Following misplaced marketing and a problematic introduction of smart meters in Victoria over a decade ago, a fresh initiative to roll out the technology in Australia is set to go ahead.
The latest push aims to create an intelligent electricity grid offering home energy control for consumers, on the back of a ruling from the Australian Energy Market Commission (AEMC), expected on July 1.
The enforced introduction of smart meters in Victoria sparked a consumer backlash because of high installation costs charged to households in a move that produced little benefit.
Under the AEMC scheme, by 2017 all new or replacement meters in Australia would be “smart”, enabling retailers to offer incentives to customers to have the new meters installed and laying the foundations for a smart grid.
But industry analyst Paul Budde told that there is still some uncertainty in the market.
“There are a number of parties involved in lobbying for their position in this ruling, but if indeed a more competitive – market-led – environment can be created, then most certainly we will see a much more rapid and much more innovative roll out of meters and important new services and applications,” Budde said.
“In order for users to indeed have choice however, it is critical that such a market-led rollout is based on interoperability. Smart meters within the broader context of smart grids is an essential element in empowering consumers to have far more control over their energy use. – Kate Castellari
