Smart meter proposal not so clever declares MEA

Master Electricians Australia (MEA) has rejected the call for the compulsory rollout of smart meters in Australian homes, saying it was just more wasteful spending that would drive the cost of domestic electricity even higher.

CEO Malcolm Richards said Master Electricians did not believe consumers would achieve the savings claimed by those arguing in favour of smart meters.

He called on governments to adopt a ‘carrot’ approach of restoring off-peak electricity tariffs, which had fallen out of favour in recent years, rather than the ‘stick’ of compulsory new equipment which would only add to any so-called gold plating that had taken place in the national electricity network.

“We’ve seen a lot of claims about savings for consumers that, quite frankly, don’t add up,” Richards said.

“While smart meters can provide savings to some consumers who are in the position to alter their electricity usage patterns, many consumers do not have this luxury.

“In fact, mandatory smart meters would likely have a detrimental impact on many households, particularly families with young children and the elderly. To these more vulnerable consumers who have no choice but to use electricity during peak times, smart meters and time-of-use tariffs will more than likely lead to higher energy bills.

“And contrary to popular belief, we believe it would cost more money for electricity companies to read smart meters, even though they can be done remotely, because of the cost of the technology involved.

“We do acknowledge that smart meters can be beneficial to some households and should be made available to those consumers who make the decision to change to advanced metering. However, it is the more vulnerable members of society that will lose out with a mandatory smart meter rollout.”

Richards said the federal government was arguing that overspending and interference by state governments in the past had contributed to the spiralling cost of domestic power.

Yet, through the COAG process, the federal government was about to compound that with even greater interference and wasteful spending if mandatory smart meters were required at this time.

It is not the government’s place to make this decision on behalf of each consumer, particularly when each household’s living situation, energy usage and capacity for change can vary so significantly.

“Forcing smart meters onto every household, regardless of their situation, would be the most extraordinary ‘gold plating’ imaginable. We believe smart metering should be a choice, not a mandatory imposition.”