GrandpaGrumble Posted March 3, 2022 Share Posted March 3, 2022 AGL want to replace our digital electric meter with a smart meter, but we can opt out if we want to. They say the tariff will change, but are being cagey about what the new tariff would be. Does anybody have an opinion about this? I'm inclined to opt out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rammygirl Posted March 3, 2022 Share Posted March 3, 2022 (edited) We had to get a smart meter because of installation of solar. They should tell you what the tariff is. Also check if there will be an issue changing supplier later. We changed supplier shortly after getting solar and the new meter to AGL as it was the best for us. Smart meters are good as they allow you to track your usage, we now have a monthly bill (often in credit) Edited March 3, 2022 by rammygirl 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NicF Posted March 3, 2022 Share Posted March 3, 2022 We have a smart meter but it was installed when we got solar panels put on so our tariff changed anyway. I love it - our daily usage gets loaded to our supplier and I can see how much electricity we have used down to each hour and how much it has cost us. It also shows me how much excess solar power we have used. Our old meter was really old (think moving wheels old) so was due for an upgrade anyway. It seems a bit weird that they would change your tariff just because your meter changed, especially if they are the ones wanting to change it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rossmoyne Posted March 4, 2022 Share Posted March 4, 2022 I have a smart meter that was fitted when I had solar panels installed 5 years ago. Western Power recently came to do an upgrade , but I have no idea what that is as my bills look exactly the same as they did before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loopylu Posted March 4, 2022 Share Posted March 4, 2022 (edited) 16 hours ago, GrandpaGrumble said: AGL want to replace our digital electric meter with a smart meter, but we can opt out if we want to. They say the tariff will change, but are being cagey about what the new tariff would be. Does anybody have an opinion about this? I'm inclined to opt out. I work as inhouse legal counsel in the electricity industry and have experience advising metering providers, retailers and the network operator on smart meters. I am surprised that AGL is not forthcoming with the tariff but this may be because they offer a range of tariffs associated with smart meters depending on your personal circumstances and even which State you live in. You can go to the government Energy Made Easy site https://www.energymadeeasy.gov.au/ and put in your current usage, location etc (have your last bill handy) to see what is available in terms of tariff. You should then be able to see what tariffs AGL offers for smart meters. You may even find that another retailer is cheaper and decide to switch to them. I binned AGL several years ago when our meter failed and they tried to charge us double the previous quarter's tariff based on the previous homeowner's usage for the same quarter in the previous year. We ended up at the ombudsman but we won the argument and due to AGL's incompetency they refunded us $700 twice and refused to take back the overpayment....We took it as compensation for the hours spent on the phone trying to sort out the situation. In addition to the benefits identified by the commentators above, you may be able to access time of use tariffs under which you pay less for using power overnight when there is less demand. If you can be flexible with when you use energy intensive appliances you could save some money. I hope this helps. However, you are correct that you are allowed to opt out under Chapter 7 of the National Electricity Rules as they currently stand. This may change in future if federal government energy policy changes. Edited March 4, 2022 by Loopylu 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parley Posted March 5, 2022 Share Posted March 5, 2022 I think I may have a smart meter, but no idea what it does and I have never looked at it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tulip1 Posted March 5, 2022 Share Posted March 5, 2022 I declined a smart metre when I was contacted recently about getting one installed. From what I’ve heard, they show you how much electric you are using when for example you are boiling your kettle. That wouldn’t interest me. If I want to boil a kettle or put my oven or washing machine on I do. I don’t chose to waste electric but I use what I need and seeing some meter telling me what I’m using wont make any difference and certainly wouldn’t have me turning the appliance off. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrandpaGrumble Posted March 5, 2022 Author Share Posted March 5, 2022 Thanks for the input everybody. We decided to opt out as we're not bothered about knowing our usage on an hourly basis and there doesn't seem to be any other particular benefit. We don't use much off peak electricity apart from the water heater, which is already on controlled load. I had a look at the Energy Made Easy website, but the information didn't seem very accurate. The cheapest AGL tariff it found was about $35 more than what we paid last quarter, and the cheapest over all suppliers was only $4 less, which is not worth the hassle of changing suppliers. Plus when I contacted AGL to discuss this they offered me another tariff, for the existing meter, which would work out around $30 per quarter less than the current one, so I'll probably just switch to that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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