Smart Meter Controlled Load and Off Peak

[TomC101]

I have a Smart Meter in NSW currently using Time Of day billing, so I can see amounts for Peak, Shoulder and Off-Peak. I have been told that I could be using a plan that includes Controlled Load, and that that would cover all of the current OffPeak line-item, without having any separate wiring. We do NOT have electric hot water or any other specially connected appliances, so our offpeak is for normally connected appliances. Is this correct, or is Controlled Load ONLY for appliances that are specially connected, whether through the existing or a separate meter? 

[jayden_AGL · Accepted solution]

Hi TomC101,

As you mentioned, controlled loads are typically wired for for electric hot water, and less frequently pool pumps, air conditioners etc. If you don't have one of these suitable appliances then you will not be able to be charged using a controlled load structure I'm sorry to say.

Kind regards,

Jayden

[TomC101]

No apology required. That is what I thought, but I had a call from one of the online price comparison sites that was trying to convince me otherwise!

Dont worry, everything they have suggested has been *more* expensive than my current deal.

[PL7]

Can you tell me if the shoulder load goes through the main meter or the controlled load meter please?

[NeilC]

@PL7 

Smart meters can contain more than one actual meters which are programmed in as necessary.

Shoulder Load, Peak Load and Off Peak all go through the same meter, Solar goes through a separate meter,

Controlled Load 1 and Controlled Load 2 uses two separate meters. However Controlled loads are switched meters and only operate at the times programmed into them.

If you look at your USAGE file from AGL you will see the meters in it.

Here is a snip from my Usage File.

B1 is my Solar, E1 is my General Usage and E2 is my controlled load 1.

These are the only meters configured in my smart meter.

Peak, Off Peak and Shoulder are calculated using  StartDate and EndDate times hence the reason they are only available to users with Smart Meters.

[Wazza.49]

I had an off-peak hot water system for many years.  When a smart meter was installed, following the installation of a Solar PV system, I was then billed using T31 (ControlledLoad) for hot water.  I now have a Solar HW system that is not connected to the T31/Off-Peak switch. I had been using the T31 rate for my EV charging, but since using the EV night saver plan, the T31 rate is still applied even though the General rate is allowing the EV rate for midnight - 6am!!  

Is this a problem with the meter/software or is T31 not the same as "Off-Peak" and I need to have the sparky relocate the wiring for the EV-charger?

Kind regards

Warwick

[NeilC]

@Wazza.49 

Warwick,

I will be interested on the answer you receive on this (if AGL answer).

Another user is having issues with his bill and AGL cannot even supply him with his meter data. They have re-calculated his bill three times so far and this still does not match the meter data originally supplied (before it disappeared).

He has access to his meter data through SA Power Networks and the bill data does not match any where close to what AGL are charging him.

If you have your meter data available for download I would really be interested in seeing your data.

Good luck on getting an answer, the other user has been waiting three weeks now and still does not have ANY meter data and does not look like getting any in the near future.

[Wazza.49]

Wowsers!!

I finally had great help from (Sharon) at ‘resolution’, and we are both perplexed as to what has been happening. 
Am I correct in assuming that the person you are talking about is also having problems with the new EV rate?

When I’m back at my desktop I’ll go into more detail regarding where to find the data. I downloaded the last 2 yrs in one csv file. Very helpful. Then pulled it apart using a spreadsheet. 

 Warwick 

[Lester]

Warwick, I've recently gone solar and also went onto the Night Saver EV tariff.

When the lad is charging his Tesla (or anything else coming in between 0000 - 0600), it appears to be on the right 8c rate, but goes onto the E1 data, rather than CL metering, but maybe that's how AGL do it, just using the TOU for the various blocks of tariffs in the appropriate places to charge out.

My data is still not complete, and hope it's sorted soon . . . kudos to David here at AGL for pushing the tech dept to get that data restored hopefully in the coming days / week or so.

Neil C is the expert of these spreadsheet matters, having taken the time to create bill estimate extensions he can put the AGL data onto to get a bill amount / estimate to within cents (usually, not quite with mine though).

He added the EV tariff for my data so it would be good for him to be able to see what your data is like too.

I would contact him by PM and share your CSV with him for his input, be interesting to see how yours is coming up.

Hope you get it sorted, as others may be having the same 

[Wazza.49]

The upshot is:

T31 CANNOT BE USED for EV charging.  

NO idea why, but I received an updated plan yesterday via email:

Click on "View Plan Details" on the "Overview" page and you will see that they have inserted this "It will not apply to Controlled Load usage" [https://myaccount.agl.com.au/plansandrates/9040277653], despite other pages indicating otherwise.  I guess they are now doing catchup to fix them otherwise it is misleading advertising which is agains the law.

I have to admit that my original contacts with AGL were far from satisfactory, though that probably was due to the unfamiliarity with the product. Later persons could see a problem with the inability to connect T31 to the EV rate and pushed it up the ladder. My "Sharon", in Melbourne, kept trying over a few days and was very helpful, but is just as perplexed as me about this inability to use T31 for EV charging.

Short version: connect to whatever your normal rate supply is in the power box.  I'll be getting a sparky in to change my charger from the T31/Off-Peak switch (note: I still have the old Off-Peak switch in the system, but off peak is not part of T31 – but is incorporated in the Time of Use rate [TOU] and is capable of utilising the "Night Saver EV" rate) to the General Rate. 

On the upside, at lease the Night Rate - EV is a good deal for EV owners.

It is annoying that we are unable to utilise a separate charging account to track Energy usage by our EV's🤷‍♂️ Who knows, they may work out something in the future.🐷🐷🪽🪽

Cheers

Warwick