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Hot water fault support
Hot water fault support
Hot water coming out of showerhead

Good to know before you make a hot water fault report

Hot water issues can arise for various reasons. For instance, you might use more hot water than usual if you've had guests staying over, done extra laundry, or taken longer showers than normal. If you have a controlled load hot water system, the water heater only turns at certain times within 24 hours. This means that if you run out of hot water it may take some time before it is available again. You can check your electricity bill to see if your property has a controlled load.

The problem may also be technical. In some cases, Ausgrid will be responsible, in others, you'll need to contact your electricity retailer or a hot water specialist.

Before making your hot water fault online report, please check:

  • if the meter at the property is owned by Ausgrid;
  • if the equipment controlling your hot water is maintained by Ausgrid; or
  • if your system has an associated Control Load Tariff.

If you’re unsure whether any of these apply to your equipment, please call 13 13 88 and let our Contact Centre help you. If none of the above requirements apply, Ausgrid will not be able to attend the issue. Instead, we'll let you know whether to contact your electricity retailer or a hot water specialist to investigate the problem.

What happens after you report a hot water fault to Ausgrid?

Ausgrid will send a technician to check the controlled load relay at your electricity meter. Response times may vary depending on the volume of issues we receive. We aim to attend the same day, and most reports are investigated within 24 hours.

Please make sure the technician can easily get to your main switchboard and that any pets are safely secured.

Depending on whether the controlled load relay is internal or external to your meter, your retailer or Ausgrid will be responsible.

If your controlled load relay is internal to your meter, you'll need to contact your electricity retailer to report the issue. The retailer will tell you what you'll have to do next.

If your controlled load relay is outside your meter, the technician will let Ausgrid’s maintenance team know, and they’ll organise a replacement and temporarily override the fault so you can still get hot water.

Please note, that if the technician can’t access your meter box and can’t get in contact with you, the request will be closed.

Report a hot water relay issue

You can report your hot water fault via the Power Outage Map. Simply search for your address and click your property to make a report.

Make your report

Hot water fault support FAQ

What is controlled load hot water?

This is a separately metered hot water system that runs on a cheaper electricity rate during off-peak hours. It’s managed by a device called a relay, which switches your hot water system on and off based on the time of day. The idea is to heat your water when electricity demand is low, helping reduce pressure on the network.

What is a bridged relay?

If needed, Ausgrid's crew can bypass (or ‘bridge’) the relay, so your water starts heating immediately. Even if it heats outside off-peak hours, you’ll still be charged the lower off-peak rate. Bridging the relay doesn’t mean your water heats all day. It will heat to the temperature set on your thermostat and take the usual amount of time to do so.

What if the hot water issue isn’t with the meter?

If the fault isn’t related to your meter or relay, you’ll need to contact an electrician or hot water specialist. Ausgrid’s technician will let you know if that’s the case.

How to change or cancel your report?

Should you need to cancel your hot water fault report please call 13 13 88. On the call select option 4 and have your reference number ready to quote.