How do you charge me before I have a smart meter installed?

Amber still passes through wholesale prices, with no retail markup, to customers who don't yet have a smart meter.

What will I be charged for my usage without a smart meter?

We'll still pass through wholesale prices to you without a smart meter.

If you want to understand what your rates will be like without a smart meter, check out our Pricing page and enter your postcode. These rates are a yearly average rate based on a typical customer's consumption - which is very similar to how your rates are calculated if you don't have a smart meter. You can view historical rates for each month of the year by clicking 'By Month' on the price chart.

Because your meter can't be read remotely and can't track the times of day when you used power, we'll average the wholesale price in your region and pass on these prices with no mark up. The wholesale market operator uses this data to charge us wholesale rates for your power. This estimate is roughly accurate for most people. Your bill will still be based on your total kWh usage between readings.

Once you get a smart meter installed, two things change - the first is that you'll be able to save beyond these typical rates by shifting some of your usage at cheaper and greener times. The second is that your rates will be based on the times when your household uses power, rather than when the typical household uses power. They'll become a bit more accurate.

Will I be billed monthly or quarterly?

Until you get a smart meter we can only bill you after a quarterly meter read. Your meter will also be read during your smart meter install. We find that most customers receive their first bill shortly after their smart meter is installed. Once you have a smart meter, you'll switch to a monthly billing cycle, as we can access your meter data remotely rather than relying on quarterly readings.