With reports regional consumers already pay $500 more a year than city counterparts, we are now being told we will pay even more.

These details come as the Council of Social Service of NSW releases a report highlighting concerns about Essential Energy and its customers when the three distribution businesses were placed under Networks NSW.

Already Ausgrid's (metropolitan supply) annual bill is $1,991, while those in Essential Energy's area (largely rural) is $2,536.

Electricity is an essential service. Keeping this in mind the government should be very careful low income earners aren't put into a position where they struggle more to pay their bill.

It's the same with everything. You live in the country and you get a poorer service than if you lived in the city.

This week alone we have published articles about the NBN and fuel prices hurting rural families.

Western Sydney will get the NBN before we do at this rate, in areas that already access high speed ADSL, while in Dubbo there are areas that can't even get any sort of ADSL.

Fuel prices continue to rise in the country and while Sydney keeps paying close to the 99c mark, we are up around $1.30 once again, and that's for E10.

Something needs to happen, we shouldn't have to pay more for the same services.