Meters and bills
Smart meters in Melbourne: how to read yours when you have solar
Most Melbourne homes have a smart meter: Victoria decided in 2006 to fit one to every home. It logs your electricity use every 30 minutes and sends it to your distributor, one of the five networks that serve Melbourne, so a meter reader no longer has to call. To read yours, watch its display step through its registers: total usage is the power you take from the grid and, with solar, solar exported is the power you send back, both in kWh.
When solar is connected, your distributor reconfigures the meter to count exports, usually remotely, and your bill then shows a feed-in credit beside your usage. A 6.6kW system in Melbourne makes about 25.5 kWh a day over the year (PVGIS); the solar exported register counts the part your home doesn’t use. More in our solar guides.
Updated
How can I tell if I have a smart meter?
Open your meter box and look at the meter; you only need to read it. The Energy and Water Ombudsman Victoria (EWOV) says most households and small businesses in Victoria now have a smart meter, after the Victorian Government decided in 2006 to roll them out to every home (Australian Energy Regulator).
- A smart meter has a digital display, a scroll button and no meter reader visits, because it sends its readings to your distributor.
- An old analogue meter has a spinning disk and a row of figures that keeps adding up your usage. With peak and off-peak power on one, you’ll usually have two meters and a time switch. EWOV says these have been phased out. If you still have one, ask your retailer about a smart meter before you get solar: you need one to get a solar feed-in tariff.
- On the AusNet network, smart meter numbers start with a 4, and AusNet says the number is on the front of the meter.
What does a smart meter look like?
The rating plate also shows your supply: “1 phase” for single phase or “3 phase” for three phase. That decides the size of solar inverter your network will connect.
How does a smart meter work?
It keeps running totals of the electricity that passes through it and logs your use in short intervals: every 30 minutes, EWOV says, while AusNet says its meters record every 5 or 30 minutes depending on their age. Every so often the meter sends its readings to your distributor, the company that owns the poles, wires and the meter itself. The distributor passes the data to your retailer, which bills you. Victoria has five distributors: AusNet Services, CitiPower, Jemena, Powercor and United Energy.
How to read your smart meter
A smart meter keeps separate running totals called registers, and its display shows them one at a time. The numbers only ever go up, so to work out your use over a period, subtract an earlier reading from a later one.
Look, don’t touch: read the display and press only the scroll button. The meter belongs to your distributor, and clause 7.3.1 of the Essential Services Commission’s Electricity Distribution Code of Practice says customers must not interfere with the distributor’s equipment, so never open covers or break seals.
- Find the display. Open the meter box door. The display panel shows one register at a time; the usage and export registers are in kWh.
- Let it scroll, or press the button. The meter steps through its registers on its own; the scroll button gets you to the one you want sooner.
- Note each register. Write down total usage, off-peak usage if you have it and, with solar, solar exported. A photo of each screen works too.
- Check it against your bill. EWOV suggests reading total usage on the day your meter is scheduled to be read (the dates are on your bill), then subtracting the reading from the previous scheduled read. The result should roughly match the usage on your bill.
| Register | What it counts | On your bill |
|---|---|---|
| Time and date | The meter’s clock | Not billed |
| Total usageImport | A running total of the kWh your home has taken from the grid | Usage from the grid |
| Total off-peak usage (if applicable)Import | The kWh taken from the grid in off-peak hours, on a tariff that has them | Off-peak usage |
| Solar power exported to the grid (if applicable)Export | A running total of the kWh your solar has sent to the grid | Solar exported, paid at your feed-in tariff |
Import is what your home takes from the grid; export is the solar it sends out. The solar your home uses as it is made never passes through the meter, so no register counts it. Your inverter’s monitoring shows how much the panels make.
kW vs kWh: the units on your bill, meter and quote
Two units turn up on every bill, meter and solar quote. A kW (kilowatt) is power: how fast electricity flows at one moment. A kWh (kilowatt hour) is energy: power over time, so running 1 kW for one hour uses 1 kWh. Your meter and bill count kWh; solar systems, inverters, network limits and demand charges are sized in kW.
| Unit | What it measures | Where you see it | On a 6.6kW system |
|---|---|---|---|
| kW (kilowatt) | Power at one moment; demand is how intensely you use electricity at a point in time, measured in kilowatts (kW) | System and inverter sizes, network limits (up to 10 kW of inverter on a single phase home), demand charges | 6.6 kW of panels on a 5 kW inverter, which never sends out more than 5 kW at once |
| kWh (kilowatt hour) | Energy: power over time | Meter registers, bill usage and feed-in credits, battery capacity | About 9,319 kWh a year: 34.9 kWh a day in January, 14.4 kWh in June |
| kVA (kilovolt-ampere) | An equipment rating some networks use in place of kW | Network rules: Jemena’s export limit is 5 kVA per phase (15 kVA across three phases) | Inverter limits may be stated in either unit |
Batteries use both units: capacity in kWh and power in kW. The Clean Energy Regulator defines nominal capacity as the maximum amount of energy a battery can store at full charge, usually the figure on the product label, and usable capacity as the amount of energy that can be discharged, which is what your home can draw from the battery. Our solar glossary defines these and other terms.
