Meter services charges
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Meter services charges cover the cost of providing your meters and the ongoing costs of operating and maintaining your meters.
What are the charges?
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.
Primary tariff meter charge
Where there is more than one primary tariff at the same premises, charges will only apply for one. All rates include GST.
| From 1 July 2019 | COST / DAY |
|---|---|
| Capital component | $0.08098 |
| Non-capital component | $0.02640 |
| Digital metering contribution | $0.02226 |
| TOTAL | $0.12965 |
| From 1 July 2018 | COST / DAY |
|---|---|
| Capital component | $0.07878 |
| Non-capital component | $0.02543 |
| Digital metering contribution | $0.01579 |
| TOTAL | $0.12000 |
An additional charge may also apply for customers who specifically request to disable the communications modem on their digital meter and prevent their meter being read remotely.
This charge covers the cost of reading the meter manually. It does not apply if the modem could not be enabled for any other reason.
| From 1 July 2019 | COST / DAY |
|---|---|
| Digital meter modem disabled | $0.17624 |
| From 1 July 2018 | COST / DAY |
|---|---|
| Digital meter modem disabled | $0.17624 |
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. All rates include GST.
| From 1 July 2019 | COST / DAY |
|---|---|
| Capital component | $0.02430 |
| Non-capital component | $0.00792 |
| Digital metering contribution | $0.00065 |
| TOTAL | $0.03287 |
| From 1 July 2018 | COST / DAY |
|---|---|
| Capital component | $0.02364 |
| Non-capital component | $0.00763 |
| Digital metering contribution | $0.00023 |
| TOTAL | $0.03150 |
Solar tariff meter charge
Solar charges only apply if you have a solar power system installed. All rates include GST.
| From 1 July 2019 | COST / DAY |
|---|---|
| Capital component | $0.01074 |
| Non-capital component | $0.02932 |
| TOTAL | $0.04005 |
| From 1 July 2018 | COST / DAY |
|---|---|
| Capital component | $0.00959 |
| Non-capital component | $0.03000 |
| TOTAL | $0.03959 |
Frequently asked questions
Why are meter services charges applied?
Meter services charges cover the cost of providing your meters and the ongoing costs of operating and maintaining your meters.
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.
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.
