- Electricity Industry Amendment (Alternative
Electricity Services) Bill 2023 introduced
- Embedded network electricity supply is largely unregulated
for consumers
- Bill paves the way for stronger rights for
apartment and retirement village residents
The Electricity Industry
Amendment (Alternative Electricity Services) Bill 2023 has been introduced to
Parliament and is a step towards ensuring thousands of households and
businesses on embedded networks pay a fair price and receive transparent
information.
Electricity supply for
embedded network customers, including apartment buildings, shopping centres,
retirement villages and long-stay residential parks, is largely unregulated and
customers are missing out on standard customer protections.
The Bill's Alternative
Electricity Services registration framework, to be administered by the Economic
Regulation Authority, will allow fit-for-purpose and tailored customer
protections.
Some initial services to
be considered for regulation include the supply of electricity through embedded
networks and solar power purchase arrangements.
Customers will be able to
access many existing protections for traditional electricity customers,
including access to the Energy and Water Ombudsman.
Energy Policy WA's recent
survey found 41 per cent, or 200 households on embedded networks, had a
negative experience.
Some embedded network
tenants have no access to the actual meter and end up paying whatever they are
charged with no way of checking.
For more information,
visit: https://www.wa.gov.au/organisation/energy-policy-wa/alternative-electricity-services
Comments attributed to Energy Minister Bill Johnston:
"Embedded networks are an
important technology, especially ones that are connected to microgrids, which
support Western Australia's energy transition to net zero by 2050.
"Most people living in
apartments or retirement villages are receiving irregular bills or no
information on how much electricity they're consuming.
"The Alternative
Electricity Services Bill is the first step in providing more robust
protections for customers purchasing electricity from non-licenced providers."
