Lumo Energy
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Utility |
| Predecessor | Victoria Electricity, South Australia Electricity, Queensland Electricity, New South Wales Electricity |
| Founded | 2010 |
| Headquarters | Australia |
Area served | Victoria, South Australia |
| Products | Electricity and gas services |
| Owner | Snowy Hydro |
Number of employees | 500 (2017) |
| Parent | Snowy Hydro |
Lumo Energy is an Australian utility provider delivering electricity and gas services within Victoria and South Australia. Since 2014, it has been a wholly owned subsidiary of Snowy Hydro. By October 2017, Lumo Energy supported close to half a million customers and employed nearly 500 staff members.
History
The origins trace back to 2002 when Infratil launched Victoria Electricity, acquiring an electricity retail licence for Victoria and initiating electricity sales in February 2004. After Victoria's gas market opened in October 2002, the company secured a gas retail licence in December 2004 and started gas distribution in early 2005. Infratil further extended its footprint by registering South Australia Electricity and Queensland Electricity in 2005, followed by New South Wales Electricity in 2006.
In June 2010, Lumo Energy was officially established across the four operational states. The following year, it collaborated with American Express to introduce the Lumo Express offering and partnered with the Velocity Frequent Flyer program to launch Lumo Velocity.
In 2014, government-owned Snowy Hydro acquired Lumo Energy along with Direct Connect from Infratil for $600 million.
Beginning in July 2016, Lumo started transitioning its New South Wales customer base to Red Energy, with Queensland customers following suit in 2017.
Customer satisfaction
The Queensland Competition Authority reported in 2010 that Lumo had the highest rate of unresolved complaints among Queensland electricity providers. In 2011, the company was found liable in court over incorrect disconnection processes related to a $4,000 customer debt, as highlighted by the Essential Services Commission (Victoria).
By 2013, significant enhancements such as a redesigned website and improved communication strategies led to a 53% decline in Ombudsman complaints compared to June 2010 figures. That same year, Lumo topped the Roy Morgan Customer Satisfaction Awards for electricity providers.