Due to the number of amendments being made to the 2004 Code, it was replaced with the Electricity Industry (Customer Transfer) Code 2016, gazetted on 20 September 2016.
Code objectives
The objectives of the Customer Transfer Code are to:
- set out rules for the provision of information relating to contestable customers and the process for transferring contestable customers from one retailer to another retailer in order to promote retail competition;
- protect the interests of contestable customers by ensuring that a contestable customer’s verifiable consent is obtained before:
- a retailer may request the contestable customer’s historical consumption data; or
- a transfer of that contestable customer may proceed; and
- specify the responsibilities and obligations of retailers and network operators in processing and implementing the transfer of a contestable customer.
Contestability
A contestable customer is a customer who is able to choose their retailer.
Within the South West Interconnected System, which includes Western Power’s network that supplies Perth, customers who consume less than 50 MWh of electricity per annum are not contestable. These customers can only be supplied by Synergy. Because of the consumption threshold for contestability, a residential customer is unlikely to be a contestable customer.
On the South West Interconnected System, customers who consume more than 50 MWh of electricity per annum are contestable and can choose their retailer.
Outside the South West Interconnected System, such as in the remote and regional areas supplied by Horizon Power, all consumers can choose their retailer.
The Transfer Code regulates the transfer of contestable customers between retailers.
Review Objectives
The objectives of the review were to address:
- the inconsistencies of the Transfer Code with the Electricity Industry (Metering) Code 2012;
- industry proposed amendments; and
- the suitability of the Transfer Code to meet its objectives.
Final Recommendations Report
The Final Recommendations Report outlines Code amendments endorsed by the then Minister for Energy (this report was not open to public comment).
Consultation
The Issues Paper and Draft Recommendations Report relating to the review and stakeholder submissions on these papers are available below.
