Meter services charge
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Meter services charges cover the cost of providing your meters and the ongoing costs of operating and maintaining your meters.
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 three smaller parts:
- Capital component – covers the cost of the meter
- Non-capital component – covers the ongoing costs of operating and maintaining the meter
- Digital metering contribution – covers the costs of installing and maintaining new meters.
Meter services charges apply to all meters and are determined by the primary, secondary and solar tariffs connected.
Large business
Meter charges for large business customers vary depending on the type of metering used, the tariffs connected and your customer classification.
Non-digital metering charges
These charges apply for large business customers on basic metering, which includes meter types 5 and 6. All rates include GST.
Primary and secondary tariff meter charges
Primary tariff meter charge
| From 1 July 2020 | COST / DAY |
|---|---|
| Capital component | $0.07750 |
| Non-capital component | $0.03631 |
| TOTAL | $0.11381 |
| From 1 July 2019 | COST / DAY |
|---|---|
| Capital component | $0.08098 |
| Non-capital component | $0.02640 |
| TOTAL | $0.10738 |
Secondary tariff meter charge
| From 1 July 2020 | COST / DAY |
|---|---|
| Capital component | $0.02239 |
| Non-capital component | $0.01078 |
| TOTAL | $0.03317 |
| From 1 July 2019 | COST / DAY |
|---|---|
| Capital component | $0.02430 |
| Non-capital component | $0.00792 |
| TOTAL | $0.03222 |
Digital metering charges
These charges apply for large business customers on digital metering, which includes meter types 1, 2, 3 and 4. All rates include GST.
| From 1 July 2020 | COST / DAY |
|---|---|
| Standard asset customer - using up to 750 MWh per year | $2.01168 |
| Standard asset customer - using more than 750 MWh per year | $2.38820 |
| Connection asset customer | $4.73171 |
| Individually calculated customer | $5.43198 |
| From 1 July 2019 | COST / DAY |
|---|---|
| Standard asset customer - using up to 750 MWh per year | $1.76837 |
| Standard asset customer - using more than 750 MWh per year | $2.22539 |
| Connection asset customer | $4.73881 |
| Individually calculated customer | $4.78294 |
Frequently asked questions
When will the charges commence?
The charges will commence from 1 July 2018.
When will I see these charges on my bills?
Charges will begin to appear on bill from the July billing period onwards. They will not be applied retrospectively.
How significant are metering charges in relation to the size of my bill?
For most of large business customers, meter charges will represent less than 0.5% of their electricity bill. For a small number, it may represent a slightly higher proportion of their bill than this.
What does the meter services charge cover?
Meter charges cover the costs of providing, operating and maintaining your meters. This excludes meter testing charges for high voltage meters.
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.
How is this related to competition in metering?
Separating out metering charges for customers is an important step in preparing for national policy changes around competition in metering from 1 December 2017. Businesses need to understand the costs of their metering so they will be able to compare and choose a meter provider.
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 smaller customers with basic meters. These features include:
- 30 minute load profiles;
- Quick and easy changes to tariffs (no requirement for a truck to be sent to site); and
- No need for you to provide access to your site for meter reading purposes.