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More premium feedin tariff fun in Victoria

(4 posts) (3 voices)

Started 10 years ago by dehvidc1
Latest reply from Sojin_Muneshi

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dehvidc1
Member

Hi,

We have a 1.5kW rooftop installation in Vic. We've been getting bills from Origin since installation last year with a solar credit section and time of day charging ie peak during 7am-11pm Mon-Fri and off-peak 11pm-7am Mon Fri and weekends.

We recently applied to get the Premium Feedin Tariff. We've received a letter from Origin saying that CitiPower says we have separate metering. Hence we are not able to be net-metered.

We only have one meter installed in 2007 which replaced the previous two separate meters. The meter we now have is bi-directional. It has a digital display which shows power exported and power imported. It does, however, have a display setting that reports what is labelled the hot-water consumption.

Origin say that they can arrange a visit from CitiPower to check if we have a time-of-day meter or not. But this may cost us up to $250!

So my question is if the letter stating we don't have time-of-day metering is a mistake at the CitiPower database or if the HWS consumption is still separately metered - despite being connected to the one physical meter - and that is what is being reported on our bills as off-peak usage is just what is being consumed on the HWS circuit and everything else is going to peak no matter what time of day.

We're about to get SHW which will remove the current electric hot water system but given the imminent reported end of Premium FIT's we'd like to get this all sorted soonest

Cheers

David

Posted Thursday 1 Sep 2011 @ 1:11:46 am from IP #
Damien
Member

Hi dehvidc1,

Thanks for your post. Have never heard of 'separate' metering before. If you've been getting credited for exports into the grid from your system, that means that you have a meter that can support the payment of a feed-in tariff.

Depsite it being a digital meter that can record energy flows in two directions, it sounds as though it is not an accredited meter under the Victorian smart meter rollout. Either way, this meter sounds like it can support feed-in tariff credits, and plenty of ATA members have been getting the premium feed-in tariff with a bi-directional meter that is not part of the mandated rollout.

I would firstly question your retailer over this, and secondly find out from your distributor when you are likely to get a smart meter installed under their rollout program.

Let's know how you get on.

Cheers,

Damien Moyse
ATA

Posted Thursday 1 Sep 2011 @ 2:43:27 am from IP #
dehvidc1
Member

Hi Damien,

Thanks for the reply

Separate metering using the old analogue (spinning-disk) meters makes sense but it's hard to see what it means with a digital meter.

After a number of phone calls this morning it appears that:

a/ We have a bi-directional or cogeneration meter. This is capable of reporting what we export after internal use and what we import.

b/ This meter was approved last year by CitiPower and Origin for grid connection of our PV's.

c/ The electricians I've spoken to suggest that as we have one meter this means that we have single element metering. I've booked an electrician to visit to verify this and prepare a letter accordingly. $90 that will cost me!

d/ CitiPower acknowledge that we have a co-gen meter but insist that our HWS is wired separately and that for the Premium FIT we need a smart meter to deliver proper time of use information.

e/ One electrician I spoke to says this is a crock and that he suspects CitiPower are using this as an excuse to push us to install a smart-meter. (12 months after approving connection with our current meter.)

It's interesting that you say other customers are getting Premium FIT with these co-gen meters. I will be going into bat on this basis once I have the electrician's report

Cheers

David

Posted Friday 2 Sep 2011 @ 4:00:18 am from IP #
Sojin_Muneshi
Member

"It has a digital display which shows power exported and power imported. It does, however, have a display setting that reports what is labelled the hot-water consumption."

"and that is what is being reported on our bills as off-peak usage is just what is being consumed on the HWS circuit and everything else is going to peak no matter what time of day."

Despite Damien's view, and your "electricians" assurances, you can save yourself $90 as you have already identified above that you have a two element meter ie two meters in one box, one element is measuring general power and light and the other is measuring dedicated hot water and your bill is apparantly also confirming it, ie only a two element meter can seperately display hotwater consumption, this meter may be bi-directional and may be suitable for SFIT, but is not suitable for the Net Instaneous PFIT.

Better to spend your $90 towards the upgrade to a single element PFIT eligible bi-directional meter ASAP (ie paperwork in via your retailer prior to 30th September) than to spend $90 on a report from an electrician who should have "already" been able to identify it as 2 element simply from your description above. (ie your electrician is talking crock,and giving him $90 to write a letter wont change the facts).

regards

Sojin Muneshi

Posted Friday 2 Sep 2011 @ 2:19:33 pm from IP #

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