How to Outsmart Your Smart Meter

8/18/2019 How to Outsmart Your Smart Meter

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Outsmarting yoursmart meter

A guide to smart meters and how you canuse them for cheaper electricity bills

a publication of

http://bundl.com.au/


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This Ebook is designed for readers that have:

• Received a letter in the mail informing you that a new smart meter is on the way; or

• Had a new smart meter installed already; or

• Heard about the roll out of smart meters and want more information.

If this is you, read on! This guide contains everything you need to know about the new smart meters as well as how

to outsmart them for cheaper electricity bills.

Jon

follow @jontipsta

Jason

follow @jason_scotty

Is this Ebook for you?

AuthorsThis guide is a collaboration between Bundl employees Jon Rout and Jason Scott.

Jon has written various articles on smart meters and other electricity related subjects. Jason does most of the

blogging for Bundl and also manages various content projects. Both Jon and Jason graduated with degrees from the

University of Wollongong in 2009.

Front cover image: Vassilis Online

Outsmarting your smart meter - a guide to cheaper electricity bills2 Outsmarting your smart meter - a guide to cheaper electricity bills2

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Contents

What is a smart meter anyway? ..................................... 4

Do we need smart meters? ..................................... 6

Why are (some) people so opposed to smart meters? ..... 8

Smart meters in Victoria .....................................11

Smart meters in NSW .....................................16

How to reduce your electricity bill .....................................18

The future of smart meters .................................... 26

Outsmarting your smart meter - a guide to cheaper electricity bills3

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part

1

What is a smart

meter anyway?

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A smart meter is an electrical device that tracks energy usage and sends these readings directly to your energy

supplier. Smart meters are a replacement for the old manual meters and are available for both gas and electricity.

They also go by the name of interval meters.

A smart meter acts as a communication device between your household and the main database of your energysupplier. Every 30 minutes it measures and records the amount of energy used by your house or business.

This information is then sent directly your electricity distributors over wireless networks, eliminating the need for

someone to come and physically check your meter every month.

Recording how much electricity is being used and exactly when it is being used opens up a whole range of

opportunities to better monitor and manage how we use our energy resources.

For the individual consumer, smart meters will eliminate the need for some bills to be estimated in advance

and adjusted the following month. In the case of a power outage, meters will alert your supplier in real time of

your need for a solution. They make waiting a few days for an installer to reconnect the power when you move

house a thing of the past! All smart meters are controlled remotely and can be turned on and off or switched to adifferent account within a matter of minutes.

On a larger scale, the additional information provided by all the data from users around the world empowers

providers and consumers to use power sources more efciently. Read on to nd out how.

A typical smart meter. Different models are used around the world.

Image from aaron_anderer


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part

2

Do we need

smart meters?

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Smart meters are being installed in homes right across Australia and the world with the US, Canada and

most countries in Europe rolling out some planned installation of them in homes and businesses. What,

exactly, is the big deal about these smart meters?

• Peak Demand

Seasons of extreme weather patterns, like the heat of summer and the cold of winter, generate

surges of electricity usage. To keep up with demand and provide the energy when it is needed,

suppliers must spend large amounts of money on network infrastructure. In fact, at least half of all

electricity bills go to infrastructure expenditures; maintaining power lines, connecting distribution

grids and expanding services to new households. If we continue our current usage patterns, as the

population continues to grow, infrastructure costs are going to get higher and higher. The costs of

these upgrades would inevitably be passed onto consumers. Providing incentives to spread power

use more evenly throughout the day reduces the need for these expensive infrastructure upgrades.

• Flexible Pricing / Time Of Use TariffsTo tackle the problem of peak usage, smart meters allow the introduction of exible pricing,

otherwise known as Time Of Use (ToU) Tariffs. Flexible pricing means that the cost of electricity

changes depending on the time of day it is being used. For example, electricity used in peak hours

7am – 9am will be more expensive than electricity used in the middle of the day.

There are usually three time periods in exible pricing, although some retailers are only utilizing

Peak and Off Peak periods. You will need to check with your electricity retailer on the specic times

for your area, but the following is a rough guide:

Peak: Highest prices when most people are using energy, typically between 7am – 9am and 5pm –

8pm.

Shoulder: Time period between the two peak periods, typically during the day (9am – 5pm)

Off Peak: Night-time when most people are asleep and not much energy is being used (8pm –

7am)

Check out Part 6 for tips on using the exible pricing option to save money on your yearly

electricity bill!

