Energy Consumers Australia continues to support a pathway that accelerates the roll out of smart meters. However, many consumers also tell us they lack the information and tools to help better understand their energy use (to help lower bills).

With regard to this draft determination, we would like to draw AEMC’s attention to the following areas where we consider improvements could be made:

• Customer safeguards. While one may argue that a customer could ‘just’ opt out of time varying pricing if deemed not suitable, if this is even a possibility, the burden is still being placed on the consumer to navigate a market they tell us is too complex, and for a change they did not sign up for. Instead, we would like to see the energy market work as intended and produce products and services that entice people to take up these kinds of options, instead of penalising people who are unable to change the way they use energy.
• Improving customer experience. Information provided to consumers should be relevant, meaningful to them and be clear and simple to digest, noting too much information could dilute the message or appear overwhelming. The draft determination makes clear the importance of social licence to a successful roll-out. We therefore encourage the AEMC to carefully consider how facets of this draft determination work for, or against consumers, and what impact this has on consumers’ potential confidence in the energy market and of smart meters more broadly.