EnergyAustralia announced it will increase electricity prices in NSW by 19.6 per cent - or $320 a year.

Origin has also said it will increase electricity prices by 16.1 per cent – or $310 a year for the average household.

The announcements have come less than a week after AGL said it would hike energy prices by 16.1 per cent and gas by 9.3 at the start of the financial year.

Glen Innes District & Community Centre Brenda Beauchamp said she wouldn’t be surprised if the price hike would see more people across the community coming forward for help.

“Everybody in NSW is eligible for up to $500 help a year if they can prove they are suffering hardship and are at risk of not being able to pay,” she said.

“At the moment we can issue vouchers to people and record the data but as of July 1 it will all be going online.”

Mrs Beauchamp said people seeking help to pay their bill can come to the Community Centre on a Tuesday or Friday.

“On the surface you can look like you have everything but you might be crippled by debt,” she said.

The news comes off the back of the release of the Finkel report, which left commentators arguing it offered no solutions for struggling households.

Glen Innes resident Dr Doug Fowler said a community-led framework was the best approach to reaching clean energy goals.

“Both sides of politics over time have said there would be no tax on carbon,” he said.

“Julia Gillard said it, Tony Abbott said it and now what they’re doing is putting a tax on coal – well that’s carbon.

“Every person, business, household, through its energy bills and use of a motor vehicle has a carbon footprint and this information is readily available.

“Each carbon footprint needs to be determined and then that footprint needs to be reduced gradually over years. If they use more than their carbon footprint, we tax them and if they use less they get a reward.”