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
From 1 July 2018, meter services charges will cover all costs for installing and maintaining meters.
This means you'll no longer need to pay up-front for a new or relacement meter.
Meter services charges for residential and small business customers now include up to three smaller charges:
- 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.
Primary tariff meter charge
Where there is more than one primary tariff at the same premises, charges will only apply for one.
| GST incl. from 1 July 2018 | GST incl. from 1 July 2017 | |
|---|---|---|
| Capital component - cents per day | 7.878 | 7.659 |
| Non-capital component - cents per day | 2.543 | 2.449 |
| Digital metering contribution - cents per day | 1.579 | n/a |
| Total - cents per day | 12.000 | 10.108 |
An additional charge may also apply for customers who specifically request to disable the modem on their digital meter and prevent their meter being read remotely.
This charge covers the cost of disabling the meter modem and reading the meter manually. It does not apply if the modem could not be enabled for any other reason.
| GST incl. from 1 July 2018 | GST incl. from 1 July 2017 | |
|---|---|---|
| Digital meter modem disabled - cents per day | 17.624 | n/a |
Secondary tariff meter charge
If you have more than one secondary tariff (ie. both Tariff 31 and 33) you'll receive meter charges for both. Where Tariff 33 is used as a primary tariff, primary tariff charges apply.
| GST incl. from 1 July 2018 | GST incl. from 1 July 2017 | |
|---|---|---|
| Capital component - cents per day | 2.364 | 2.298 |
| Non-capital component - cents per day | 0.763 | 0.735 |
| Digital metering contribution - cents per day | 0.023 | n/a |
| Total - cents per day | 3.150 | 3.033 |
Solar tariff meter charge
Solar charges only apply if you have a solar power system installed.
| GST incl. from 1 July 2018 | GST incl. from 1 July 2017 | |
|---|---|---|
| Capital component - cents per day | 5.514 | 5.361 |
| Non-capital component - cents per day | 1.780 | 1.714 |
| Total - cents per day | 7.294 | 7.075 |
Frequently asked questions
Why are meter services charges applied?
The Australian Energy Regulator is helping to transition the electricity industry to a fairer, more transparent way of billing metering costs. Previously, meter services charges were spread across all customers and wrapped up into network costs.
What is the digital metering contribution?
This is a general charge applied to metering on primary and secondary tariffs, which covers the costs involved with rolling out new and replacement digital meters.
When does the charge apply for a disabled digital meter modem?
Only those customers who request to disable the modem on their digital meter and prevent their meter being read remotely will incur this surcharge. It does not apply if the modem could not be enabled for any other reason.
If I'm a designated self-read customer, do I have to pay these charges?
Yes, as these charges cover the combined cost of providing your meter and the operation and maintenance costs. Even if you provide your own readings, we are still required to visit your property to obtain readings.
Do these charges apply to card-operated meters?
No. Card-operated metering costs are bundled in with other charges that Ergon Network passes through to Ergon Retail.
What if I need a new meter for a tariff change?
If you want to change tariffs and this requires a new meter you will be required to pay an upfront cost for that meter.
What if my meter stops working? Do I have to pay for the replacement?
If your meter has malfunctioned and is no longer operational, you won't be charged for a replacement.
Will supply charges still appear on my bill?
Yes, these cover the costs of supplying and maintaining your electricity service, including costs such as poles and wires, billing and administration.
Don't supply charges cover metering?
No, they cover the costs of supplying and maintaining your electricity service, not your meters.
Large business
From 1 July 2018, all large business customers will have have meter services charges applied to their accounts. These charges 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 include meter types 5 and 6.
| Primary tariff meter charge | GST incl. from 1 July 2018 |
|---|---|
| Capital component - cents per day | 7.878 |
| Non-capital component - cents per day | 2.543 |
| Total - cents per day | 10.421 |
| Secondary tariff meter charge | GST incl. from 1 July 2018 |
|---|---|
| Capital component - cents per day | 2.364 |
| Non-capital component - cents per day | 0.763 |
| Total - cents per day | 3.127 |
Digital metering charges
For customers with digital meters, including types 1, 2, 3 and 4, a different set of regulated metering charges now applies.
| GST incl. from 1 July 2018 | |
|---|---|
| Standard asset customer - cents per day | 155.186 |
| Connection asset customer - cents per day | 361.396 |
| Individually calculated customer - cents per day | 557.152 |
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.
