Today 24/3/2025 I received an email from my electricity supplier basically saying that as of 1 June 2025, the option to opt out of a smart meter upgrade will no longer be available.

I had previously told my electricity retailer, I did not want our metre changed to a smart metre, because it would have ended up costing us more for electricity.

Something, has allowed The Australian Energy Market Commission (AEMC) to force electricity consumers to change to smart meters. It appears to be a final rule determination, which AEMC made itself. I'm unaware if there was any government oversee.

According to this AEMC document, Accelerating smart meter deployment, ther was “a” public forum were “a broad range of stakeholders” gave feedback to a draft determination of 4 April 2024.

The request for the fast tracking of changing to smart metres came from 3 electricity retailers. Not from electricity consumers.

On speaking to my electricity retailer and as per ther email, a change to a smart metre, although not changing the contract, will change the tariffs we get charged. Actually the Electricity supplier Energex may automatically change to a time of use tariff and from quarterly to a monthly billings. Which would result in larger electricity bills for us.

All the time of use tariffs are higher than what we're currently playing.

Has anybody that changed to, time of use tariffs, now playing the less for a less electricity?

However I was told that I could get it changed to a single rate tariff and back to quarterly billing, if I requested it. I'm not sure if that would happen immediately or not until the next billing cycle.

But regardless then there is still the issue of a demand tariff.

This is a newer tariff that only can be charged if you have a smart meter.

This is an additional tariff that is calculated by taking the highest electricity usage in any half hour during a month and multiplying it by the rate charged. It is ment to be a way of inducing consumers not to have peaks of demand.

Smart metres can monitor electricity usage every half hour,

Anyone currently getting charged for demand tariffs? If so do they tell you the date and time of your highest demand?

Would you change your electricity usage patterns if you knew?

One the frequently asked questions on my electricity retailers website is the question:

“Will a smart meter save me money on my electricity bills?”

The answer is:

Having a smart meter installed will not directly save you money on your electricity bills. However, smart meters can provide you with more accurate and detailed information about your energy consumption, provides for time of use tariffs, which can help you make more informed decisions on your consumption habits and potentially lead to energy savings.“

NOTE it says energy savings, not cost savings.

Ther is no frequently asked question about it costing your more.

Because of the the demand tariff, it will cost you more.

The AEMC and numerous electricity providers websites sprook the benefits of smart metres.

To me the biggest benefit is it gives the electricity industry ways of charging consumers more.