Electricity meter installation

Customer obligations?

• Provide the required documentations as stated under each state
• Provide clear access to the meter
• Unlocked gates for access (if applicable)
• Make sure you provide a clean site

To raise a meter installation job or a new connection job, Next Business Energy requires the below supporting documents:

• Your electrician or the builder will be able to provide these documents to you or they can directly submit these to Next Business Energy.

Metering Charges

Next Business Energy will charge an additional fee to cover the additional costs of advanced metering provided by a Meter Provider on a per meter basis.

This charge will be applied daily and is based on the meter types installed.

If you don’t know what type of meter you have, call us on 1300 GO NEXT to ask us to confirm your meter type and applicable cost.

Direct Metering Agreement

Under National Energy Laws electricity users have the right to select their own accredited Meter Co-ordinator/Meter Provider, rather than having the one that has previously been appointed or is selected by their retailer. This may allow the customer to contract to have specific meter related services provided to them directly – this is referred to as a Direct Metering Agreement (DMA). The DMA and allocation of the new Meter Co-ordinator (MC) must be co-ordinated with the retailer to ensure that all the regulated metering information activities can occur.

Subject to energy laws, Next Business Energy has some discretion as to whether we accept a Direct Metering Agreement with a provider you may have chosen. Next Business Energy may charge you an DMA Establishment Fee, to recover the costs of establishing your DMA, and/or an ongoing DMA Service Fee to recover costs associated with the ongoing billing and recovery of your DMA charges. Next Business Energy will also pass through to you all fees associated with the removal of existing metering, and installation of new metering associated with the application of a Direct Metering Agreement. Next Business Energy may also revoke our acceptance of your Direct Metering Agreement if the Metering Provider is not accredited, does not comply with the applicable energy laws or does not meet their obligations under the agreement or any other agreement we enter into with that provider concerning metering services provided to you.

Next Business Energy will charge the customer a DMA service fee of 0.985c (incl GST) per NMI per day for each of the NMIs listed, while their Direct Metering Agreement is active, and while Next Business Energy is being charged for their DMA activities. This amounts to $360 per year, per NMI. These charges will be listed separately on your electricity invoice.

Next Business Energy requires your explicit and informed consent to the change of Metering Co-ordinator/Provider, and to the associated meter and meter service charges. Our DMA Consent form here must be executed and provided to Next Business Energy, along with a copy of the executed Direct Metering Agreement.

Fees and Charges

Exit Fees

No exit fees are applicable for Residential or Small Business Energy Customers (Victorian customers – usage below 40MWh. New South Wales, South East QLD, S.A. customers – usage below 100MWh).

Exit fees may be applicable for customers in New South Wales, South East QLD and S.A. using more than 100 MWh per annum and/or Victorian customers using  more than 40 MWh per annum. We recommend you call us during standard business hours on 1300 466 398 to discuss if an exit fee applies to your account.

Service Order Charges

Service Order Charges can be viewed by downloading the following price list:

 Service Order Charges (PDF)

New Connections and Meter alterations

Victoria

For NEW CONNECTION jobs, all paperwork should be submitted directly to Next Business Energy directly except if the customer’s distributor is Citipower/Powercor.

CITIPOWER/ POWERCOR: If the distribution Network is Citipower/Powercor, ALL paperwork needs to be submitted into their portal directly.

Click here to visit the Citipower/Powercor Portal

All other Distributors:

• Electrical Work Request (EWR)
• Certificate of Electrical Safety (CES)
• Certificate Compliance Electrical Work (CCEW) – If the site has been de-energised for more than 12 months

For ALTS & ADDS jobs, the below paperwork is required to be directly submitted to Next Business Energy:

• CES,
• EWR and
• EG form

What happens next? – Connection timeframes

When you request a new connection, or a meter alteration Next Business Energy will contact you (the Customer) to validate the documents and to agree on a date of completion of your service.

If we fail to complete the job within the agreed timeline, we will then complete the job within the timelines set under the 7.8.10 of National Electricity Rules.

Where a new connection service is required, we will connect on the agreed date or within 6 business days of being informed that the connection service is complete (subject to conditions).

Where your installation does not require a connection service or no alteration is required, we will connect on the agreed date or within 15 business days of your request (subject to conditions).

These timeframes will not apply if where:

• you or your electrician have not provided correct paperwork or if the information provided is incomplete
• the meter provider cannot safely access the meter installation, or is prevented from entering the property
• if the installation or site is not ready for the work to be completed or if disconnection of the power at your site will interrupt the electricity to other properties.