Electrical emergencies and outages
132 004

If you've lost power or want to report fallen powerlines

General enquiries
1300 137 008

For general enquiries, call from Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm

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Safe access to meters

We're responsible for reading meters (excluding advanced meters) every 3 months so your energy retailer can bill you for the electricity you’ve used. It’s important our meter readers are safe when they visit your property for a meter reading.

Some reasons why we may not be able to safely access the meter on your property include:

  • Dogs or other animals
  • Debris, vegetation or rubbish around your meter box area
  • Locked gates and meter boxes
  • Meters are located in a flood-prone area
  • The approach road or track is dangerous

 

Frequently asked questions

  • How do I know when the meter reader is coming?
    Sign up to our SMS subscription portal and we'll send you an SMS notifying you of upcoming meter reads at your property.
    Sign up to SMS

    The date of your next meter reading is also shown on your power bill from your energy retailer. Please note this is an approximate date only. Due to scheduling commitments your meter reader may need to attend one business day before or one business day after the indicated date.

  • What can I do to get a successful meter read?
    • Clean up debris, vegetation or rubbish around your meter box area
    • Ensure gates are unlocked and/or animals are contained in an area away from the meter for meter reads. Our meter readers will read your meter on the 'Approximate Next Reading Date' detailed on the back of your energy bill or 1 business day on either side of this date. This is known as the '3 day meter reading period'
    • Talk to your energy retailer about having an advanced meter installed. Advanced meters are electronic meters capable of two-way communication and remote meter reading, which eliminates the need for a person to physically read your meter
  • I am a dog owner, how do I ensure my meter can be read?

    The safety of our meter readers is important to us. Dogs are often the biggest barrier between the meter reader and your meter. This doesn't mean your dog is dangerous, we simply can’t take the risk when it comes to the safety of our people under any circumstance.

    Your dog needs to be placed securely in a yard or area completely separated from where our work is happening, e.g. locked behind a fence. For our field staff to enter your property, they must be convinced the dog cannot escape the area.

    Dogs can also be secured by a substantial rope or chain with an appropriate anchor point on the ground or to a fixed fitting to ensure our safe access to the work area. Our field staff must be convinced the dog cannot escape the area. If you choose to chain your dog please remember you are responsible for ensuring they have appropriate water, shade and food.

    Please note: If you offer to hold a dog by hand i.e. via a collar, holding part of the dog’s body, or having the dog in your arms, this is not an adequate restraint, the dog must be secured in another location before our field personnel can enter your property.

    We will use our best endeavours to determine if the dog is in the yard we are attempting to enter using visual clues such as: water/food bowls, toys, bones, kennels, etc. However, if we cannot determine that the premises are safe to enter, we will not attempt entry. .