You may have seen in "The Age" on Saturday a full page advertisement about Smart Meters (see below). While we're not fans of the power companies, we do applaud their efforts to improve communcation regarding smart meters.
Our general opinion on smart meters is that they are not a bad thing. Exisiting analogue meters are old technology, and there is too much scope for error in terms of meter readers and the decades-old mechanicals inside the old meters. Smart meters will eliminate these errors, and will for the first time, make it easier for Victorians to understand how much electricity they are actually using on a real-time basis. Indeed, one of the by-products of installing smart meters is that many people are starting to take an active interest in their electricity usage. And many are also starting to think about reducing their energy usage and are turning to solutions such as solar power and LED lighting.
Have a read of the advert below and see what you think (sorry for the image quality). The other piece of advice we're happy to give is shop around for the best deal on electricity. We're lucky in Victoria in that we have a competitive electricity market, so make the most of it and search for the best deal. In many instances you can offset the cost of a smart meter by finding a better deal on electricity from another retailer. Installing solar power is a good time to start looking into this, as tariffs can vary considerably.
