Victorian Rollout
The rollout of smart meters represents the biggest investment in energy infrastructure in Victoria since the establishment of the poles and wires networks.
Electricity distribution businesses like CitiPower and Powercor own and manage the poles, wires and equipment that deliver electricity to your premises. We are responsible for installing your new smart meter. Your electricity retailer is the company that is responsible for billing you for your energy consumption. They send you your electricity bill and are responsible for offering tariffs.
Who will get a smart meter?
All homes and small businesses will have their manually read electricity meters replaced with smart meters. (Most large electricity consumers already have smart meters). Victoria is at the forefront of smart meter technology in Australia. It is the first state or territory to roll out this world-leading technology as part of the Federal Government’s National Smart Meter Program.
Who installs the smart meters?
A meter installation technician exchanges your meter on behalf of CitiPower and Powercor Australia. They carry photo identification and a contact number to verify that they are authorised by CitiPower and Powercor Australia to perform your meter installation. Meter installation technicians also carry materials that explain the meter installation process in different langauges.
When will the smart meters be installed?
CitiPower and Powercor Australia will exchange more than 1.1 million manually read meters for smart meters during the four year project, which began in October 2009. The meters are being rolled out on a suburb by suburb and region by region basis, which are outlined in downloadable maps at the bottom of this page. Customers are not able to request a smart meter installation.
How will I know when my meter will be exchanged for a smart meter?
Four weeks prior to the smart meter installation on your premises, you will receive a letter from CitiPower Powercor explaining the process. That letter will be accompanied by a Victorian Government notification. We will then send a further letter informing you of a 10 day period during which the meter exchange will occur. Areas scheduled for meter installations will also be advertised in local newspapers, and are available at the bottom of this page.
Will I have to pay for the new smart meter?
Costs associated with smart meter infrastructure will be recovered via the supply charge on your electricity bill, in the same way that current meter and infrastructure (electricity poles and wires) costs are recovered.
Will I still get estimated bills once my smart meter is installed?
In the early stages of the smart meter rollout, your smart meter may still need to be manually read and hence you may still receive estimated bills. This is because there may be a lag from the time your smart meter is installed to when the supporting telecommunications network and computer systems are fully operational.