
This #BetterTogether initiative started as the Resilience Community of Practice which created a platform to share knowledge, learnings and better practice examples to collectively build professional skills and organisational capability to support individual customers and communities to better plan for, and respond to, disaster events.
The Community of Practice Resilience Resource Library can still be accessed, which includes session recordings and additional resources.
This #BetterTogether initiative aligns with:
Principle 4: We will improve the customer + community experience.
Learn more
Speak to Bec Jolly, Director, Energy Equity, to learn more about the #BetterTogether Community Energy Resilience initiative.