Debbie installed a solar system at her property in August 2018 and requested a new meter from her retailer. The initial installation scheduled for October 2018 did not occur. Debbie made other attempts which also failed, and was advised that because she lived in a regional area, it was difficult for the installers to reach. As the solar system was connected to a non-compliant meter, it was running backwards and resulting in high estimated bills.
Outcome: Our investigation found that the delay was non-compliant with new mandatory installation timeframes. The meter was finally installed in March 2019 and the retailer provided a credit of $102.56 to amend the estimated billing to match historical bills for the same period.
From 1 February 2019, regulations required that digital meters have to be installed within 15 business days. We consider it best practice for retailers to apply a credit equivalent to any missed solar generation for the period it contributed to.
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