Since December 2017, small businesses (and new-home residential customers) in the A.C.T. will automatically have smart meters installed to measure their electricity consumption. This was a change made by Evoenergy, ACT’s Distributed Network Service Provider and approved by The Australian Energy Regulator (AER).
The changes are due to a state-wide, energy “demand tariff” that calculates a user’s ‘peak’ load during a 30-minute period each month. The smart reader determines the highest 30-minute peak load and then charges that amount each day, regardless of any other power consumption.
This model was introduced as a way to discourage residents from using electricity during high demand times and to encourage them to spread their consumption throughout the day.
Ways users can lower their energy usage during this time include:
- Research appliances that run on alternative energy sources, i.e. gas ovens in staff kitchens.
- If appliances allow, use a timer to schedule washes or system backups during óff-peak’ times.
- Only print when necessary, this will reduce the amount of power needed to use the printer.
- Try to avoid running multiple appliances concurrently if possible during peak times i.e. try charging backup battery systems one at time instead of all at once.
- Switch off equipment such as computers when not in use.
- Buy energy efficient items for heating and lighting.
Users can opt out of having a smart reader installed but may encounter additional meter reading charges.
If you’d like to ensure you’re on the best tariff for your needs, upload a version of your bill here and our sales team will perform a no-obligation comparison for you or call us on 1300 GO NEXT.