Monday, 14 March 2016
MEMBER for Northern Tablelands Adam Marshall has welcomed the NSW Government’s announcement to drive the competition in electricity metering and give households more choice and greater control over their electricity usage.
Mr Marshall said the changes were about keeping up with the times and helping electricity consumers become more empowered by developments in technology.
“The state government is broadening contestable network services for the future, that will give consumers in Northern Tablelands a greater say in how they use and consume electricity, including access to the latest technology such as roof top solar and battery storage,” Mr Marshall said.
“In 2014, that the government announced it would support a voluntary, market-led rollout of smart meters, and has now removed the unnecessary red tape around installations supporting this rollout.
“Advanced meters allow consumers to have greater control over their power use, utilise apps for real time information on electricity usage and remove the retailer’s cost of manual meter reads.
“Already there are around 40,000 advanced meters installed across the state and this number will continue to increase as electricity consumers turn to new tailored technology options to control their production and costs.”
Mr Marshall said the Electricity Supply Amendment (Advanced Meters) Bill 2016 would allow retailers and meter providers to compete for market share and this competition would place downward pressure on prices.
“More competition will also mean greater innovation in product development and improved service delivery,” Mr Marshall said.
The Bill amends the requirements for people authorised to install a meter in NSW and consolidates the safety and compliance regime governing meter installations into a single scheme under NSW Fair Trading.
The competitive roll out of smart meters will be supported by a competitive market for qualified meter installers.
Mr Marshall said the Bill Amendment also clarified that disputes between a consumer and a retailer relating to smart meters could be referred to the Energy and Water Ombudsman of New South Wales (EWON).
“The government will continue to improve regulations around advanced meters and installations as electricity customers have greater access to better technology to control their electricity consumption,” Mr Marshall said.
More information is available at www.resourcesandenergy.nsw.gov.au