What changes on your meter when solar is connected
Your distributor owns the meter, so it makes the change, not your installer. Solar Victoria says the meter is reconfigured to read the solar you export, remotely for most Victorian homes; if you’re told it has to be physically changed, a technician from your distributor visits. EWOV says you are charged a fee for the meter work, and it generally appears on your first bill after solar.
- Pre-approval. Every distributor needs it before installation. Solar Victoria says your solar retailer handles it, and recommends checking that it was sought.
- Installation and paperwork. After installation the installer lodges the paperwork, including a Certificate of Electrical Safety, which every distributor requires.
- The meter change. Your electricity retailer raises a service order with your distributor to alter or replace the meter and move you to a network tariff that records your exports. Your retail tariff may change too, so check your plan.
- Your next bill. It arrives on your normal billing cycle and shows your use from the grid and the solar you exported.
| Distributor | Area | Other paperwork |
|---|---|---|
| AusNet Services | Outer northern and eastern suburbs and eastern Victoria | An electrical works request and an online “post installation form” |
| CitiPower | City and inner suburbs | An online “solar alteration request” |
| Jemena | Northern and north-western suburbs | An electrical works request and the “Embedded Generation Application ID” from pre-approval, given to your retailer |
| Powercor | Western suburbs and western Victoria | An online “solar alteration request” |
| United Energy | Southern suburbs and Mornington Peninsula | An online “solar alteration request” |
Your first bill after solar
Your retailer bills you on your normal cycle, and the bill now carries two meter totals: the kWh you took from the grid and the kWh your solar exported.
| Bill line | What it is | What solar changes |
|---|---|---|
| Usage from the grid | The kWh from your total usage register, at your usage rates | Falls, because your home uses its own solar first in daylight |
| Solar exported (feed-in credit) | The kWh from your solar exported register, paid at your feed-in tariff | New. Since 1 July 2025 retailers set their own rate, which can’t go below 0c per kWh |
| Daily supply charge | A fixed charge for each day, whatever you use | Solar doesn’t lower it, but your retail tariff may change when solar is connected, so check your plan. On the Victorian Default Offer flat tariff it is $1.19 to $1.38 a day, depending on your distributor |
| Meter fee | The distributor’s charge for reconfiguring or replacing your meter | Usually on the first bill after solar is connected |
Why does my bill show no feed-in credit?
- The meter hasn’t been changed yet. Once the installer’s paperwork is processed, your retailer asks your distributor to reconfigure the meter and move you to a network tariff that records exports; until then your exports aren’t recorded (EWOV).
- The bill period ended first. Bills follow your normal cycle, so the first one after solar can cover days before the meter change.
- Your plan pays 0c. Retailers set their own feed-in tariff, which can be as low as 0c per kWh: check the rate on your plan.
- A zero export limit. If your network’s pre-approval came back at 0 kW, the system can’t export; CitiPower and Powercor, and since 1 July 2026 United Energy, offer flexible exports instead.
- The inverter is offline. United Energy restricts exports while an inverter is offline, and after a new modem or Wi-Fi password it exports nothing until it is reconnected.
Why the bill may drop less than you expected
Solar Victoria says households with solar panels only use around 25% of the energy they generate; with a solar battery that rises to around 50 to 60%. The rest is exported at a feed-in tariff that is worth far less than the power you buy back in the evening. Using more of your solar while the sun is up, or storing it, is what lowers the bill most.
Victorian tariffs: flat, time of use, demand and the Midday Power Saver
Your tariff sets what each kWh costs. The time-based tariffs need a meter that records when you use power, which a smart meter does.
| Tariff | How it charges | Meter it needs |
|---|---|---|
| Single rate (flat) | One price for every kWh, with no peak or off-peak periods | Any meter |
| Time of use | The price per kWh changes with the time of day | A meter that records when you use power, such as a smart meter |
| Demand | Usage and supply charges, plus a demand charge on your highest use (in kW) in a set period | Typically a smart meter |
| Midday Power Saver | Free use from 11 am to 2 pm every day, up to 24 kWh, with higher maximum rates at other times | A smart meter (households only) |
| Two-way (export) network tariff | Opt-in on all five networks since 1 July 2026: a network charge on solar exported from 11 am to 4 pm above 1 kWh a day, and a credit for exports from 4 pm to 9 pm; your retailer decides how it reaches your plan (rates by network) | A smart meter |
The Victorian Default Offer: the benchmark
The Essential Services Commission sets the Victorian Default Offer (VDO), the regulated standing offer, for 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027. Many market offers are cheaper, so treat it as a benchmark, not as your rate. Its time-of-use tariff charges a peak rate from 4 pm to 9 pm, a solar soak rate from 11 am to 4 pm and an off-peak rate at all other times.
