Curb Your Power
Curb Your Power
- When will I be asked to curb my power?
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AEMO (the Australian Energy Market Operator) will determine when power needs to be curbed. An Event is most likely to happen when the grid is under strain or high demand, or when usage outstrips supply, because too many people are using electricity at the same time. For example, on the hottest day of summer when lots of people get home from work and put on their air-con at the same time.
- Why should I do it?
- For about 10 to 15 hours a year the network’s infrastructure (poles and wires) is not able to handle the demand for electricity – think really hot days when everyone is blasting their air con. AEMO can either shut down certain areas of the grid (planned blackouts) to ensure that nothing catastrophic happens or spend exorbitant amounts of money upgrading the grid so it can withstand those few hours a year when electricity demand reaches its highest - which in the long run will have an impact on your bill. A more suitable option would be to ask people to use less during those times. It’s an easy way to help out, its effective and you could also get some power credits if you curb your power successfully.
- I don't think I can reduce my usage by enough to meet my Curb Target?
- That’s why we have set your Curb Target as 10% of your Baseline for non-solar customers. So all you need to do is reduce a little and you can participate. For you big users, if 10% is a lot, all you need is a reduction of 1 kWh each hour of the Event. For customers with solar, you just need to reduce your usage by 0.05 kW for each hour of the Event.
- Can I participate if I'm a business?
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Definitely. Powershop business customers can join the Curb Your Power program. The Curb Target and reward for businesses is different to residential customers. See the table below for business reduction details.
- I heard there's a reward, how do I get that?
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For both business and residential customers, if you successfully participate in 100% of Events, you can earn a bonus reward. See the table below for details.
- Why can’t I join if I’m in NSW/South East Queensland?
- Curb Your Power is launching in Victoria first. When we have more info about other states, we’ll let you know. In the meantime, why don’t you get a free smart meter on us if you don’t already have one already? Having a smart meter is a requirement for Curb Your Power. You can register interest for a smart meter here.