Our Network Resets Funding Program supported consumer advocates to better understand cross-cutting consumer network issues, and drive change that benefits all Australian energy consumers. Please note: funding for this program has come to a close and we are no longer accepting applications.
About the Network Reset Process
The Australian Energy Regulator (AER) makes revenue determinations through extensive regulatory processes, or 'reset processes'. Through these processes, the AER confirms how much network distribution or transmission businesses can recover from their consumers.
This includes making decisions about access arrangements (which define how people access energy infrastructure), and network expenditure (how much money energy networks can spend to maintain and upgrade their infrastructure).
As part of our aim to ensure what's best for consumers is built into these processes, we funded research and resources that directly or indirectly supported advocates involved in Reset Customer Panels.
There are recurrent, strategic and expensive consumer issues that cut across many access arrangements and network expenditure determinations. The Network Resets Funding Program provided an opportunity to support consumer advocates to better understand one or more of these topics. It also helped advocates to better equip themselves to drive change for the benefit of all Australian energy consumers.
Applications from non-profits, consultants, research groups or consumer advocates were invited for a funding pool of up to $100,000 for research and advocacy (up to $50,000 per project, per proponent, per year) on a chosen consumer network issue.
Project proposals were reviewed based on whether they:
- Would have a material benefit for consumers,
- Would affect multiple network resets, and
- Had a clear path to impact for influencing consumer panels.
Projects were required to:
- Outline a clear path to impact
- Provide value for money
- Have a reference group which includes at least one active member of consumer panels, and if not, have a plan for engaging consumer panels.
Successful projects included both research into a specific topic and related advocacy. They required stakeholder engagement with, at a minimum, key decision-makers, relevant networks, or their consumer panels.
- Helen Bartley (Bartley Consulting), Kieran Donoghue (Newgrange Consulting) | Report: Understanding consumer perspectives on accelerated depreciation and financeability (PDF, 605.75KB)
- Jill Cainey, Consumer Electricity Resilience Project | Report (PDF, 1.71MB) | Definition (PDF, 313.93KB) | Role of DNSPs (PDF, 178.66KB) | Expectations of DNSPs (PDF, 258.52KB)
