News & Views

As the ACT moves to full contestable electricity metering services in 2017, with the power of choice reforms, this guide is aimed at providing information to existing and new providers of electricity meters in the ACT.

This guide does not go to the requirements of the Electricity Network Distributor (DNSP), and in most cases described in this guide, the DNSP has additional requirements.

Licensing
The installer of an electricity meter in the ACT is to hold an ACT Unrestricted Electricians Licence.

The installation of electricity meters after the network boundary (typically the service fuses), is work that is covered by the ACT Electricity Safety Act 1971.

Reporting the work
All electrical work is to be reported to the Registrar on the Certificate of Electrical Safety (CES) form within 14 days of installing and testing your work, using the following categories;

• New - Where the installation is metered for the first time

• Additions/Alterations - Where existing meters are relocated to a new position and when an existing meter is changed and the wiring system is altered to accommodate the new meter.

• Repair - Where an existing meter is replaced and is a like-for-like replacement ie. the make and model of the meter can change, as long as the wiring system and load stay the same.

• A CES form is required for each metering location. Where there are multiple meters at the same Meter Panel, only one CES form is required, please add the quantity of meters in the comments field. Where there are multiple Meter Panels on a site then a separate CES form is required for each location.

Note: When electrical work is inspected and found noncompliant, an Electrical Defect notice is issued to instruct the electrician to make repairs. Where the noncompliant work is a reverse polarity of the Active and Neutral, additional disciplinary action may be taken.

Connecting Supply
Where the ACT Government Electrical Inspector has placed an authorisation to energise sticker at the metering location, the electrical installation at that point can be connected to supply when available. The CES form needs to be submitted within 14 days.

Where the authorisation to energise sticker is not placed, the meter’s isolation point is to be left in the open position after the meter is installed. A CES form is still required within 14 days. The meter’s isolation point is to be “Danger Tagged” as “Do Not Connect” or sealed to prevent the installation from being energised.

Embedded Generation
Under this category, approval must be obtained from the Electricity Network Distributor (DNSP) before the embedded installation and metering work is done. The processes below assume that the DNSP has already provided the required approvals and it is the responsibility of the metering installer to ensure that the DNSP has approved the embedded installation before they connect it to the Electricity Network.

Process 1
Where a new meter is installed for embedded generation at an electrical installation previously approved by the ACT Government Electrical Inspections team, for:

• Photovoltaic (PV), rated at 30kW or less; and

• Photovoltaic (PV) with storage batteries, rated at 30kW or less. (Only includes , Battery Storage systems charged directly by a PV system).

The new meter can be connected to the Electrical Installation without the embedded generation being audited by the ACT Government Electrical Inspector first.  A CES form is required by the embedded generation installer and by the metering installer.

Process 2
Where a new meter is installed for embedded generation not listed in Process 1 above, at a premises previously approved by the Electrical Inspections team, the new meter cannot be connected to the electrical installation without being audited by the ACT Government Electrical Inspector first.  A CES form is required by the embedded generation installer and by the metering installer.  Once the installation has been audited by the ACT Government Electrical Inspector, an authorisation to connect sticker will be attached to the metering location.

Where an authorisation to connect sticker is already in place for the embedded generation, the metering installer can connect the embedded generation to the electricity network. A CES form is still required by the metering installer.

Inspection Fees
For each category of CES form there are fees payables at the time of submission. The fees are amended on the 1 July each year and are published on our website.

To claim the exemption from fees when the electrical work is associated with building work, the electrician submitting the CES form will need to know the Building Approval (BA) number first.

Source from Construction Industry Newsletter 14 June 2017