It's here - we're in the middle of winter, and most of us are feeling the chill, as well as the pain of high energy bills. Here's our roundup of what you can do to shrink your bills while keeping your home's comfort levels high.
Zoned heating systems are a big investment, but can pay off over time, by keeping heating costs down while making sure your home stays comfortable.
Bill Hero is in the news about the rise of Demand Tariffs, but this story misses the main point that we're the *only* service that can calculate a comparison on a Demand Tariff bill
A smart meter measures both when and how much electricity is used at your premises and is necessary for solar, battery and other new energy products.
Virtually every household in Victoria already has a smart meter, and they are being progressively rolled out across other parts of Australia.
In general, no matter where you live in Australia, when your old meter reaches end-of-life, it will be replaced with a smart meter.
Here's everything you need to know about smart meters.
Smart meters record your consumption data by time, and send this information back to your energy distributor and retailer wirelessly in the form of kWh consumption per 30 minute time block.
You can access your 30 minute timed consumption data through your distributor's web portal, or by requesting the data from your retailer.
It's also possible to get more granular data by using a companion device that can monitor the optical display on your smart meter, record the consumption data, and make it available to you via a bluetooth mobile app. Be aware that the vendors of these companion devices are harvesting your consumption data, and will find ways to monetise it.
Smart meters can switch the electricity supply on and off remotely, without needing a field technician. They can also measure the power quality at your premises and automatically notify your electricity distributor when there's a power outage at your location.
The key benefits to having a smart meter are:
You can request a meter upgrade through your retailer at any time. This is typically a chargeable item.
Some retailers offer energy plans that require a smart meter to be installed. Some of these retailers include a free smart meter upgrade when you take up their plans.
If your current meter is faulty or at the end of its life and needs replacing, then the replacement meter will be a smart meter, even if the original meter was a manual meter.
No. Smart meters are safe to use and to be around.
All smart meters are manufactured and installed according to Australian Standards. They must comply with the electromagnetic exposure limits developed by the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA). The same limits apply to things like mobile and cordless phones, Wi-Fi routers and baby monitors.
Smart meters use a low-power networking system called Zigbee - which is considerable lower power than a mobile phone.
For more information, see ARPANSA's webpage on smart meters and health.
Smart meters collect more detailed and granular consumption data than traditional meters.
Even though a smart meter records and sends 30-minute increment usage data to the network, its actually possible to harvest real-time consumption data from a smart meter through a companion device that uses an optical sensor to read the flashing real-time load indicator light on the meter.
Even 30-minute usage data can provide some personal insights - for example it could be used to determine times at which people are at home and using appliances.
Household appliances tend to have signature load profiles - for example a dishwasher will typically have two discernable load spikes in a wash cycle - the first when it heats water for the wash cycle, and the second during the drying cycle. More granular real-time consumption data can be used to identify these load profiles and provide insight into what appliances are being used in the household and at what time.
Some international jurisdictions have restrictions on how smart meter data can be used, and have banned its sale for marketing purposes. There are no such laws in Australia.
Under the Power of Choice Reforms that came into force from late 2017, energy consumers can no longer choose to install a new traditional meter. All new meter installations must be digital or smart meters. There's no requirement to immediately upgrade existing old meters, but when they need to be replaced, it will be with a smart meter.
Retailers are required to give at least four business days’ notice before installing or removing a meter, or any other infrastructure that can impact your energy supply.
Some energy consumers dislike that a smart meter will send consumption data wirelessly to the network. If your meter is due for replacement, you can request a 'non-communicating meter' to be installed. This may cost more since your retailer will have to do manual time readings.
Energy customers in NSW must install a digital or smart meter on their property if and when their traditional meter breaks or becomes faulty.
Customers can only refuse a smart meter installation if their existing meter is still in good working order.
You can voluntarily to switch to a smart meter by contacting your retailer.
Smart meters are mandatory in Victoria and virtually every home is already equipped with a smart meter.
Similar to NSW, smart meters are not mandatory in Queensland. However, only smart meters can be newly installed to replace a broken or faulty traditional meter.
If you live in QLD you can voluntarily request a smart meter installation through your retailer.
Smart meter upgrades cost about $600, but retailers may take different approaches to how they charge you for a new meter.
They may charge you a lump sum which could appear in your next bill or they may choose to charge you a monthly fee. This fee should appear on your bill as well. Retailers may also decide to absorb the cost of providing new meters to customers as part of the electricity usage charges.
In general, where the retailer is paying for the installation costs, this usually applies only to standard install costs - if you require additional works such as rewiring, or asbestos removal from your meter enclosure, those additional works would be charged for.
The retailer must disclose any upfront costs to you before they install the new meter.
Bill Hero is in the news about the rise of Demand Tariffs, but this story misses the main point that we're the *only* service that can calculate a comparison on a Demand Tariff bill
The AEMC wants to accelerate a universal smart meter rollout, targeting completion of a universal smart meter deployment by 2030.
Energy Made Easy and Vic Energy Compare cannot calculate a Demand tariff comparison, so these services are next to useless for energy consumers on Demand tariff plans.
The ACCC has declared its gloves-off time for the comparison sites.
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