Small-scale energy networks consumer protection framework review - draft decision

18 Aug 2022

The Draft Decision has been informed by an initial round of stakeholder feedback. The main proposals in the Draft Decision are:

Improving clarity and consistency between small-scale gas and electricity consumer protections by moving detailed obligations from individual electricity licences to an industry code (the Small-scale Electricity Networks Code) and expanding the coverage of the current Reticulated LPG Industry Code to small-scale natural gas networks licensed by the Commission (the Small-scale Gas Networks Code).
Removing minor differences between the retail consumer protections for small-scale electricity and gas where there was no clear reason for the difference.
Aligning hardship and disconnection protections with those in the National Energy Customer Framework where appropriate and necessary to improve outcomes for customers, while noting that the small-scale networks licensed by the Commission have small customer bases from which they can recover their costs, and limited resources compared to larger entities regulated by the NECF.
Updating the Prepayment Meter System Code to reflect the significant technological improvements in metering systems since the code was introduced in 2005, in particular the ability for customers to switch between prepaid and post-paid arrangements without changes to the physical meter.

The Commission welcomes feedback on the issues raised in this Draft Decision by Friday, 30 September 2022.

You can register your interest to attend a consultation workshop by emailing [email protected].

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