Example of a exible pricing plan showing different times. From the VIC switchon website.


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part

3

Why are (some)

people so opposed

to smart meters?

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H E N D I T l A M E T V E

The mandatory installation of smart meters in the majority of homes and businesses in Australia has

been one of the most controversial topics in the past decade. The issues behind the most vocal concerns

against smart meters are debated strongly from both sides. Here we give you an overview of the

concerns and the ofcial responses. Our aim is to empower you to make a decision about your and your

family’s well being for yourself.

1. Some households cannot shift behaviour and will be penalised

The primary argument against exible pricing is that it creates an unfair system. There are many

households, particularly those in the lower income brackets, that aren’t able to shift their energy use

behaviours due to set work times or schedules. The opposition comes from the possibility that these

households will be penalised by an increase in electricity bills with the shift to exible pricing.

The response

Switching to exible pricing is optional. A Deloitte report suggests that changes to the average

consumer’s bills, providing there is no change in usage behaviour, would range from a reduction of 4% to

an increase of 2%. Allowing the consumer to make the decision about what works best for them in their

particular situation should reward households that can shift their behaviour without penalising those that

can’t.

2. Installation costs will be recouped in electricity bills

The total cost of retting every household and business in Victoria, for instance, with new smart meters

is estimated between $1.8 – 2 billion. This is a huge investment in infrastructure that is supposed to

reduce investment in infrastructure. This cost will be passed on to consumers. Are households actually

any better off after paying for the additional cost of a smart meter?

The responseThe cost to install a new smart meter in your house will be recouped the same way the cost of other

infrastructure is; from your electricity supplier through your bills. Most retailers are including the cost as

an additional line item on your bill or bundling it into a supply charge to spread out the cost over a long

time period. Check the FAQ’s section of your supplier’s website for the cost being charged to you if it

isn’t clear.

Whether or not the implementation of a smart meter leaves the consumer better or worse off nancially is

dependent on the individual’s consumption habits. Check out Part 6 for tips on how to take advantage of

the exible pricing option for lower electricity bills.


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3. Perceived Health Effects

• Radiation

Smart Meters use wireless technologies that emit radiofrequencies. Some citizens, particularly

those who claim electrohypersensitivity1, are concerned about being subject to electromagnetic

exposures without a choice.

Response

All smart meters are required to comply with ARPANSA’s2 regulated limits of radiofrequency

exposure. Independent studies suggest that smart meters located outside the house emit

radiofrequencies at a level of 0.82, less than mobile phones and baby monitors.

• Overheating

There have been disputed reports of smart meters overheating and catching on re.3 The concern

is that smart meters are a potential re hazard and could put families’ lives at risk.

Response

All smart meters are required to be installed by approved contractors under safety protocols. A

regulating body oversees these procedures and reviews have been carried out conrming that

procedures are being followed and installations are safe.4

1 http://stopsmartmeters.com.au/radiowave-sickness-microwave-syndrome/ 2 http://www.dpi.vic.gov.au/smart-meters/safety/health

3 http://emfsafetynetwork.org/?page_id=12804 http://www.dpi.vic.gov.au/smart-meters/safety/installation-safety


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part

4

Smart meters

in Victoria

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01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 01 00%

Completed

Year 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

U D

MA GNI B H

E X

History of smart meters in Victoria

The rst mandated roll out for smart meters was in 2004 by the Victorian Essential Services Commission

(ESC). It was based on the following four considerations:

1. Based on an analysis by the ESC, there would be an economic benet to a state-wide roll out of

smart meters.1

2. It was unlikely that the use of smart meters would become widespread without assistance because

of the large amount of upfront and timely investment and cooperation required.

3. Regulation would be required to achieve the economic benets from a large scale roll out.

4. The cost of installing new smart meters was expected to decrease over time, making them become

more price-competitive with older meters.

The Advanced Metering Infrastructure Mandate (AIMRO) was approved in 2007. It required that all

households and businesses have a smart meter installed over a four year period, beginning in 2009.Legislation began to be written surrounding the roll out and trials took place to test available technologies.

Over the next few years, the project underwent a number of reviews and additional reports by Oakley

Greenwood and Deloitte were produced. In 2010, the new government initiated a review of the project,

conrming in 2012 that there were economic benets to continuing the roll out and the project should

continue.

