Electricity meter charges

Home & Living
1

Hello there,
A few years ago I had my water services changes from eletricity to gas.
All legit installed. However, I have a “control load meter” in my electricity box that is no longer in use presently as a consequence.

I asked an electricity company to remove it as it no longer in use. They asked around $500 to do so.

I rang the energy company in Northern NSW ((Essential Energy) to remove it and they said it is not their duty to do so. In the meantime they are charging me $35.00 year for nothing and they would not remove it and would not stop the charges either.

Hence I am stuck to paying them a rent for nothing.

Is there anything that can be done?

Any thoughts will be welcome
Gigi

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2

Essential Energy looks like your grid operator not your retailer. The retailer would be responsible to organise it with you although Essential approves works.

NSW documents indicate when a controlled load is installed it is done by an ‘approved contractor’ at the customer’s expense. It thus seems to follow that the onus is on the customer to have it removed. In Melbourne similar costs levied by the grid operator are passed through to the customer when they arise, in addition to whatever a sparky charges.

If ‘an electricity company’ was your retailer or the grid operator, have you gotten quotes from ‘approved sparkies’ or was ‘an electricity company’ an independent sparky?

For comparison a family member recently had an entire breaker box upgraded to modern standards for $1,200 in Melbourne including new panels cut, power rails, safety switches and breakers, and about 3 hours labour.

It appears the fee is for ‘reading and maintaining type 5 and type 6’ (traditional, not smart) meters.

https://www.essentialenergy.com.au/-/media/Project/EssentialEnergy/Website/Files/Our-Network/PriceScheduleforMeteringServices1July2020.pdf

A few members from Northern NSW are likely to reply.

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3

Hi Gigi

I would suggest that you contact the company that sends you your electricity bill and ask them about removing the controlled load meter as your hot water system (HWS) is no longer electric.

I am not sure, but I would have thought that your electricity retailer should have been informed by the business that replaced your HWS.

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4

Hello Meltam, thanks for the reply.

I have contacted Powershop and they said that the Controlled Load Meter is not their responsibility. They however gave me some credit towards my bill, as I had informed them a while ago. They asked me to contact Essential energy who refused to do it as they said that it has to be a qualified electrician to do so. It is not their responsibility any more. Only if faults arose from the meter. So, you see they pass the ball.

So, that is why I have to go on paying the fee. As I mentioned it would cost me around the $500 bracket to as a qualified electrician to do so around here.It will take 14 years to amortise that amount and I might be dead by then…LOL!

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5

Hi PhilT
thanks for the reply and I can see that no matter what, I am back to square ONE between the 2.
ARRRRRHHHHH!

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The other thing to consider is whether in the future you or a future owner of the house decides to use an offpeak/controlled load tarrif again, for hotwater, pool pump, heating system etc etc.

If you remove it now for $500, it might cost you or someone else to reinstall it again in the future for $500 or more.

We also have a offpeak or controlled load meter not in used
as we have time based pricing, and also face this dilemma.

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7

What I could find in regards to your issue and while the retailer is Origin I assume the system will be the same regardless of the retailer:

" Basic meters where your electricity distributor is Essential, Ausgrid or Endeavour

  1. Contact an accredited electrician who will arrange to remove your electricity supply and meter"

In regards to Smart Meters it states costs vary based on work required and the meter is owned by some provider so they need to be contacted.

I assume your one is not a Smart Meter so it is your responsibility to get an Electrician to remove the service (what they term Supply Abolishment).

Origin’s fees are not cheap so I expect most other retailers will again be similar

After removal you may need to have the NMI removed from the system and this may incur a Administration fee (around $70 I think).

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hello
I did contact a qualified independant electrician to do the job hence the $500 bill.

I will not bother to pursue this matter with any of them. The reason for the astronomical price is that they charge $ 230 for travel as we are 30km from the closest city.

Thanks for all your input in the matter it was very helpful to understand this process.

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