AU Customers
Please note
From December 2025, 4.5 million existing electricity meters in New South Wales, Queensland, the Australian Capital Territory, and South Australia will be replaced by new smart meters. Victoria and Tasmania are already well advanced or have completed their switch. Western Australia and the Northern Territory are not included.
Overview
Just as technology evolved and saw us move from analogue TVs to digital TVs, and from landlines to smartphones, we’re now phasing out old electricity meters and introducing smart meters as part of a national rollout.
This initiative is scheduled for completion by 30 November 2030 and is being supported by all electricity companies.
Smart meters record your electricity use throughout the day and send readings to your electricity company, eliminating the need for more manual meter reads. The benefits of switching to a smart meter include:
- Helping users better understand their electricity use through the apps and online portals offered by many electricity companies (these can show when you use the most electricity, which can help find ways to save on bills).
- More choice in electricity plans, such as time-of-use plans, which can offer cheaper rates for people for using electricity at off-peak times.
- A more efficient, effective energy system with fewer costly new poles and wires, bringing down costs to all consumers in the future.
- Supporting the installation of technology such as solar panels and batteries.
- Having any underlying issues with your service identified and fixed by a qualified technician.
What’s involved
- Before installation: Your electricity company will reach out to you directly, informing you of the planned, informing you of the planned installation date, to be completed by a qualified technician.
- On the day: If your meter box is easy and safe for the installer to access, you don’t need to be home during the installation. If you are home, you can ask to check the installer’s photo ID. Electricity will be turned off for approximately 30 minutes during installation. You can refer to the outage notification from your local network service provider for more information.
- After installation: Your smart meter is now up and running! If you have any further questions, you can contact your electricity retailer.
Who’s involved
Electricity Companies: Your electricity company, also referred to as an energy retailer, is the business you buy electricity from. You can find the name and contact details of your electricity company on your electricity bill.
Metering Coordinators: A metering coordinator is responsible for the installation and ongoing maintenance of your electricity meter. They complete this work on behalf of your electricity company/energy retailer. This is where Intellihub fits in.
Intellihub: As a metering coordinator, your electricity company/energy retailer may organise for Intellihub to complete the installation of your new smart meter. We manage more than 3 million meters across Australia and New Zealand and are installing approximately 40,000 meters per month.
Local Network Service Provider: The company responsible for owning and operating the electricity grid within your area.
Ahead of your smart meter installation, please see the below frequently asked questions.
General queries
A smart meter is a digital device that automatically records electricity consumption and generation data in near real-time, transmitting this data to your energy retailer daily via a secure two-way communication system, eliminating the need for manual readings and providing accurate billing. Unlike older, analogue meters, smart meters offer benefits like remote service capabilities, detailed usage information for better energy management, and support for new energy technologies, ultimately helping to create a more efficient and flexible energy system.
As part of the LMRP, the aim is for all homes and small businesses, including apartments and other shared buildings, to have a smart meter by 2030. This rollout covers New South Wales, Queensland, the Australian Capital Territory, and South Australia only.
Customers are not able to opt-out of a new meter under the rules for the national rollout. If you prefer, you can ask your electricity company to install a smart meter with its remote communications turned off.
For more information about consumer rights relating to the smart meter rollout, please visit see the following guidance from the Australian Energy Regulator.
If you ask for remote communications to be turned off, your meter will need to be read manually by a meter reader. This may mean your bills are sometimes based on estimates instead of actual usage and have to be corrected later. This might happen when the meter reader cannot access your meter to read it. Your electricity company may also include a fee for manual meter reads.
Turning off the remote communications functionality might also limit the types of electricity plans you can choose. Your electricity company can give you more information.
You can request this change either before installation or afterwards. If you decide after installation, your electricity company can send a technician to turn off the communications function, which may also involve a fee.
You can contact your electricity company for more information about how installations are being scheduled in your area.
If you would like a smart meter before the national rollout reaches your area, you can ask your electricity company about upgrading early. It is important to know that if you request an early installation, your electricity company may charge an upfront fee. Upfront fees may also apply if your property is newly built and being connected to electricity for the first time.
Rental properties are also getting smart meters as part of the national rollout. If the electricity account is in your name, your electricity company will contact you to arrange the installation – not the homeowner.
In apartments and townhouses, all the meters are usually grouped together in one place, like a shared meter room or switchboard. If you share an electricity connection with your neighbours, where possible, smart meter exchanges for that property will be scheduled together to minimise the outage times for all.
No. If you live in an embedded network (such as a caravan park or retirement village), replacement meters do not have to be smart meters. If you would like to upgrade to a smart meter, you can ask your electricity provider about your options, including whether any costs apply.
The cost of the upgrade is included in your regular electricity bills if you own or rent your property, as with all servicing and maintenance of electricity infrastructures. Your electricity company will be able to provide further information about smart meter costs.
Smart meter technology is safe. The smart meters being installed as part of the national rollout use mobile phone networks to send meter readings. The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) mandates that they meet strict health and safety standards, which are set by the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA). For more information, including fact sheets about common communications technologies and radiofrequency radiation, visit the ARPANSA website here and the ACMA website here.
No, you don't own the current meter. Your electricity company contracts a metering coordinator business, like Intellihub, who manages your meter and is responsible for looking after it and making sure it works properly. This will also be true for your new meter.
Installation queries
For most people, the installation will be a simple swap.
- Ensure the area around your meter box is clear and easy to get to.
- If there are locked gates or fences, make sure the installer can safely access them.
- If you have any pets, please ensure they are secured during the visit to ensure the safety of the installer.
- Provided your meter box is safe and easy to access for the installer and the above steps are taken, there’s nothing you need to do.
In most Australian homes, your meter is in a meter box on an outside wall, often near the front or side of the house. In apartment blocks, meters are often grouped together in a locked meter room, cage or cupboard.
If your meter box is easy and safe to access, you don’t need to be home on the day — just like when your meter is read manually. If it is inside your property, or there are other access issues, you may need to be home to help the installer access the meter. If you are home, you can ask the installer for photo ID. They will never request any personal details or payments. If you’re unsure, contact your electricity company to check and make arrangements.
In most instances, your electricity will be off for approximately 30 minutes. Outage times may vary – please refer to the outage notification from your local network service provider for more information.
Intellihub will follow standard procedures agreed with the individual electricity companies/energy retailers. In most cases, electricity to your property will be turned off approximately 30 minutes while the smart meter is installed. If you or someone in your home uses life support equipment, make sure you are registered as a life support customer with your electricity company. They must provide you with a specific appointment time for your installation and information to help you plan for the short power outage.
If you or someone in your home is using life support equipment, your electricity company cannot interrupt your power supply without you agreeing to that date and timing. For a simple checklist developed with health and consumer organisations to help you plan for when your electricity supply is interrupted, click here.