“The Victorian Government has mandated that all residential and small business electricity customers have

a smart meter installed by the end of 2013.”

Installation of smart meters

In 2009 approved distributors began rolling out smart meters. By the beginning of 2013, over 95% of smart

meters were scheduled to be installed and operational.

Smart meter scheduled accumulative completion by year.2

The companies responsible for rolling out the installations are the ve energy distributors in Victoria;

Citipower, Powercor, Jemena, United Energy and SP AusNet. Electricity retailers have been given rights to

on charge consumers the costs of installing and maintaining the smart meters.

1 http://www.dpi.vic.gov.au/smart-meters/resources/reports-and-consultations/advanced-metering-infrastructure-cost-bene-

t-analysis/2.-background2 http://www.dpi.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/image/0005/136076/g6b-regulatory-targets.jpg


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Pricing changes from smart meters

Currently, electricity is charged at the same price per kilowatt hour (kWh), regardless of when it is used or

how much of it is used. Flexible pricing changes this. It allows retailers to set a different cost for energy usage

(per kWh) depending on the time of day.

Flexible pricing tries to encourage consumers to use energy at times of the day when it is not in high demand.This reduces the overall load on the electricity distribution system and saves in infrastructure costs in the

long term.

Research shows that consumers stand to make savings on their electricity bill from the exible pricing

structure. (We offer tips on how to do this in Part 6) However, if you’re not able to change your usage patterns

and use large amounts of energy in peak times you may nd that the savings don’t apply to you.

For this reason, exible pricing is optional. Consumers can choose to stay on their current at-rate tariff and

use electricity at the same price regardless of the time of day.

How do I decide if I should switch to exible pricing?

1. Don’t move to exible pricing immediately. Give your smart meter a couple of months to provide you

with data about how much electricity your household uses and when. You’ll also be able to compare

your household usage with similar households, giving you an idea of whether you have room for

improvement.

2. Ask your retailer. Once your retailer has information about your general electricity usage, they will be

able to estimate the cost of your previous bill had you been on a exible pricing scheme.Regulation

would be required to achieve the economic benets from a large scale roll out.

3. Calculate the difference in money a) if you had been on a exible pricing scheme and b) if you had

also made behavioural changes to take advantage of it.

4. Be realistic about whether you can make the changes necessary. Not everyone will be able to make

those changes. Decide which ones will work for you and your family.

5. Compare the two and choose the cheaper option!

Remember, you can change your mind if you want to. If you switch to a exible pricing structure and nd that

it’s not working for you, you can change back to a at rate tariff anytime before March 2015. Just keep in mind

that you must have been on the at rate tariff with that provider before; if you change providers and begin on

the exible pricing plan, you will need to stay on that plan.

Flexible pricing is scheduled to be available from mid-2013.

Who pays for the smart meter installations?

The costs to the distributors of installing and maintaining the smart meters are passed onto the retailers

who then pass the costs to the individual consumer. Most retailers are including the cost of the smart meter

as part of the regular monthly electricity bill to spread the cost out over a period of time.

Some retailers are including this cost in the ‘additional services’ line on your electricity bill. This may be

called a Supply Charge or Service to Property Charge. Some retailers are splitting the cost specic to

installing your smart meter onto a different line to maintain transparency.


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Citipower

Powercor SP

AusNet

JemenaUnited

Energy

VIC

Consumers have always paid an amount towards installation and maintenance of their meters. Replacing

every single meter with a new smart one incurs additional costs and it is this cost that is being recouped

through users bills. To keep costs fair and as low as possible, they are being recovered from all customers

over the same period of time, regardless of whether a smart meter has been installed or not. The

alternative, of billing street by street, is more expensive for everyone involved. Charges are regulated by

the Australian Energy Regulator.

These charges have been a part of your electricity bill since January 2010.

Monitoring usage

Every 30 minutes your smart meter is sending information about your energy consumption to a central

database maintained by your energy retailer. You can access this data and see your household’s energy

consumption patterns through online portals.

