Power of Choice (PoC) was a government-led, industry wide reform program, to provide consumers with more opportunities to make informed choices regarding how they use electricity.
The new rules which came into effect on the 1st of December 2017, and were designed to open competition in the provision of advanced metering and encourage new and innovative metering services, providing consumers with further opportunities to better understand and gain increased control over their energy usage. The Power of Choice regulatory changes shifted responsibility for the ownership and reading of electricity meters away from distributors (other than in Victoria) and opened up the provision of these services to competition, so electricity retailers (and large customers) have increased choice of who provides, installs, and reads meters on behalf of customers.
One of the key new roles created was the role of the ‘metering co-ordinator’. The metering co-ordinator is independent to your distributor and energy retailer and is responsible for arranging meter installation, maintenance, testing, repairs, and meter data collection. Note your distributor is responsible for installing the connection between your premises and the electricity network.
In addition, under the Power of Choice reforms, advanced or digital meters that meet a minimum standard, are required to be installed whenever a new or replacement meter is required.
The Power of Choice regulatory changes effectively shift responsibility for the ownership and reading of electricity meters away from distributors (other than in Victoria) and open up the provision of these services to competition so electricity retailers (and large customers) have increased choice of who provides, installs and reads meters on behalf of customers.
One of the key new roles created will be the role of the ‘metering co-ordinator’. The metering co-ordinator is independent to your distributor and energy retailer and will be responsible for arranging meter installation, maintenance, testing, repairs and meter data collection. Note your distributor will continue to be responsible for installing the connection between your premises and the electricity network.
In addition, under the Power of Choice reforms, advanced or digital meters that meet a minimum standard, must be installed whenever a new or replacement meter is needed. Until now, the provision of a basic meter has been the minimum requirement for most customers located outside Victoria.
Digital meters, with remote communication capabilities, support a range of functionality and service innovations including:
The Australian Energy Market Commission (AEMC) set the rules, which govern energy markets.
Further information regarding the Power of Choice regulatory reforms can be found on the AEMC website here: https://www.aemc.gov.au/Major-Pages/Power-of-choice
Other websites, which provide useful information about digital meters, are:
