Smart meters improve a household’s ability to use less energy, take advantage of flexible pricing, detect faults and outages faster, and avoid manual checks and estimated bills.

Related article: Intellihub drives Australia’s largest flexible demand trial

Better coordination of consumer energy has the potential to contribute 37GW of capacity or 66% of the NEM’s energy storage in 2050, according to the Australian Energy Market Operator’s (AEMO) Integrated System Plan (ISP).

Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen said, “The Albanese Government is reducing energy bills for all Australians. This investment will unlock bill savings for Australian households.”

“Smart meters are a key first step to putting solar panels on your roof and a battery at the back door.”

Assistant Minister for Climate Change and Energy Jenny McAllister said, “Australian homes and businesses are choosing renewables because they know it’s cheaper, the Albanese Government is backing them with technology that makes it easier to control.

“New technology has let us count our steps, track bank transactions, and answer the doorbell from work. Smart meters mean we can control appliances and use energy when it’s most abundant and cheap.

Related article: AEMC draft rule to accelerate smart meter rollout

“More smart meters mean more visibility, choice and control for small businesses and families when it comes to electricity consumption and bills.”

The government has supported the Intellihub to launch a Demand Flexibility Platform, and the roll out of EV charging stations in NSW, through $10.62 million in funding from ARENA.

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Related article: Nectr and Tesla team up to deliver energy storage solutions

GivEnergy has been the top selling brand of residential batteries in the UK for the past five years.

GivEnergy Australia managing director Martin Cobb said, “The brand’s success is down to a clear strategy: We offer proven and premium products, but at the most affordable prices, which makes the decision for buyers a simple value choice.”

More recently, GivEnergy’s operations have expanded into European, Asian and African markets as well as in Australia.

“It was a very logical and timely decision to launch into the Australian market this year. Australians are ready for our products as they are informed customers,” Cobb said.

The evaluation of our batteries assessing a product based on value proposition, we back our brand, its features and the long-term value we deliver.”

Related article: FIMER’s React 2 now available on the South Australian Home Battery Scheme

GivEnergy’s Australian operation currently offers two high-performance home battery options with 100% local support.

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Additionally, more than 13% of Australians have switched energy providers in the last year, with a further 12% planning to do the same over the next 12 months.

Related article: Mild winter and government rebates ease electricity bill pain

Of those planning to switch, just over 41% say their main reason is power prices, followed by service reliability (11.6%), ease of bill payment (8.5%), energy-saving ideas from the provider (6.8%), followed by staff courtesy and helpfulness (4.3%). Support of the local community, green programs, ease of switching addresses, and website usability made up the small remainder.

Nielsen Ad Intel data also shows that to combat this growing lack of brand loyalty in the sector, energy providers spent more than $152 million on advertising between June 2023 and May 2024—a 14% year-on-year increase.

Topping the list of ad investment in the sector were:

1. AGL
2. Origin Energy
3. Alinta Energy
4. Energy Australia
5. Engie.

Over the past 12 months, almost 14% of AGL customers switched to Origin Energy, with a further 8.7% moving over to Energy Australia.

Over the past 12 months, almost 14% of AGL customers switched to Origin Energy, with a further 8.7% moving over to Energy Australia.

Related article: Victoria and Queensland lead in Australia’s top solar suburbs

Overall, Origin was the most frequent supplier customers switched to, accounting for nearly 23% of all defections, followed by Red Energy, and Energy Australia.

At a state and territory level, Victorians are the most unhappy with their energy providers, followed by WA, NT, Queensland, NSW, SA, then Tasmania, while Canberrans were mostly unconcerned.

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Victoria’s Tarneit leads the charge with an impressive 2,177 solar installations, showcasing the suburb’s strong commitment to sustainable energy. Following closely is Box Hill in NSW, shining brightly with 2,152 installations.

Queensland, aptly dubbed the Sunshine State, also makes a significant mark on the renewable energy landscape. Winfield in the Bundaberg region stands out with 1,735 installations, turning heads with its substantial investment in solar power. Further down the coast, Caloundra and Mackay are not just known for their scenic beauty but also as pioneers in the solar movement, each boasting installations in the thousands.

Related article: Research breakthrough could lead to ‘self-healing’ solar cells

Victoria’s Roxburgh Park and Queensland’s Maryborough demonstrate that suburban areas can transform rooftops into power stations, with 1,475 and 1,466 installations respectively. Meanwhile, Kellyville in NSW follows closely with 1,442 installations, further underscoring the widespread adoption of renewable energy across the nation.

“These findings are a testament to the growing momentum of renewable energy across Australia,” Solar Run CEO and managing director Anthony Kurta said.

“Communities are increasingly recognising the benefits of solar power, not just for the environment but also for economic resilience. Our report highlights the leaders in this green revolution and emphasises the importance of continued support and investment in clean energy.”

Read the full report here.

Top 10 Greenest Suburbs in Australia in 2023

1. Tarneit, Victoria
2. Box Hill, New South Wales
3. Bundaberg, Queensland
4. Caloundra, Queensland
5. Mackay, Queensland
6. Roxburgh Park, Victoria
7. Maryborough, Queensland
8. Kellyville, New South Wales
9. Toowoomba, Queensland
10. Werribee, Victoria

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Related article: Energy bill relief for vulnerable West Kimberley households

Social housing properties are some of the most energy inefficient in Australia, with most built more than 20 years ago before minimum build standards. Upgrading a house from a 1-star energy efficiency rating to a 3-star rating can reduce energy consumption by 30% and decrease household power bills.

The partnership between the federal and WA governments will help remote and regional social housing residents in hotter climates such as the Kimberley, Pilbara, Gascoyne, Mid-west and Goldfield regions reduce their energy bills and keep homes cooler in summer.

The WA Social Housing Energy Performance Initiative will run until 2027 and deliver energy upgrades including hot water systems and lighting.

The social housing properties for upgrade will be identified by the WA government and will be owned and managed by the WA Department of Communities or managed by the WA department on behalf of landholders.

This investment is part of the federal government’s $1.7 billion Energy Savings Package, $300 million of which is helping to fund upgrades for up to 60,000 social housing properties across the country.

Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen said, “The government was committed to helping households make real cost of living savings through their energy bills.

Related article: Caloundra to get local renewable energy zone pilot

“The Albanese and Cook Governments are helping all Australians to reap the rewards of the clean energy transformation.”

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Related article: Nectr inks renewables deal with Cumberland Council

Tesla’s Powerwall2, is now part of the suite of home batteries offered as part of Nectr’s solar and battery bundles. In addition, Nectr has now launched Nectr Evolve—a virtual power plant (VPP) that represents the next evolution of clean, green, and sustainable energy solutions for Australian homeowners.

Nectr Evolve is an ecosystem of multiple solar and battery systems across various homes on Nectr’s VPP plans, to create a network that can efficiently store, and distribute renewable energy. It also optimises the efficiency of home batteries and trades unused energy during times of peak demand to contribute to a more stable and cleaner grid system.

Coupling Nectr Evolve’s VPP plans—Nectr BEEyond and Nectr Plan BEE—with compatible home batteries, owners can benefit from more affordable energy and support Australia’s energy network. With a broader suite of home batteries available under Nectr Evolve, homeowners have greater flexibility to choose a system that suits their storage needs.

Nectr managing director Tae Hong Kim said, “With Nectr, Australian homeowners have access to a wide array of high-quality solar and battery products such as Tesla’s Powerwall2, financing options and choices of VPP plans for existing or new battery systems.

Related article: Community housing tenants invited to join Tesla VPP in SA

“Now that Australia’s most popular battery storage brand is on board with Nectr, we aim to help more homeowners understand how VPP technologies, such as Nectr Evolve, can make energy more affordable and contribute to the nation’s broader shift to renewable energy.”

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Unity Housing, one of the state’s largest community housing providers (CHP), in partnership with Tesla, will be the first CHP to provide tenants access to South Australia’s Virtual Power Plant (SAVPP)—the largest VPP in the nation.

Related article: Tesla launches Phase 4 of South Australia’s VPP

This is the first time the SAVPP—set up by Tesla in 2017 with support from the State Government initially for public housing tenants—is being opened to low to moderate income tenants in community housing.

Unity Housing CEO Matthew Woodward said the partnership was a game-changer for the national community housing sector, benefiting tenant households and the environment.

Woodward said Tesla would install batteries and/or solar panels to the homes of eligible Unity Housing tenants so they could generate and store green energy, returning excess into the grid, at no cost to the tenant.

“Unity Housing tenants will be the first in the community housing sector to share the benefits of cheaper and renewable energy at scale by participating in this scheme at a time when household budgets are under increasing pressure from rising living costs,” he said.

“That’s what makes this initiative so important—it provides people in greatest need with no-cost green energy infrastructure that will help manage the household budget, reducing stress and anxiety and improving health and wellbeing, while helping the environment. It’s a win, win, win.”

Tesla, through Energy Locals, shares the benefits of savings from energy produced via the solar and battery systems by providing tenants the lowest energy prices in SA.

Related article: Alinga’s Ruby Heard on equity through energy

Unity Housing tenants could save up to $562 a year—or 25% off the South Australian Default Market Offer based on average tenant household usage.

To date, more than 250 Unity Housing tenants, located predominantly across Adelaide’s western suburbs, have registered to join the SAVPP and more than 150 have been benefitting from cheaper electricity over the past three months through the installation of batteries and/or solar panels.

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Among these benefits, all Australian households and businesses stand to save up to $71 annually on energy bills under such a strategy, irrespective of whether they have installed CER or not.

Related article: Government to deliver household green loans with Plenti

Powering Homes, Empowering People: A National Consumer Energy Resources Roadmap sets out the optimal pathway for Australia to capitalise on its world-leading uptake of rooftop solar and empower all energy customers to benefit from the shift to an electric future.

“It is critical that we get the policy settings right to maximise the benefits of Australia’s rooftop solar success story,” Clean Energy Council policy director distributed energy Con Hristodoulidis said.

“Australia’s electrification journey has only just begun, and adopting CER at even greater scale will be the key to lowering power bills and a timely energy transition.”

Under the lowest cost pathway modelled in the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO)’s Step Change scenario, CER storage capacity is expected to increase to 34GW, while orchestrated capacity that is integrated into the grid will increase to a total of 27GW by 2050.

The Clean Energy Council commissioned modelling by energy industry consultancy, Oakley Greenwood, to estimate the cost of not meeting these targets, which included:

• Savings between $35 to $71 annually on energy bills for all Australian electricity customers
• Over $22 billion in savings for Australian taxpayers to 2050
• 18,200 additional jobs in manufacturing, sales, design and installation of CER in Australia
• Up to 3.8 million more Australian homes and businesses with orchestrated batteries, with much larger bill savings
• Keeping Australia on track to meeting its renewable energy and climate targets in a timely manner.

The modelling also suggests that a range of policies and programs should be considered by the Federal Government to maximise the benefits of electrification, far in excess of their overall cost. These include:

• Establishing a $100 million Empowering Communities Fund, to oversee delivery of education and training programs for local communities, small business and regional organisations about electrification and energy efficiency
• Creating a National Home Battery Saver Scheme of up to $6,500 per household to install and integrate behind-the-meter battery storage systems into the grid
• A National Energy Productivity Scheme to provide unified Federal oversight of energy efficiency and orchestration of home batteries and standardise certificates
• Providing opportunities for renters and social housing residents to participate in CER
• Implementing a review into household and business energy futures and pathways towards electrification
• Establishing targets for CER and orchestration on government-owned assets and buildings
• Measures to raise awareness of CER consumer protections, including the expansion of the New Energy Tech Consumer Code (NETCC) and designating a dispute resolution function under state and territory energy ombudsman schemes
• Unlocking and maximising the use of network capacity through customer choice.

Related article: AEMO, AusNet partner on consumer energy data exchange

“Unlike similar reports that focus on supply-side challenges for CER and the grid, the policy recommendations set out in this roadmap will guide Federal, state, territory and local governments in planning over the long term to unlock exciting new opportunities for every Australian household and business,” Hristodoulidis said.

“Empowering homeowners, renters, social housing residents and business owners to understand and adopt CER will build an Australian energy system that is cleaner, cheaper and fairer for everyone.”

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CEFC will work with fintech lender Plenti to provide finance to help drive down the cost of clean energy technologies for eligible customers. The $60 million CEFC commitment will support cheaper finance for solar PV, home batteries and other energy efficiency upgrades via discounts on Plenti green loans of up to 2.74% annually.

Related article: Labor delivers biggest clean energy Budget in history

In addition, eligible customers can get a further 0.6% discount on the green loan if they sign up to a Virtual Power Plant through Plenti’s point-of-sale platform, GreenConnect.

Consumers will be able to apply to Plenti for a green loan financed via the HEUF from 5 June 2024.

CEFC head of consumer finance Grace Tam said, “Many Australian homes are inefficient in terms of energy performance and thermal comfort. People who live in homes that require a lot of energy to heat and cool are vulnerable to extreme temperatures and energy price fluctuation.

“We recognise that navigating the home energy upgrade installation process can be a challenge for many households. That’s why we’re working with co-financiers such as Plenti, who offer support to customers to help them make home energy technology decisions that suit their homes and their budgets.”

Rewiring Australia has backed the announcement, with executive director Dan Cass saying, “Household electrification is the fastest and most cost effective way to reduce emissions and ease the cost-of-living by bringing down power bills for good.

“One third of households already have solar and these loans will help others to reap the benefits of self-generated electricity costing only five cents per kilowatt hour, the world’s cheapest energy.

Related article: Govt announces small business electrification incentives

“Finance for households to electrify is the most popular and non-partisan energy policy in Australia. Polling commissioned by Rewiring Australia shows the majority of voters— including almost half of Coalition supporters—would consider installing solar panels and electric appliances if they had access to a low cost loan,” he said.

“We encourage the CEFC to pick up the pace and allocate the remaining $940 million of the $1000 million it has available to loan households under this scheme.”

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Households and businesses with solar panels on their roofs will be able to buy a cheaper, subsidised battery to store solar energy generated when the sun is shining. This will help get the most out of their solar, by allowing them to use it around the clock. It will also reduce their energy bills and boost the reliability of the state-wide electricity grid.

Related article: Origin strikes deal with govt to delay Eraring closure

The new incentive is part of the Peak Demand Reduction Scheme and includes:

• Between $1600 and $2400 off the up-front installation cost of a household battery for homes and business with existing solar.
• For homes and businesses wanting to install solar, the incentive will be considered in the quote for a new solar and battery system installation.
• A $250 to $400 incentive for connecting a battery to a Virtual Power Plant. It can be claimed a second time, three years on.

By connecting batteries in Virtual Power Plants, households and businesses can collectively share capacity across the energy grid.

The incentives will be available from 1 November 2024 and will be accessed through approved suppliers, which will become accredited over the coming months.

NSW Minister for Climate Change and Energy Penny Sharpe said, “More than 1,000,000 NSW households have solar panels on their roofs and adding a battery will see them benefit around the clock, not just when the sun is shining.

“We are bringing down the upfront cost of batteries for households and businesses to make them more accessible.

“This is a targeted action to support those with solar to take the next step to lowering their bills by using renewable energy. It also supports the state’s transition to renewable energy.”

Rewiring Australia executive director Dan Cass endorsed the decision, saying, “Incentivising households and businesses to take up batteries means more cheap solar power in the grid and reduces our reliance on harmful fossil fuels.

Related article: Northern Territory claims highest take-up of solar batteries

“Increasing the growth rates of distributed solar and batteries is the fastest way to reduce peak demand and shore up energy reliability as old coal-fired power stations retire.

“Offering this incentive as part of the Peak Demand Reduction Scheme will remove the financial barrier of household batteries for many households, helping more NSW residents reduce their energy bills, lower emissions and improve reliability.”

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Powered by Consumer Data Right (CDR)-protected smart meter data, EnergyFlex helps energy consumers maximise their power use by changing the timing of their energy use to align with renewables and lower their energy costs.

Related article: App integrates data to spotlight greenwashing

Free-to-use, EnergyFlex calculates a rating out of 5, providing a clear measure of a business or household’s renewable energy use. A low rating indicates higher fossil fuel reliance, while a higher rating reflects greater use of renewables from the grid or on-site electricity generation assets.

Co-founded by former Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) veterans Garry Harding and Craig Phasey, EnergyFlex has been several years in development, including six months of real-world testing.

“EnergyFlex enables anyone to transform their energy usage into an asset, rather than a liability, by changing the timing of their energy use,” Harding says.

“We bring these capabilities to any size or style of consumer—for free—helping them think differently about sustainability and futureproof their operations in an evolving energy market, and become renewables ready.”

Testing by Beefy’s, a bakery on the Sunshine Coast, resulted in an 18 per cent reduction in annual energy bills, a 40% reduction in demand charges, and emissions reductions of 23 tonnes. The bakery increased its EnergyFlex Rating to 3.3, from 3.1, indicating an increased use of cleaner, cheaper renewable energy.

Related article: AGL launches online tool to assist customer electrification

EnergyFlex has also entered into a referral agreement with the Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) to empower CBA’s small business customers to embrace the renewable energy transition, improve their business resilience and viability.

The app is available via the App Store and Google Play.

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Momentum Energy will cover the gas abolishment fee of $242 for Victorian customers who work with Melbourne-based business Goodbye Gas to fully electrify their homes.

Related article: Victoria to phase out gas in new homes from 2024

The abolishment fee of $242 (including GST) will be paid as a credit on the customer’s final gas bill and only applies to existing gas customers who engage with Goodbye Gas to fully electrify their homes.

Momentum Energy is the mainland retailer of Hydro Tasmania, Australia’s largest generator of renewable energy. Momentum has around 130,000 electricity customers in the National Energy Market and around 70,000 gas customers in Victoria.

“It might seem strange for a gas retailer to be incentivising its own customers to transition away from gas, but Momentum wants to see more of our customers living fully electric lives—for their wallet, for the planet and to support Australia’s net zero carbon emissions goals,” Momentum Energy managing director Lisa Chiba said.

