Reduced power bills for consumers and a more efficient network could be among several benefits if a rule change request by Energy Consumers Australia to the Australian Energy Market Commission (AEMC) is successful.
The rule change request aims to help modernise planning for Australia’s distribution networks, requiring them to prepare for expected increases in the two-way flow of power from homes and businesses to the network and increases in the use of electricity for transportation and appliances currently using fuel and gas.
It also aims to create greater transparency in network decision-making and planning processes, ensuring consumers get greater value from their investment in the network.
“Australians should be paying a fair share for their energy and not a cent more,” Energy Consumers Australia’s General Manager Advocacy and Policy Brian Spak said.
“The distribution network – the local poles and wires that connect our homes and businesses to the broader grid and one another – is the single biggest element of household electricity bills. This rule change request will help ensure that consumer money is being well spent and lead to lower power bills for consumers in the long term.”
The rule change aims to ensure that networks use the new data they will get from the accelerated rollout of smart meters to better plan the network and use their infrastructure more efficiently. It also helps align local network planning with the Integrated System Plan, which focuses on the transmission part of the system.
Other targeted benefits from the rule change include generating more value from already available data and providing consumers, communities, and third parties with the information they need to make informed decisions about when and where to invest in solar, batteries, electrification, and distributed energy resources.
“The planning rules for networks were developed before the unprecedented growth in household solar and batteries in Australia and are not adequate for the consumer-driven system that is now emerging,” Mr Spak said.
“This rule change request could enable community groups and third parties to know where in the network are the best places to install neighbourhood batteries and public EV charging stations. Many communities want to be more engaged in planning their local energy system, and this rule change will assist with that.
“Energy Consumers Australia continues to explore how network utilisation can be more effectively measured, and we’re working with industry and regulators to ensure consumers get their money’s worth for the networks they pay for.”
Further consultation by the AEMC on the rule change request will take place later in 2025. In the meantime, you can read the rule change request on the AEMC’s website.
For interview requests or more information, contact Stuart Turner on 0415 403 208 or via email.
About Energy Consumers Australia
Energy Consumers Australia is the independent, national voice for residential and small business energy consumers. We enable residential and small business energy consumers to have their voices heard.