At the time of writing, the following retailers had fully operational web portals or announced the launch of

web portals for customers to check their energy usage:

• AGL Energy - My AGL IQ1

• Origin Energy - Origin Smart2

• Energy Australia (previously Tru Energy) - eWise3

The following distributors have web portals for use with smart meters:

• Jemena Electricity (North Western Melbourne) - Electricity Outlook4

• United Energy (South East Melbourne & Mornington Peninsula) - Energy Easy5

• SP Ausnet (Northern and Eastern Victoria) - MyHomeEnergy6

The 5 electricity distributors in Victoria

1 http://www.agl.com.au/home/MyAGLIQ/Pages/default.aspx2 http://www.originenergy.com.au/originsmart3 http://www.energyaustralia.com.au/ewise4 https://electricityoutlook.jemena.com.au/

5 https://energyeasy.ue.com.au/ 6 https://www.myhomeenergy.com.au/ui/GWRMain.html


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OMMYNONSECORE

Why use an online portal?

1. See your energy usage

If you’ve ever wondered whether having that heater on all evening cost you a lot in your energy

bills, now you can nd out. You may be surprised at how much energy is used by your household

and when!

2. Compare your usage to other households

Most web portals offer a service that allows you to compare the amount of energy your home is

using to similar homes. This will give you an idea of whether you have room for improvement in the

way your household uses energy.

3. Make decisions to reduce your energy bill

Armed with the information about what your energy use, you can make decisions about how to use

it in the future, potentially saving you money and lowering your energy consumption.

4. Set and track energy savings goals

Some portals have included an energy saving goal feature, letting you track how much electricity,

dollars and greenhouse gas emissions you have saved when compared with previous usage.

Privacy of your data

There are strict guidelines in place for how the information about your energy usage can be collected and

used. All companies must comply with the Federal Privacy Act (1988) including proper security processes

and staff checks for protection of the information. Additionally, the smart meter data in particular is subject

to extra condentiality rules as set out in the documents already governing the use of your electricity data.1

A review of the privacy program by Lockstep Consulting showed that no information from the smart metershad been given out illegally. It conrmed that controls over the data are strong and the technology used by

the smart meters is secure. The wireless links between the devices and networks are encrypted and do not

use the internet

1 http://www.dpi.vic.gov.au/smart-meters/privacy


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OMMY N ON S E C OR E

part

5

Smart meters

in NSW

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Lorem Ipsum123 Everywhere Avenue

City , St 00000

History of smart meters in NSW

Since 2004, AusGrid has installed all new and replacement electricity meters with smart meters. 1

Approximately 400,000 AusGrid customers now have a smart meter installed but only 250,000 of them are

on Time of Use contracts. There is no additional cost to the consumer for the installation of smart meters

being replaced by AusGrid, however, if you want to upgrade of your own accord, you may need to wear thecost.

AusGrid has also been participating in a $100 million trial project known as Smart Grid Smart City,2

involving around 30,000 households, aiming to get a better understanding of how new technologies can

save energy and money for New South Wales households.

Rollout

The NSW Government has recognized the future benet of smart meters and wants to roll out more.

However, wary of the controversy surrounding the Victorian mandated roll out, particularly the cost

blowouts, they are taking some time to work out the best plan of attack. So far, recommendations have

been to keep it market-led (not compulsory) and focussed on what will provide the consumer the mostbenet.3

Smart meter taskforce

The NSW Government’s Smart Meter taskforce released a discussion paper late 2012 calling for

submissions which closed end of February 2013. The discussion paper listed the following principles to be

considered in any smart meter rollout:

1. Consumers should not pay higher charges for smart meters;

2. A Government mandated rollout should be avoided;

3. The government has a role in promoting consumer acceptance;

4. The rollout of smart meters and time of use prices are not in themselves sufcient to drive

signicant demand reductions.4

1 http://www.ausgrid.com.au/Common/Our-network/Metering/Meter-upgrades.aspx#.UVQBn3BDKBI2 http://www.smartgridsmartcity.com.au/About-Smart-Grid-Smart-City.aspx

3 http://bundl.com.au/news/smart-meters-nsw-coming/ 4 Download disccusion paper: http://engage.haveyoursay.nsw.gov.au/document/show/585


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part

6

How to reduce your

electricity bill

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19/28

Over past few years, the average Australian household saw increases in electricity bills from between

15% to 50%. These extra costs are hurting consumer pockets and making everyone reconsider how much

electricity they use on a daily basis.

Image taken from Rise of the Electricity Bill Infographic1

If you’re like most people, you’re only vaguely aware of how much energy has been used until the bills arrive!