“Going all-electric—particularly when it’s combined with adding solar panels—is one of the most impactful changes individual consumers can make to help the planet.

“This is an entirely voluntary program and we will continue to support our customers who keep using gas. But given the long-term shift to decarbonise the grid, the argument for electrification will get even stronger as this becomes a reality.”

Goodbye Gas director Peter Steele said it was a significant development for a mid-sized retailer like Momentum to be encouraging its customers to switch from gas.

“Momentum Energy’s forward-thinking offer removes a key cost barrier—the abolishment fee—and we are excited to be supporting their customers to make the switch,” he said.

Related article: ACT passes law to ban new fossil fuel gas connections

According to Rewiring Australia, the average running costs of gas and petrol homes is $5,300 per year, while an electrified home with rooftop solar has running costs of about $1,850 per year. That covers electricity, heating and cooling, cooking and vehicle costs.

In terms of emissions, research by the International Energy Agency shows that just switching to a hot water heat pump from a gas boiler can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 20%, even when running on emissions-intensive electricity.

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The AEMC’s self-initiated review was published on 30 August 2023, with a number of final recommendations including an accelerated rollout of smart meters, better information for customers ahead of a meter upgrade, new customer protections, and improved data access arrangements for networks and energy customers.

AEMC chair Anna Collyer said smart meters offer consumers increased visibility into their energy use, allowing them to better understand and manage their bills while also opening up access to new and improved retail service options.

Related article: South Australian smart metering trial to increase grid security

“A number of Australians are already using smart meters to cut power bills, from those who have resources such as rooftop solar, to customers without solar who may be using smart meters to access cheaper tariffs,” Collyer said.

“Smart meters present clear benefits for consumers and form a crucial link for the wider energy system, paving the way for significant advances necessary to reach net zero.”

The accelerated replacement of legacy meters is expected to deliver net benefits of $507 million for national electricity market regions, including New South Wales, Queensland, the Australian Capital Territory, and South Australia.

Collyer said the draft rule was the first step in a broader program of work to modernise and digitise the energy system, with the AEMC committed to progressing further reforms, including customer access to real-time data from smart meters.

Proposed reforms under the draft rule

The draft rule includes two core reforms, so that customers and the broader energy system can access the benefits that smart meters offer sooner:

• Accelerated deployment of smart meters—deploying smart meters to customers faster to achieve cost savings, support a modern, data-enabled energy system, and give customers access to a range of benefits sooner.
• Access to Power Quality Data—improving network access to important power quality information so that they can better manage their networks, reduce network costs for customers, save energy, and minimise network safety risks.

Related article: AEMC conducting smart meters review for customer benefit

In addition, the draft rule also includes four supporting reforms:

• New customer safeguards—protecting customers from potential cost risks by prohibiting any upfront costs ahead of a smart meter installation, and increasing notification requirements ahead of tariff changes.
• Improving the customer experience—ensuring that customers can access the full suite of benefits that smart meters provide, including by introducing new customer-friendly information requirements.
• Reducing barriers to installation—supporting delivery efficiencies, and therefore cost savings in the accelerated deployment of smart meters.
• Improved meter testing and inspections—helping minimise costs and improve efficiencies for industry and customers.

The proposed rules in the AEMC’s draft determination would commence progressively, beginning 25 July 2024.

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Related article: AusNet explores electrification impact through new trial

AGL’s Electrify Now helps customers to understand their potential energy bill and carbon savings if their home switched to solar, battery, heat pump hot water, an electric vehicle (EV) and/or induction cooktop, with users able to pick and choose which upgrades suit their budget and lifestyle.

This comes a year after the successful pilot program, which saw more than 6,500 AGL customers receive estimated energy bill and carbon savings for installing solar and battery, with the platform improved to now include more Australians, as well as further electrification products.

The enhanced platform also provides households the estimated payback period on their investment for solar, battery and heat pump hot water systems, as well as connecting users to AGL’s installation partners.

Results from the pilot program indicated that 62% of customers surveyed were interested in electrification to help reduce the cost of their energy bills, with 77% of those surveyed interested in upgrading to an electric water system.

AGL chief customer officer Jo Egan said, “Whether or not you are a customer with AGL, households will have access to personalised information about the potential benefits of an electric home. We’ve taken the lessons from the pilot to significantly enhance the experience to help empower Australians in making the first step to home electrification.”

Related article: AGL and Someva to partner on 2GW Pottinger Energy Park

For eligible users of the platform with a smart meter, AGL is also the first Australian energy retailer to use Consumer Data Right (CDR) electricity data to estimate potential energy bill and carbon savings from upgrading to home electrification products.

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