Powercor to start ‘smart’ meter rollout next month

JOHN VAN KLAVEREN
A CONTENTIOUS program to install “smart” electricity meters will reach Geelong next month, according to Powercor.
Corporate affairs manager Hugo Armstrong said the company would install 50,000 of the meters in the city by Christmas.
The rollout would begin at Grovedale and Highton, with the remainder of the 110,000 meters installed in the region next year.
Powercor’s service area covers Geelong, the Bellarine Peninsula, Surf Coast and part of Golden Plains shire.
A spokesperson for Energy Minister Michael O’Brien said the smart meters were still under review.
“The review, including a cost-benefit analysis, is continuing and a decision will be made by the end of the year,” he said.
“Consumers will receive two letters advising of the rollout in their area and have the option of contacting their electricity company and requesting that a smart meter not be installed at their property.”
Figures from Victoria’s Energy and Water Ombudsman revealed complaints about smart meters almost doubled during the first six months of the year.
“We’ve received customer complaints, from problems with the exchange of meters, high bills and installation issues,’’ Energy and Water Ombudsman Fiona McLeod said.
A Department of Treasury and Finance report on the review said submissions expressed concerns about the meters’ cost and accuracy, the imposition of time-of-use tariffs and health issues such as radiation.
The meters would end estimated billing and offered faster fault detection and response, he said.