AER approves smart meter trial to help reduce network costs for NSW consumers
The Australian Energy Regulator (AER) has approved a ‘sandboxing’ trial of 5,600 smart meters in parts of Greater Western Sydney, the Blue Mountains, the Southern Highlands and the Illawarra region of NSW.
The trial was approved by the regulator under new powers. These allow a time-limited waiver from certain requirements through the Energy Innovation Toolkit. Endeavour Energy has been granted the waiver to implement the trial.
AER Chair Clare Savage said such energy innovation will play a vital role in delivering benefits to consumers in the future.
Smart meters provide customers with online, real-time information on their electricity use. Consumers can also access deals that offer incentives to shift their consumption to times of lower demand.
Smart meters also benefit the energy market by allowing better monitoring of customer energy use, which is crucial to the smooth running of a modern grid.
Endeavour Energy’s trial will conclude in 2025. It will show the benefits of smart meters for consumers to manage their energy use. The trial will also help to better understand the roll out of smart meters and inform future trials.
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