From November, AGL Energy Limited (AGL) will introduce My AGL Monthly Bill, an innovative new billing product that enables customers to be billed monthly for their gas and electricity. Customers can also choose the day of the month they prefer their bills to be issued which can help them align the payment date with a financially convenient time of the month. This added flexibility means smaller payments that are easier to manage, at a time of the month that best suits individual customers.

My AGL Monthly Bill is one of several initiatives AGL has introduced to help give customers more control over how they manage their energy usage and costs. Available for AGL residential and small business customers, My AGL Monthly Bill aims to improve the overall flexibility in managing household and small business budgets, in New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland and South Australia.

AGL General Manager Marketing & Retail Sales, Mark Brownfield, said AGL had listened to customers' feedback that quarterly bills, especially after winter and summer periods, were difficult to budget for and that smaller, more regular bills were easier to manage.

"One of the problems people have is that when they get a three-month bill it's a big thing, particularly after winter and summer months when energy usage tends to be the highest. We know from our customers that breaking bills down into smaller, more manageable amounts enables better budget management."

"It can also be easier to stay on top of bills when you have the flexibility to align the due date of your bill with a pay cycle or another financially convenient time. It also gives customers more frequent information about their energy usage, which helps them to be more responsive if their usage is high and they want to reduce it,” said Mr Brownfield.

In a move to provide the ultimate in billing flexibility, AGL has also provided customers the option to generate their own bill, by simply requesting an "on demand" bill for their electricity or gas, through AGL Energy Online, AGL's online customer portal.1 On Demand billing provides AGL customers with complete control in managing the timing of their household expenses, in a more informed and individual way.

For electricity customers with smart meters, the account balance and monthly billing options are based on daily customer usage information that AGL receives.

Actual customer meter reads will continue to be supplied to AGL quarterly (bimonthly for Victorian gas customers), and as a result for customers with manually read meters, the account balance and My AGL Monthly Bill options rely on a sophisticated estimation algorithm that looks at a customer's past usage and takes into account seasonal factors.

AGL is also introducing the option for customers with basic meters to enter their own meter reads, also through AGL Energy Online, regardless of whether they receive quarterly or monthly bills. Valid AGL customer own reads can be used as the basis for issuing monthly bills, or incorporated into the estimation calculation as appropriate.

After actual meter reads for manually read customers are received from the distributor, or where the customer has supplied their own valid meter reading, any necessary adjustment to the previously estimated bills will be made on the next bill issued.

My AGL Monthly Bill, on-demand account balance and billing and customer own reads will be available to AGL residential and small business, gas and electricity customers from November 2013.

1 On demand account balances are available at any time, however monthly billed customers cannot request an "on demand" bill.

Further inquiries:

Nicole Lyons, Publicity and Sponsorship Manager
Mobile: +61 (0) 438 770 119
Email: nlyons@agl.com.au

About AGL

AGL is one of Australia's leading integrated renewable energy companies and is taking action toward creating a sustainable energy future for our investors, communities and customers. Drawing on 175 years of experience, AGL operates retail and merchant energy businesses, power generation assets and an upstream gas portfolio. AGL has one of Australia's largest retail energy and dual fuel customer bases. AGL has a diverse power generation portfolio including base, peaking and intermediate generation plants, spread across traditional thermal generation as well as renewable sources including hydro, wind, landfill gas and biomass. AGL is Australia's largest private owner and operator of renewable energy assets and is looking to further expand this position by exploring a suite of low emission and renewable energy generation development opportunities.

The goods and services that were offered by AGL Energy Shops and AGL Assist are now available through AGL Appliances and Tradespeople. This new brand has been designed to provide end-to-end solutions to its customers, online, in store and in home.