Energy Consumers Australia appreciates the opportunity to provide comments on the Australian Energy Market Commission’s (AEMC) Directions Paper: Unlocking Consumer Energy Resources (CER) Benefits Through Flexible Trading.
As more CER become integrated into the evolving energy system, industry is asking questions about how to best integrate them efficiently to deliver a reliable and secure system. However, of equal importance is remembering that CER are consumer-owned assets that households and small businesses have invested in. It is key that we ensure consumers retain agency in how they wish to use their assets, and can access the full value and benefits of their investments, tailored to their needs and preferences.
In this context, the following submission makes three key recommendations:
- That the AEMC undertake research on consumer preferences (in addition to the Energeia cost benefit analysis) focusing on testing different options for separately identifying and managing flexible CER, as well as a customer journey mapping analysis.
- That this additional research be used to inform knowledge gaps and key recommendations in the final determination.
- That the AEMC prioritise ‘least cost’ and ‘least complexity’ for consumers when assessing options for separately identifying and managing flexible CER.
Read the full submission here.