from gov website

SMART ELECTRICITY METER ROLL-OUT SET TO START FOR ONE MILLION ELECTRICITY CUSTOMERS Friday,
03 April 2009

The program to roll-out new smart electricity meters for 2.5 million Victorian households and small businesses was officially launched today by Energy and Resources Minister Peter Batchelor.


“The Brumby Government is taking action to help Victorians decrease their energy use,” Mr Batchelor said.

“Electricity distributors Jemena and United Energy Distribution (UED) are among the first to start the roll-out of the new smart meter infrastructure to their more than one million customers.

“United Energy Distribution services the southeast suburbs of Melbourne and Mornington Peninsula and Jemena services the northern and inner western suburbs of Melbourne.”

“Jemena and UED have finalised agreements with a range of suppliers to source and install the new meters with the first expected to be installed in households later this year.

“The two distributors will begin notifying the first households and small businesses of arrangements to replace old meters during the next few months.

“The launch of the roll out marks an important milestone for Victoria’s advanced meter project, which will provide a valuable tool to help Victorians to manage their electricity use and facilitate better customer service from both electricity distributors and retailers.”

Mr Batchelor said the new meters provide several key features including:
• The ability to read meters remotely;
• The ability to automatically notify distributors if loss of supply is detected, helping to speed up supply restoration;
• The ability to remotely connect and disconnect electricity supply; and
• The ability for customers to receive accurate readings on their electricity use at 30 minute intervals, making it easier for customers to monitor energy consumption and cost.

“A key benefit for Victorian households of the enhanced meters will be the reduced need for estimated bills and the potential for retailers to offer time-of-use pricing,” Mr Batchelor said.

“For example, this could mean cheaper electricity could be offered at set times during the day, so a household could save money by ensuring more of their heavy electricity use is during these times.

“All five electricity distributors in Victoria will be required to roll-out the new meters to all households and small businesses across Victoria over the next four years.”

Mr Batchelor said the roll-out of smart meters represented the single most significant enhancement to electricity distribution infrastructure in the state’s history and highlighted the Brumby Government’s commitment to helping households manage their energy use.