I'm not sure if some of the eastern states residential are only offered plans with demand charges, I have read that on some of the energy groups online, and I know AGL has stated on numerous threads they no longer apply demand tariff to new residential consumers.
Why can't they just take if off those residential that are still on it ?
If you can change, do so, but there might be higher tariffs for non demand plans, maybe higher daily supply charge too, but you need to do you sums based on YOUR usage patterns, adapt if possible to suit the best plan for YOUR home usage.
@Pooks your post "That means if I only use lights every day then use the oven etc on one day only, every day I pay to use the oven that I'm actually only using once? Please clarify because I am most dissatisfied if that's correct."
Remember, demand ONLY applies for the demand periods (certain times of day), and those are usually in peak times like mid - late afternoon and into evenings.
If you use high power items outside that time, it doesn’t apply . . . eg your oven analogy, if you cook the meal to be finished before the start of a demand period, then all good.
I am pretty sure that there are seasonal demand changes too, and some only apply to part of the year that peak power demand is an issue.
A quick google > what seasons are residential electricity demand charges applied < came up these generally now being applied only for winter and summer.
Summer and Winter Focus
- Summer Peak: Usually runs from November to March (or December to March depending on the distributor), driven by high air conditioning usage.
- Winter Peak: Usually runs from June to August, driven by heating needs.
- Off-Season Months: Many networks (such as Ausgrid) have eliminated low-season demand charges for spring and autumn (April, May, September, October) because overall network stress is lower.
Summer Time Windows: Usually mid-to-late afternoon and evening (e.g., 2:00 PM to 8:00 PM, 3:00 PM to 9:00 PM, or 4:00 PM to 9:00 PM) on weekdays or all days depending on the tariff.
Winter Time Windows: Often shifted later in the evening (e.g., 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM) or priced at a lower rate tier compared to summer.