With the introduction of smart meters and the availability of online portals for real-time reports, it’s a good

idea to make a habit of checking your electricity consumption once a week. Some portals will send you anemail with an update to help you stay on top of it. If the internet isn’t your thing, or you want immediate (rather

than daily) information, you may want to consider investing in an In Home Display (IHD). These are small,

portable, wireless devices that read information from the smart meter and feed it back to you instantly via a

small screen. Check Part 7 for more information.

Now that you’re armed with the information of how much energy is costing you, let’s take a look at how you

can reduce it. Of course, there are some things we know may use up a lot of energy (like air con on a boiling

hot day or a 50 inch plasma screen to watch the Boxing Day match) that we just can’t bear to give up! That’s

okay. You can still save money by making small changes in a) how much electricity you use and b) when you

use your electricity (if you are on a smart meter exible pricing plan).

1 http://bundl.com.au/blog/the-rise-of-the-electricity-bill-infographic/


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Outsmart your smart meter by using electricity when its cheapest

Smart meters are crucial in providing this solution because they allow exible pricing (otherwise known as

Time of Use Tariffs). ToU Tariffs charge electricity at peak hours of the day at higher prices than at off peak

hours of the day.

The chart below shows how a typical Queensland household uses energy throughout the day.

The regular daily cycle peaks in the morning as everyone gets up for work, drops throughout the day as we

go about our business and then peaks again for dinner and bedtime. The night as every one sleeps is off

peak period when not much electricity is used.

Although this is a more complicated system than the at rate method, the key to using your smart meter

to save money on your power bills is to time the use of electrical devices during off peak periods when

possible.

Identify your power guzzlers

Unfortunately the monitoring data from your smart meter doesn’t break down your electricity usage by

appliance as most appliances aren’t smart meter ready yet. But we can get a good idea which appliances

are chewing through electricity from the following graph from the NSW Independent Pricing and Regulatory

Tribunal (IPART).


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10 Days!

Formulate a plan of attack

Knowing (or at least having a good idea) which appliances are using the most

electricity allows you to formulate your plan of attack around shifting usage of

those appliances to a time of day where it is cheaper. We’ve started you off with

the following common electricity guzzlers.

Air Conditioners

If you have a set system, time the air conditioner to do the major part of cooling

down the house in the off-peak period (for example, from 4:30pm – 5pm before

you get home) or in the hour before you wake up. Particularly in the morning

if you are only in the house for an hour before leaving for work, setting the air

conditioner to cool the place from 6am – 7am before you get up will, in most warm

temperatures, keep the place cool until you leave the house.

Pool Pumps

Contrary to popular belief pool pumps do not need to be on 24/7. In fact, they

can do a good job of keeping your pool clean by running as little as 6-8 hours

day. This is a great opportunity to take advantage of the off-peak electrical prices.

Turn the pool pump on before you go to bed and turn it off when you get up in the

morning.

Washing machine / dryer / dishwasher

All of these appliances can be set to run at off-peak or shoulder periods. For

example, you could leave switching on the washing machine until right before you

leave the house for the day. Many washing machines come with a delay button,

allowing a cycle to begin in one or two hours, even if you’re not at home. If you usehot water for your washing this also means the cost of heating your water is less.

Clothes dryers can be run overnight, delivering a fresh load of warm jumpers to put

on in the morning.

Of course, always ensure you’re putting in a full load with any of these appliances,

particularly dishwashers as they use high amounts of both electricity and hot water.

Programmable hot water thermostat

If you have an electric water heater, you can install a programmable hot water

thermostat meaning your house will only heat water when you actually need it.

Aside from the electricity savings of not using energy you don’t need, if you happento have an irregular schedule (ie: showering in the middle of the day or late at

night) this will save you money by taking advantage of the off-peak electricity

prices.

Get Out Of The House For Just 10 Days A Year

Some retailers are offering a second alternative to the typical exible pricing

scheme. One of the main goals of the smart meters is to reduce consumption of

energy particularly during those few days a year when energy use peaks (very hot

or very cold days). It is possible to choose a plan where you pay less for regular

use of energy, any day or time of the week all year round, with the exception of 10Critical Peak Days.


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On these critical peak days, the charges increase signicantly during a 6 hour period, with some plans

costing thirteen times more than the usual rate. Critical Peak Days are advised 24 hours in advance

through a chosen method of communication (email, sms or phone call).

