How Much Do You Know About Smart Meters?
07 September 2023
What do Smart Meters do?
Having a technician come to your home to read your electricity meter is increasingly becoming a thing of the past, thanks to the rollout of Smart Meters.
Smart (or advanced) meters measure your electricity use generally every 30 minutes across a day, and cut out the need for a meter reader by sending data directly to your provider.
- A Smart Meter is a device that measures your electricity use digitally and sends data back to your electricity provider
- Smart Meters measure consumption more accurately than other meters, so having one can help you switch to a cheaper deal
- They can also help you choose and use rooftop solar, but you might need additional devices if you want to add a battery to your set-up
Why are they installing smart meters?
Allows customers to make informed decisions by providing highly detailed information about electricity usage and costs. Armed with a better understanding of their energy use, consumers can make informed decisions on how to optimise their electricity consumption and reduce their power bills.
What are the benefits of Smart Meters?
- reveal more detailed energy consumption and solar panel export data, which can help you find ways to be more energy efficient
- let your provider connect or disconnect your power remotely, meaning fewer delays when you move or swap electricity retailers
- allow your energy distributor to better monitor the quality of your electricity supply, including outages
- provide data that you can use yourself or give to third parties to find cheaper electricity deals or more flexible pricing plans
- reveal usage statistics that can help you pick out suitable home solar systems
- allow you to sell solar energy to the grid.
Can I refuse a Smart Meter?
All new and replacement meters installed from 1 December 2017 must be smart meters. If you don't want a smart meter, you can ask your retailer to have the 'smart' or remote telecommunications function turned off either before it is installed or after it has been installed.
https://www.energy.nsw.gov.au
Are they compulsory?
If you do not want a new meter, you have the right to refuse one if your meter is still in working order. However, if your old meter is faulty or has reached the end of its life, it must be replaced with a smart meter.
Your retailer must give you two notices to make sure you have a chance to opt out.
https://www.aer.gov.au
Can you opt out of a Smart Meter?
- If you live in New South Wales, Queensland, the ACT, Tasmania or South Australia, you can only refuse a smart meter if your current meter is still working properly and you didn't waive your right to opt out of getting a smart meter when you signed your electricity contract.
- If this is the case and your retailer approaches you about installing a smart meter, thay have to give you two written notices detailing your ability to opt out.
- If you need a new meter in order to keep receiving electricity or to connect a new property to the grid, you'll have to get a smart meter.
- If you're concerned about having a device with remote communication capabilities installed at your home, you can ask for that function (the 'smart' part of the meter) to be turned off but be aware there may be ongoing costs associated with this.
- You can only opt out if you haven't waived your right to opt out when you signed up to your current electricity contract. Retailers are required to provide you at least 4 business days' notice of any planned interruptions to your electricity supply to install the meter
Who pays for my Smart Meter?
Just the same way you are paying for the maintenance of your traditional meter, you will also have to pay for your new digital meter. The electricity meter is owned by your electricity distributor who recovers the cost over time through your retailer. In short, the charges for installing and maintaining the digital meter is recovered through your electricity bill over time.
Can you opt out after they have been installed?
Energy companies can force customers to replace their current meter if it is deemed a safety hazard or is no longer functioning correctly. Consumers who already have a smart meter can ask for the device to be removed at any time. However, suppliers can charge customers a fee to cover this cost.
https://stopsmartmeters.com.au/tag/opt-out/
Can I replace my smart meter with an analog meter?
Unfortunately, it's not usually possible to downgrade from a smart meter back to a traditional meter, except in very specific exceptional circumstances. Even in those cases, downgrading is extremely expensive and not usually worth the cost.
Where do smart meters get installed?
They normally go exactly where your old meters were. If they need to be fitted nearby, the installer will ask you first.
Do smart meters ever go wrong?
Smart meters are as accurate as traditional meters, they are no more likely to be wrong than traditional meters. But if you think your smart meter is wrong, or you're worried your smart meter is not accurate, you should report this to your energy supplier.
Can smart meters be used to cut your electricity off remotely?
If you have a smart energy meter in your home, your supplier could potentially disconnect your supply remotely without needing access to your meter. However, before they do this, they must have: contacted you to discuss options for repaying your debt, eg through a repayment plan.
Consumer protections against energy supply being cut off are the same for smart meters and traditional meters.
However, power companies can turn the power on or off remotely. As a result, disconnection and reconnection fees have dropped in some areas from about $25 to between $5 and $8
https://www.energy.vic.gov.au
Are they bad for your health?
Smart meters use short bursts of radio waves or low level radio-frequency electromagnetic energy (EME) to communicate your meter reading to your provider. One of the main concerns around smart meters has be regarding the health issues related to these EMEs.
What else should I be concerned about?
One of the main concerns with regard to the use of smart meters in Australia has been based on the breach of privacy. Smart meters have access to real time data about a household’s energy usage, which means they can capture information about the activity inside the home including which appliances are used at what time and for how long on a regular basis. This detailed data can generate a lot of information about the lives and habits of the residents. If the distributors share this information with a third party without the customer’s knowledge, it could lead to a breach of privacy. While the government generally requires distributors and retailers to obtain the customer’s consent before sharing any personal information, there are certain exceptions to this rule that you should make yourself aware of.
https://mozo.com.au/energy/guides/smart-meters
One of the most significant security risks of smart meters is unauthorised access. If a hacker gains access to the meter, they can potentially control the energy usage of the property, leading to higher bills or even a complete blackout.
Is it possible to save money when using a Smart Meter?
Having a smart meter means your retailer can offer you a flexible or time-of-use plan, which may save you money, depending on how you consume energy.
These sorts of pricing plans are designed to reflect the costs of managing the electricity network, with electricity prices higher in periods of heavy demand, and lower during times when there's typically less strain on the grid.
The typical flexible pricing plan operates across three time periods – peak, off-peak and shoulder. (Plans vary in both pricing and times, depending on your energy provider and the state you live in).
An example of the time periods in a flexible plan in NSW:
Peak: 2pm–8pm weekdays (no peak on weekends).
Shoulder: 7am–2pm, 8pm–10pm weekdays; 7am–10pm weekends.
Off-peak: 10pm–7am every day.
Peak prices are higher than a flat rate (where the price is always the same), while the off-peak rate should be lower. The shoulder price should be slightly lower than a flat rate.
Flexible pricing won't suit everyone and will be most beneficial for households that can hold off using some of their energy until the cheaper off-peak periods (for example, setting the dishwasher to run at 10pm instead of straight after dinner).
Will my power bill go up as a result?
It's important to note that your bill may go up right after you switch to a time-of-use scheme if you don't adjust your consumption patterns straight away.
And watch that your retailer doesn't put you onto an overly complicated tariff system after your smart meter is installed. Some of these, such as demand tariffs, are considered by experts to be bad for residential customers.
This is an example of NSW costings, time frames and tariff structure
The smart meter roll-out is being implemented by energy suppliers across the country, who are installing millions each year. However, you're not under any legal obligation to have a smart meter. Make sure you do your research and fully understand the benefits before making your decision