| Distribution zone | Flat rate | Peak (4 pm to 9 pm) | Solar soak (11 am to 4 pm) | Off-peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AusNet Services | 31.98c | 47.64c | 17.59c | 22.60c |
| CitiPower | 25.96c | 38.31c | 16.59c | 21.17c |
| Jemena | 27.47c | 37.57c | 17.65c | 21.76c |
| Powercor | 28.22c | 41.67c | 17.26c | 22.49c |
| United Energy | 27.35c | 40.32c | 17.26c | 22.14c |
Time of use and the Midday Power Saver with solar
With solar, your panels already cover much of your daytime use, so the rates that matter most are the evening ones you still pay and your feed-in tariff. Since 1 October 2026, households with a smart meter can ask their retailer for the Midday Power Saver: free electricity use from 11 am to 2 pm, up to 24 kWh a day, with maximum rates at other times about 2.05 to 2.18c per kWh above the VDO time-of-use rates. Compare plans on your own smart meter data at Victorian Energy Compare.
Download your smart meter data to size solar or a battery
Your meter’s interval data shows when you use power, not just how much, which is what you need to size a battery or check a solar quote. The Essential Services Commission says customers with smart meters can get it from their distributor and upload it to Victorian Energy Compare.
- Find your distributor. It depends on where you live; the Victorian Government’s Find your energy distributor page shows which of the five serves your address.
- Register on its customer portal. EWOV says you need your National Metering Identifier (NMI) and the serial number of your electricity meter, both printed on your electricity bill. AusNet’s portal, MyHomeEnergy, shows daily use and solar exports.
- Download your data. A full year covers both summer and winter. If you can’t get it, the Commission says to contact your distributor.
- Use it. Upload it to Victorian Energy Compare to compare plans on your real use, read off how much you use after dark to size a battery, and take your yearly total to size a solar system.
Smart meters and solar: your questions
How can I tell if I have a smart meter?
Look at the meter in your meter box. A smart meter has a digital display that steps through its readings on its own, and a scroll button. The old analogue meters, which EWOV says have been phased out, have a spinning disk and a row of figures that keeps adding up your usage. Victoria decided in 2006 to fit smart meters to every home, so yours is most likely one.
Which reading on my smart meter is the solar export?
The register for solar power exported to the grid. The display shows its registers one after another: the time and date, total usage (what you took from the grid), off-peak usage if your tariff has it and, once the meter is set up for solar, the solar exported. Labels vary with the meter model, so match the figure to the solar exported line on your bill. Both totals are in kWh and only go up.
Why is my power bill in kWh when my solar system is sized in kW?
Because they measure different things. kWh is energy: power used over time. Your usage, your feed-in credits and your meter’s registers all count kWh. kW is power at one moment: the size of a solar system or inverter, and what a demand charge measures. Running 1 kW for one hour uses 1 kWh. A 6.6 kW solar system in Melbourne makes about 25.5 kWh a day, averaged over the year.
Do I need a new meter when I get solar in Victoria?
Usually not. Solar Victoria says your meter is reconfigured to read the solar you export, and for most Victorian homes that happens remotely. If you’re told the meter must be physically changed, a technician from your distributor visits. EWOV says the distributor charges a fee for the meter work, which generally appears on your first bill after solar. You need a smart meter to get a solar feed-in tariff.
Why hasn’t my electricity bill dropped more since I got solar?
Usually because most of your solar is exported, not used. Solar Victoria says households with solar panels only use around 25% of the energy they generate. Exports earn your feed-in tariff, which retailers now set themselves and which can be as low as 0c per kWh. Solar doesn’t lower the daily supply charge, and the first bill generally includes the fee for the meter work. How feed-in tariffs work
Your meter and network in a Melbourne solar home
Your meter belongs to whichever network serves your street: AusNet Services (outer northern and eastern suburbs and eastern Victoria), CitiPower (city and inner suburbs), Jemena (northern and north-western suburbs), Powercor (western suburbs and western Victoria) and United Energy (southern suburbs and Mornington Peninsula). The Victorian Government’s distributor finder shows yours. That network makes the meter change after your install, runs the portal you download your data from, and offers the opt-in two-way tariff your retailer could move you to.
Expect the solar exported register to climb fastest in summer: a 6.6kW system in Mount Waverley, Melbourne makes about 34.9 kWh a day in January but 14.4 kWh in June (PVGIS). A full year of interval data covers both seasons, which is what sizing a battery for a Melbourne home needs.
Planning solar or a battery?
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Questions about your meter and solar?
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Mount Waverley, VIC 3149