If you have difculty regularly changing your routine but could get out of the house and head to, say, a

friends place or a pool for 6 hours at a day’s notice, this could be your solution. Remember though, youwill be charged a very high rate for any electricity going into your house during those hours, including the

electricity keeping the refrigerator running or alarm systems charged. If a Critical Peak Day happens to

fall while you are on holiday, it may be difcult to modify the amount of electricity being consumed by your

house.

Aim for at least two of these changes

Most people will be able to make at least one or two of the suggested changes. For most of these

suggestions you will probably nd that once the habit is changed, there is no difference to your quality of

lifestyle except saving hundreds of dollars in electricity a year. And that’s a pretty good outcome!

Bump up your energy efciencyOf course, the second way to save money on your electricity bill is to use less of it by increasing your

energy efciency. There are many ways you can make small adjustments around the home to see big

savings at the end of the year.

From the IPART graph on page 20, It is clear that the greatest electricity guzzlers are hot water,

refrigeration, entertainment and heating and cooling

Hot water

Hot water accounts for around a third of all electricity consumed in the home. Decreasing your hot water

usage is the best way to decrease your electricity bill.

easy tip

1 Install Energy Efcient ShowerheadsCost to implement = $30, money saved on electricity bill = $100/year

An unrated old school showerhead uses upward of 25-30 litres of water per minute. A new WELS 3 star

rated showerhead commonly uses 9 litres of water per minute. But why stop there; showerheads of 5-6

litres of water per minute will get the job done for most. Give it two or three days and most people nd that

they can’t remember what their old water guzzling showerhead felt like. If you can’t quite stomach a 5L/min

showerhead for your bathroom, install it in the kid’s or second bathroom.

easy tip

2 Shorter showersCost to implement = free, money saved on electricity bill = $100/year

4 minutes is enough for a proper shower, especially if you’re not washing your hair ladies. It can seem like

time just slips away from you though so a great investment is an egg timer or specic shower time for $5

so you, and your family, can stick to getting in and getting out.


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easy tip

3 Wash clothes in cold waterCost to implement = free, money saved on electricity bill = $75/year

Switching to cold water when washing clothes will decrease your electricity costs of your washing machine

by 80-90%. The less energy efcient your machine is, the more electricity you will save by only using cold

water. Only use warm water on particularly dirty and oily clothes.

hard tip

1 Get a solar hot water systemCost to implement = $5000, money saved on electricity bill = $400/year

Reduce your hot water electricity costs by up to 75% by switching to a solar hot water system. Many factors

will determine which system is best for you so ensure you do your research beforehand. You may still be

eligible to receive Small-Scale Technology Certicates (STCs) and possibly state and local governmentrebates for upgrading to a solar system. Check out http://www.hotwaterrebate.com.au.

Refrigeration & Entertainment

easy tip

4 Buy energy efcient appliancesCost to implement = Dependent, money saved on electricity bill = $100/year

A TV with a 5 star label uses nearly twice the energy of a TV with a 9 star label. Over the period of 10 years

the savings can add up to the same cost as purchasing it. This also applies to your refrigerator, washingmachine and dishwasher. When it comes times to replacing your appliances, your wallet will eventually

benet from choosing one with a higher energy efciency rating.

easy tip

5 Turn off (or throw away!) the second fridgeCost to implement = Free, money saved on electricity bill = $265/year

That old beer fridge in your garage could be costing you as much as $265 a year all by itself! Consider asking

Fridge Buy Back to give you money for it instead.

easy tip

6 Turn off standby appliancesCost to implement = Free, money saved on electricity bill = $100/year

Items like your television and microwave consume power even when they’re not being used. Switching them

off at the wall can save you up to $100 a year on electricity bills. Standby power controllers can do this for

you automatically, and they are free if you live in Victoria.1

1 https://www.veet.vic.gov.au/Public/Public.aspx?id=VEETActivities


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hard tip

2 Upgrade (or get right size) pool pumpFor an average home, keep a pool clean can account for up to 30 per cent of an energy bill!

Sometimes this is more than the energy your washing machine, clothes dryer and dishwasher use combined.

Start by choosing the most energy efcient pool pump and check with the specialists to ensure you have the

right size and model.

Heating and cooling

easy tip

7 Close the curtainsCost to implement = free, money saved on electricity bill = $50/year

You can reduce heat loss in winter by 40% and reduce heat gain in summer by 15% simply by closing yourcurtains. Don’t forget to open your curtains on those rare warm and sunny winter days to capture as much

heat as you can.

easy tip

8 Use fans instead of air conditioning on warm nightsCost to implement = $50, money saved on electricity bill = $150/year

Many people can get away with just using several mechanical fans throughout most of summer. Fans don’t

actually decrease the temperature inside the room; the cooling effect comes from air moving over your body.

