The Victorian Government has announced that two million smart meters have now been installed across the state, with 80 per cent of households in the state now having one installed.

In a speech delivered to the Energy Users Association of Australia, State Energy Minister Nicholas Kotsiras said that the rollout of the devices across the state were delvering a range of benefits to Victorian households, including:

  • faster and cheaper reconnections;
  • a reduction in meter reading charges when moving house from about $20 previously to about $5 with a smart meter;
  • an end to inaccurate estimated bills and manual meter readings; and
  • identification and response to power outages more accurately that allow repairs to get underway sooner.

Mr Kotsiras said one of the key benefits of smart meters was the extra information they give consumers about their power use.

“Through tools like web portals and in-home displays, many Victorians are now be able to access the half hourly readings of their smart meter, giving them a detailed and up to date picture of their power use,” Mr Kotsiras said.

“Many of the households that are already using these tools are finding they can make significant savings on their bills by using the detailed information from their smart meters to understand which of their appliances are sucking up the most power.”