Meter services charge
Meter services charges cover the cost of providing your meters and the ongoing costs of operating and maintaining your meters.
These costs vary based on the services your meter provides.
Small business
Meter services charges cover all costs for installing and maintaining meters.
This means you don't pay up-front for a new or replacement meter.
Charges for residential and small business customers are made from two parts:
- Capital component – covers the cost of the meter
- Non-capital component – covers the ongoing costs of operating and maintaining the meter, including reading and managing usage data
Meter services charges are determined by the tariffs you have selected. For example:
- primary - Tariff 11
- secondary - Tariff 31 or 33, and
- solar - Regional feed-in tariff or Solar Bonus Scheme.
From 1 July 2023, the meter services charges for primary and secondary tariffs are included in the daily supply charge for these tariffs.
However, the meter services charge for solar connections is still charged separately.
Large business
Meter charges for large business customers vary depending on:
- the type of metering used
- the tariffs you have selected, and
- your customer classification.
Non-digital metering charges
These charges apply for large business customers which are still metered with basic metering, which includes meter types 5 and 6. All rates include GST.
Metering charges
Primary, secondary & solar metering charges
Primary tariff meter charge
| From 1 July 2023 | COST / DAY |
|---|---|
| Capital component | $0.05427 |
| Non-capital component | $0.14810 |
| TOTAL | $0.20238 |
Secondary tariff meter charge
| From 1 July 2023 | COST / DAY |
|---|---|
| Capital component | $0.01975 |
| Non-capital component | $0.05431 |
| TOTAL | $0.07405 |
Solar tariff meter charge
| From 1 July 2023 | COST / DAY |
|---|---|
| Capital component | $0.01485 |
| Non-capital component | $0.03625 |
| TOTAL | $0.05110 |
Digital metering charges
These charges apply for large business customers with digital metering, which includes meter types 1, 2, 3 and 4. All rates include GST.
| From 1 July 2023 | COST / DAY |
|---|---|
| Standard asset customer - using up to 750 MWh per year | $2.38634 |
| Standard asset customer - using more than 750 MWh per year | $2.86463 |
| Connection asset customer | $4.72225 |
| Individually calculated customer | $4.12809 |
Frequently asked questions
How significant are metering charges in relation to the size of my bill?
For most large business customers, metering charges will represent less than 0.5% of their electricity bill.
What does the meter services charge cover?
Metering charges cover the costs of providing, operating and maintaining your meters, along with reading and processing meter data. However, this charge does not include the cost of testing for high voltage metering installations.
Why is the cost of digital metering different to basic metering?
Meter types 1, 2, 3 and 4 are more complex than basic meter types 5 and 6, and feature remote communications and different measurement technology for measuring significant volumes of electricity.
How can I avoid paying metering charges?
Metering is an integral part of the supply of electricity to your premises. For large businesses using significant volumes of electricity, metering costs represent a very small proportion of their total bill.
How can I get better value from my metering?
Digital metering for large business customers offers a number of features that are not generally available for customers with basic meters. These features include:
- Usage recorded in 30 minute intervals, which enables detailed understanding of various elements of usage throughout the day or across a billing period;
- Quick and easy changes to tariffs (no requirement for our staff attend site); and
- Remote meter reading so no need for you to provide access to your site for meter reading purposes.