Create an airow by opening windows and doors

easy tip

9 Turn down the thermostat in winterCost to implement = Free, Money saved on electricity bill = $100/year

Keep your thermostat between 18-21 degrees C in winter. Put on a pair of socks and add an extra blanket

over your bed to keep warm at night. Every degree that you increase your thermostat can result in a 15%

increase in heating costs.

hard tip

3 Insulate your ceilingCost to implement = $1200, money saved on electricity bill = $200/year

While the Federal Government’s implementation of the insulation scheme could have been handled better,

there are signicant benets to insulating your house. Insulating your ceiling can save you 40% off your

heating and cooling costs. Remember to choose insulation with an appropriate “R- value” (higher = better) for

your surroundings. More information on choosing the right insulation can be found at the yourhome website.1

1 http://www.yourhome.gov.au/technical/fs47.html


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These may seem like small changes but when added up together they can make a big difference at the end

of the day. Before we move on, here’s a step-by-step plan to ensure you are getting the best price on your

electricity bills.

Summary to getting the cheapest price under the new pricing system

1. Smart meter is installed;

2. Familiarise yourself with your current provider’s exible energy rates, off peak, peak and shoulder;

3. Identify high energy use appliances in your house that can be shifted to cheaper time periods;

4. Make any changes to your energy consumption habits that you and your family can make to take

advantage of these time periods;

5. Allow one or two months of data about your energy consumption to be collected;

6. Use the data about your new energy consumption habits to compare and choose the best retailerand plan for you.


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part

7

The future of

smart meters

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Home area network (HAN)

Home Area Networks connect devices in the home to the smart meter. The data collected by your smart

meter can be shared with these devices. Eventually, it won’t be only your electricity meter that is ‘smart’.

We will have ‘smart’ washing machines, dishwashers and fridges that send data to your smart meter as

well as other devices, opening a range of opportunities for managing your home appliances and energyconsumption. More information on HANs can be found at the Smartgrid News.1

In home devices (IHDs)

IHD’s are special devices utilised by homeowners to receive the information that the smart meter is collecting

instantaneously (rather than through the distributor or retailers web portal). This information is displayed

on the IHD on a small LED or LCD screen. Users push buttons either on the IHD itself or on the screen to

navigate the data. The data is shared over a secure network by authorizing a password between your IHD

and the smart meter. This ensures no other people can access your smart meter data with their own IHD. The

devices are usually portable and can be purchased from electrical technology retail outlets.

Before purchasing an IHD device, check with your energy distributor about the specications of your smartmeter to ensure you buy an IHD that is compatible. Setting up the IHD is possible for anyone with a bit of

computer knowledge, similar to setting up a wi- internet connection. Talk with your available options if you

feel uncomfortable setting out on your own. Jemena has a clear video showing the process of setting up an

IHD with one of their smart meters.2

Thermostats

It is already possible to control some appliances such as air conditioners and heating systems via IHDs.

Take down the brand and model information before heading out to check with your technology retailer about

options suitable for you.

Controlling appliances from a smart phone

As more and more appliances become tted with ‘smart technology’, the greater the Home Area Network will

become, eventually including all your appliances such as washing machines, refrigerators and even security

systems. Using your laptop and internet connection, this network could provide remote control access over

your appliances, such as the ability to turn them on and off even when outside the home. You may be even

be able to submit your appliances to a program regulating the use of energy across a particular area (state

or region). The program would, for example, turn on your washing machine or dryer at the most efcient time

within the next 24 hours. These sorts of coordinated ‘smart’ efforts help drive costs down and decrease our

impact on the planet.

1 http://www.smartgridnews.com/artman/publish/Technologies_Home_Area_Networks/ 2 http://jemena.com.au/customer/electricity/smart-meters/portal/


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a publication of

Thanks for reading

We hope you got some real value from this Ebook and that you are now in a better position to decrease the

impact smart meters have on your family’s budget, and hopefully even save money after having one installed.

Got feedback? We’d love to hear it. Please email [email protected]

movinghouse?

Be sure to check out our superhandy moving house checklist!

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ebook!

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